Re: [exim] Re (2): Configuring for non-encrypted MUA to localhost. TLS-on-connect, exim to smarthost.

[Jeremy Harris via Exim-users]

On 01/04/2023 16:22, Peter via Exim-users wrote:

Nevertheless, the connection fails.  Any tip about diagnosis may help.


Exim has a debug mode.  Most commonly triggered from a commandline option.
It is documented in the Exim docs, and possibly (I've not checked
a Debian system) the manpage for exim.

Attempt a test connection using a commandline message send, along the lines
of

$ exim -d+all -odf per...@externaldomsin.com &1 | tee 
eximdebug.txt | less

You will see the processing that exim does, and should be able to
infer at what point it diverges from your needs.
--
Cheers,
  Jeremy


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[exim] Re (2): Configuring for non-encrypted MUA to localhost. TLS-on-connect, exim to smarthost.

[Peter via Exim-users]

Ian & all,

From:   Ian Z via Exim-users 
Date:   Fri, 31 Mar 2023 21:35:28 -0700

IIRC (I have not used the debian style configuration for a long time),
the macros handled by debconf have a specific prefix, like maybe "DC_"
(but not at all sure about spelling). Marc, where are you?


You have a good memory Ian.  Without studying relevant sources I'm
reasonably sure the file catenated here is produced by Debian command
"dpkg-reconfigure exim4-config".

$ cat /etc/exim4/update-exim4.conf.conf
#
# Edit this file and /etc/mailname by hand and execute update-exim4.conf
# yourself or use 'dpkg-reconfigure exim4-config'
#
# ...
# This is a Debian specific file

dc_eximconfig_configtype='smarthost'
dc_other_hostnames=''
dc_local_interfaces='127.0.0.1 ; ::1'
dc_readhost='imager.invalid'
dc_relay_domains=''
dc_minimaldns='false'
dc_relay_nets=''
dc_smarthost='mail.easthope.ca::465'
CFILEMODE='644'
dc_use_split_config='false'
dc_hide_mailname='true'
dc_mailname_in_oh='true'
dc_localdelivery='mail_spool'
$

I'd rather the heading comments include the file name and a brief
explanation of the origin of the file but I'm not the package
maintainer.

Also to my understanding, execution of update-exim4.conf reads the
above update-exim4.conf.conf and produces
/var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated.

$ ls -ld /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated
-rw-r--r-- 1 root Debian-exim 26696 Apr  1 04:51 
/var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated


Given the size of config.autogenerated, it isn't simply equivalent to
update-exim4.conf.conf; extensive other information is incorporated.

The introduction of /usr/share/doc/exim4/README.Debian has the lofty
claim, "... you have found the README.Debian file. ... It is full of
important information and has been written with the questions in mind
that keep popping up on the mailing lists." Hmm; even the simple
explanation outlined above is absent.  Most novices aiming for any
non-trivial configuration of exim will be well baffled.  =8~/

This appears exactly appropriate to the smarthost for this system.

$ head -n 25 config.autogenerated | tail -n 4
MAIN_TLS_ENABLE = 1
REMOTE_SMTP_SMARTHOST_HOSTS_REQUIRE_TLS = *
TLS_ON_CONNECT_PORTS = 465
REQUIRE_PROTOCOL = smtps
$

Nevertheless, the connection fails.  Any tip about diagnosis may help.

Thx,... P.

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