Hello:

On 16 Sep 2025 at 16:35, Haines Brown via Dng wrote:

> ... very kind to reply to my queries at length.
It's a pay-it-forward deal, but thank you.

> ... caustous about replaceing Exim4 with Dragonfly ...
When I was looking for something ie: simpler, more straightforward,
lighter) to replace it I came across three or four options. The last
one I looked at was [dma] but, not being experienced enough, I was
not sure.

Then I saw that FreeBSD had ditched [sendmail] and made [dma] the
default MTA for its distribution from release 4.20 on so I went with
[dma], no questions asked.

> ... uncertaintanties about the configuration syntax ...
> ... having to create /etc/mda/auth.conf in the first place.
I see you have the same slip-up I have: [dma] vs mda.

The trick is to *always* remember the insect comes first. 8^)

> Did you do so?
No.

Like I may have mentioned, the only use I have for a MTA in my box is
to get system notifiations as they arrive, something that [dma] did
from the get go. ie: did not have to touch the only two [*.conf]
files. ie: [/etc/dma/auth.conf] and [/etc/dma/dma.conf]

I don't even need to send mail outside my network, so the defaults
work fine.

> ... purged Exim4 ...
> ... reinstalled Exim4.
You probably did not purge completely.
ie: [exim] configuration file/s remained.

When I used the term *extreme predudice* for my purging [exim] I
meant it. I seached for *anything and everything* named [exim] amd
deleted it.

> ... it remembered the old configurarion.
> ... purge was not complete.
See above.

> ... 780 new error messages in Mutt.
> ... the problem had not been fixed ...
Evidently not.

> Where does Exim store the its configuraation information?
[exim] has an awfully long and complex configuration file which I
recall [jed] clocked at over 2100 lines long. I am convinced not even
the maintainers fully understand it.

That being the case, the two [dma] *.config files should be a walk in
the park by comparison.

Check these two web pages with instructions:
https://www.dragonflybsd.org/handbook/mta/
https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Dma_Dragonfly_Mail_Agent

That said, I think that the most likely place to look for hints about
[exim] problems is [/var/log/exim4/paniclog].

The default [exim] configuration is what they call the *non-split*
configuration scheme which uses the [/etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template]
file.

There is also a *split* configuration scheme used in more complex
installations which you can eventually opt for when installing
Debian/Devuan or by running dpkg-reconfigure exim4-config later on.

I'm sorry I cannot be of more help as that is just about all I know
about [dma] and [exim].

The only *other* thing would be that [dma] is your best bet. 8^)
ie: the BSD chaps cannot be wrong.

The Debian chaps will either knock up an enshitified / systemd
dependent MTA or eventually follow suit and adopt [dma] as the
default MTA.

Meanwhile, let us know how you fared with this.

Best,

A.