Bug 21295 - /etc/alternatives no longer permits /bin/mail as an alternative to sendmail-command
Summary: /etc/alternatives no longer permits /bin/mail as an alternative to sendmail-c...
Status: RESOLVED OLD
Alias: None
Product: Mageia
Classification: Unclassified
Component: RPM Packages (show other bugs)
Version: 7
Hardware: All Linux
Priority: Normal normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Pascal Terjan
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: 16017
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Reported: 2017-07-19 18:34 CEST by Hoyt Duff
Modified: 2021-09-09 16:34 CEST (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Source RPM: update-alternatives
CVE:
Status comment:

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Description Hoyt Duff 2017-07-19 18:34:57 CEST 
Description of problem:
Prior to Mageia6, it was possible to do the following

# update-alternatives --install /etc/alternatives/sendmail-command sendmail-command /bin/mail 1 

As of Mageia6, that command produces a response that tells me that /bin/mail is not an allowed alternative to sendmail-command.

See also https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=16017

/bin/mail works quite well as a simple alternative to sendmail/postfix, etc. There is no reason that it should not be allowed.
Comment 1 Marja Van Waes 2017-07-21 21:04:43 CEST 
Assigning to the registered maintainer of updates-alternatives

Assignee: bugsquad => pterjan
CC: (none) => marja11

Comment 2 Marja Van Waes 2020-04-29 15:33:10 CEST 
Hi Hoyt,

In bug #16017, comment #6, you said that that bug was still valid for Mageia 7
Does that include the update-alternatives issue and is the latter still valid?

If so, then please change "Version:" in the upper left of this report to "7"
If not, then please close this report as OLD (support for Mageia 6 ended in 2019)

Thanks,
Marja

Blocks: (none) => 16017
Source RPM: update-alternatives-1.9.0-10.mga3.src.rpm => update-alternatives

Comment 3 Hoyt Duff 2020-04-29 17:03:21 CEST 
Yes, this is still valid. Here is the current error message on Mageia7:

# update-alternatives --install /etc/alternatives/sendmail-command sendmail-command /bin/mail 1 
the primary link for sendmail-command must be /usr/sbin/sendmail

I suppose that I cold install sendmail and then ignore it, but I have no need to install sendmail just to enforce someone's arbitrary decision to make it mandatory.

I don't see a way to change the version number above. Clicking on it only takes me to a page (Bug Fields) that explains the entries.

CC: (none) => hoyt

Comment 4 Marja Van Waes 2020-04-29 17:06:21 CEST 
Thanks for the fast feedback, Hoyt :-)

Version: 6 => 7

Comment 5 Aurelien Oudelet 2021-07-06 13:17:58 CEST 
Mageia 7 is EOL since July 1st 2021.
There will not have any further bugfix for this release.

You are encouraged to upgrade to Mageia 8 as soon as possible.

@reporter, if this bug still apply with Mageia 8, please let us know it.

@packager, if you work on the Mageia 7 version of your package, please check the Mageia 8 package if issue is also present. In this case, please fix the Mageia 8 version instead.

This bug report will be closed OLD if there is no further notice within 1st September 2021.
Comment 6 Marja Van Waes 2021-09-07 14:10:46 CEST 
Hi bug reporter and hi assignee and others involved,

Please reopen this bug report if it is still valid for Mageia 8 or 9(cauldron), and change "Version:" in the upper left of this report accordingly.

This report is being closed as OLD because it was filed against Mageia 7, for which  support ended on June 30th 2021.

Thanks,
Marja

Status: NEW => RESOLVED
Resolution: (none) => OLD

Comment 7 Hoyt Duff 2021-09-09 16:34:11 CEST 
Bug still exists in Mageia 8, probably always will. 8(
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