/etc/aliases not updated

[melter]

Binary package hint: postfix

Ubuntu Server 8.04
postfix 2.5.1-2ubuntu1

After a fresh install of Ubuntu Server 8.04, the file /etc/aliases exists with a mapping from root to the user name I set up during installation:

 $ cat /etc/aliases
 root: mylogin

If I install Postfix according to the instructions at https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/serverguide/C/postfix.html, I install and configure it separately:

 $ sudo apt-get install postfix
 $ sudo dpkg-reconfigure postfix

During the configuration, I'm asked:

 Mail for the 'postmaster', 'root', and other system accounts
 needs to be redirected to the user account of the actual
 system administrator.

If I enter a value other that the one already in /etc/aliases, that value isn't saved. For example, if I specify "yourlogin", I still see "mylogin" in the aliases file:

 $ cat /etc/aliases
 root: mylogin

If I delete /etc/aliases before configuration, it works as expected:

 $ sudo rm /etc/aliases
 $ sudo dpkg-reconfigure postfix
 $ cat /etc/aliases
 postmaster: root
 root: yourlogin

[LaMont Jones (lamont)]

the installer should quit creating /etc/aliases during install.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

OK - though you're going to have to deal with the above situation for upgrades anyway, right?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package user-setup - 1.20ubuntu2

---------------
user-setup (1.20ubuntu2) intrepid; urgency=low

  * Create sambashare group and add the initial user to it (thanks, Mantas
    Kriaučiūnas; LP: #238224).
  * Stop creating /etc/aliases, since apparently postfix would rather have a
    blank slate (LP: #228391).

 -- Colin Watson <email address hidden> Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:27:31 +0100

[WillyTP (willytp)]

This bug is back in the latest Ubuntu 10.04.
I confirm it in Ubuntu Server x64 10.04

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.