[Dovecot] Feature Request: Config Dump
Hello,
One of the less friendly lists I am on is the Postfix list, but one of the features that Postfix has, and the use of which is required when asking for help on their list, is a command called 'postconf', which simply dumps the current configuration parameters into a neat, orderly output that you can then cut-n-paste into an email request for help. The postfix guys won't even try to address a problem without this output (as opposed to snippets from config files), combined with log snippets of the failing behavior (as opposed to bounced message text, or 'it don't work' comments).
So, what I'd like to see is something similar - a command that I can issue that will cause Dovecot to dump all of the configuration parameters it is currently using in a neat, orderly arrangement.
This would dramatically help individual users in troubleshooting their own problems, as well as help people on this list help others. It would totally eliminate all of the 'what is xys set to' questions back and forth.
But I'm more interested in how it will simply help me to see how I have it configured, and allow me to easily spot conflicting or misconfigured parameters.
--
Best regards,
Charles
Charles Marcus wrote:
So, what I'd like to see is something similar - a command that I can issue that will cause Dovecot to dump all of the configuration parameters it is currently using in a neat, orderly arrangement.
egrep '^[[:space:]]*[a-zA-Z{}]+' /etc/dovecot.conf
Or did you mean it should also show default values if nothing else is specified in the config? Then it could be a command line switch of the dovecot binary, just like --version or --build-options.
I don't use postfix, but AFAIR postconf does a little more, like printing individual paramaters if requested, read postifx' spread config etc.
Anyway, I agree that it could be nice.
So, what I'd like to see is something similar - a command that I can issue that will cause Dovecot to dump all of the configuration parameters it is currently using in a neat, orderly arrangement.
egrep '^[[:space:]]*[a-zA-Z{}]+' /etc/dovecot.conf
Sure, there are tons of different ways of getting the information, but what is nice about the postconf way is the output is consistent, both in content and form.
I think that is an incredibly simple yet powerful tool for troubleshooting purposes, and I'm actually surprised that every program out there doesn't provide the same thing.
Or did you mean it should also show default values if nothing else is specified in the config? Then it could be a command line switch of the dovecot binary, just like --version or --build-options.
I don't use postfix, but AFAIR postconf does a little more, like printing individual paramaters if requested, read postifx' spread config etc.
Right - so there could be a few different levels, kindof like differing debug levels for logs, but the developer could say "show me the output of 'doveconf -n'", and know exactly what is being provided. If they need more info, they could ask for a dump of ALL parameters being used("show me the output of 'doveconf -a'").
It's just a thought.
--
Best regards,
Charles
Some of the advantages of postconf is it says what postfix thinks its configs are, not what you think the correct config file says. Very helpful if the real config is in /usr/local/etc/postfix/, rather than /etc/postfix/ (and both exist).
Also, there is a '-n' switch, which prints settings that are not the defaults. The '-n' makes it very easy to see if someone borked their config in a dumb way. :)
On Thu, 06 Apr 2006 08:32:17 -0400 Charles Marcus CMarcus@Media-Brokers.com wrote:
: Hello, : : One of the less friendly lists I am on is the Postfix list, but one : of the features that Postfix has, and the use of which is required : when asking for help on their list, is a command called 'postconf', : which simply dumps the current configuration parameters into a neat, : orderly output that you can then cut-n-paste into an email request : for help. The postfix guys won't even try to address a problem : without this output (as opposed to snippets from config files), : combined with log snippets of the failing behavior (as opposed to : bounced message text, or 'it don't work' comments). : : So, what I'd like to see is something similar - a command that I can : issue that will cause Dovecot to dump all of the configuration : parameters it is currently using in a neat, orderly arrangement. : : This would dramatically help individual users in troubleshooting : their own problems, as well as help people on this list help others. : It would totally eliminate all of the 'what is xys set to' questions : back and forth. : : But I'm more interested in how it will simply help me to see how I : have it configured, and allow me to easily spot conflicting or : misconfigured parameters. : : -- : : Best regards, : : Charles :
-- Dentist, n.: A Prestidigitator who, putting metal in one's mouth, pulls coins out of one's pockets. -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
On Thu, 2006-04-06 at 08:32 -0400, Charles Marcus wrote:
So, what I'd like to see is something similar - a command that I can issue that will cause Dovecot to dump all of the configuration parameters it is currently using in a neat, orderly arrangement.
Added -a and -n parameters to dovecot binary for dumping all/nondefault settings.
Currently it parses the config file itself, so the actual running Dovecot might be using different configuration if the config file had been changed since it was started. I think it's a bit too much trouble to fix this, so I'll leave it for Dovecot 2.0.
So, what I'd like to see is something similar - a command that I can issue that will cause Dovecot to dump all of the configuration parameters it is currently using in a neat, orderly arrangement.
Added -a and -n parameters to dovecot binary for dumping all/nondefault settings.
Currently it parses the config file itself, so the actual running Dovecot might be using different configuration if the config file had been changed since it was started. I think it's a bit too much trouble to fix this, so I'll leave it for Dovecot 2.0.
Wow! Thanks Timo... as usual, you rock! I'm assuming this didn't make it into b5, so is only available in CVS until the next release?
:)
--
Best regards,
Charles
participants (4)
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Charles Marcus
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Jakob Hirsch
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Peter Hessler
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Timo Sirainen