Debconf + Postfix

[Greg Taylor]

Binary package hint: debconf

On installing Postfix through Synaptic, a GUI debconf pops up and asks for what kind of mail server you're setting up. It defaults to Internet Server. I hit next, decided against using the Internet Server configuration, hit Back, the interface locks up and becomes unresponsive. Synaptic is waiting for debconf to finish, and I'm in deadlock, will have to kill the postfix config and do it manually from the shell later.

Big inconvenience to users that don't know command-line debconf at all.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

I think it's overwhelmingly likely that this is due to a buggy config script in postfix rather than a bug in debconf. What version of postfix are you installing? Can you reproduce this problem with 'DEBCONF_DEBUG=developer' set in the environment and get a debug trace?

[Greg Taylor (gtaylor)]

This affects Postfix 2.2.10-1. Unless I'm doing this wrong, I don't think I can get debug traces from the gtk debconf from within Synaptic by setting that environmental variable. I started Synaptic like this:

 DEBCONF_DEBUG='developer' sudo synaptic

But got nothing when debconf fired up.

Note that this config script appears to work just fine when using the console/curses based debconf, hence why I suspect it might be a problem with debconf or maybe something that gtk debconf doesn't yet know how to handle.

[Felix Rabe (public-felixrabe)]

I installed from ubuntu-7.04-beta-desktop-i386.iso a few hours ago on a fresh hard disk, imported the package markings from my previous installation on the old hard disk, "Mark(ed) All Upgrades", and "Apply"ed. I have the exactly same problem as the reporter, now over 11 months later. If I want to go back from the "Mail name?" step in gtk-debconf, the Debconf dialog just hangs unresponsively.

Sorry for not trying to get the required info yet, I'm in the midst of setting up my new hard disk and might be off-keyboard for a few days after that.

[LaMont Jones (lamont)]

'twas definitely a broken config script in postfix. Will be fixed in 2.4.5-2

[LaMont Jones (lamont)]

postfix (2.4.5-3) unstable; urgency=low

  * LFS file changes. Closes: #434851
  * Typo in postconf.5. Closes: #426312.
  * Catalan debconf templates translation update. Closes: #430852

postfix (2.4.5-2) unstable; urgency=low

  * debconf script had some issues backing up. (LP: #43615)
  * Suggest: mail-reader. Closes: #437937, #437938
  * Only add postmaster alias one time. Closes: #436269
  * Don't allow multiple relay hosts. Closes: #433321

 -- LaMont Jones <email address hidden> Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:22:09 +0100