Dear all, using kickstart to install some different kind of hosts, i missed some features or the existing 'key words' are not powerful enough. So i hope this list is the right place to contribute my ideas and i would be nice if the ideas find a way into the distribution. (RFF -> Request for feature) I miss a way to configure the Mail Service (i use sendmail). Yes, I know, sendmail configuration is an ungrateful job. But during my use of kickstart, i identified three different kind of hosts, which may be configured easily. Somebody will ask: "Why you do not perform this i the '%post' section ? You mount a file system from an NFS Server and copy the needed files!!" Yes, this is right. But it is not very comfortable and cannot be adapted from the user. He will not be able to create a %post section and in time there is no way to import a pre-defined kickstart configuration (including %post) into 'ksconfig'. In our network, some of the hosts have a local root, others will be adminstered by a central System Administration. So some needs an mail alias 'root somebody' and others not. In this case you have to distinguish two type of systems during the install. I thing it is an advantage to provide the chance to do this in the install process. But please read my ideas. First of all, i think in the default configuration, sendmail must no started in daemon !! For normal clients, there is no need to accept mails from the network. Mostly kickstart will be used to install clients in bigger networks. For the Mail Services, the client needs only to forward emails to a central mail server. sendmail provides for this scenario a 'nullclient' configuration (cf, m4). The interactive install program has to request the name of the mail host. To configure such a client, you need the following kickstart command: mailservice --prog sendmail --mailhost mail.foo.com Now anaconda copy the nullclient configuration and change only the mail server. If you have a local root, so the mail for the administrator has to be sent to an other account, you have to add the options '--alias root=other_guru'. In this case an other sendmail.cf is needed which evaluated the aliases. Multiple '--alias' or comma sepearted aliases should be allowed. mailservice --prog sendmail --mailhost mail.foo.com --alias root=other_guru@xxxxxxx The third type is the host which acts as a mail server. The option '--daemon' has to be added: mailservice --prog sendmail --daemon This will start sendmail in daemon mode and accept mails from the network. The detailed mail services has to be configured after/outside the kickstart installation. The idea of the option '--prog sendmail' is to allow to configure this three basic types with other mail programs too. (e.g. exim). I think, the installation process will be much easier if this kickstart option for this three kind of hosts is offered and should not caused so much effored to provided. There is no need to allow to configure each sendmail or exim option. Especially inexperienced users will benefit from this option to get mail running. Happy discussion. Regards -- Dipl.-Ing. Olrik Just phone: +49-30-3463-7126 FhI Fokus, CC GloNe fax : +49-30-3463-8126 Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 31 email: just@xxxxxxxxxxxx D-10589 Berlin, Germany sip : just@xxxxxxxxx
