[Logcheck-devel] Bug#281747: logcheck: Add config option to turn off 'This mail is sent by logcheck...' test

[Dave Sherohman]

Package: logcheck
Version: 1.1.1-13.1woody2
Severity: wishlist

Please add an option in a separate config file to disable the "This
mail is sent by logcheck..." message at the start of each report.  I
installed the package specifically so that it would send me these
messages and it seems rather condescending for it to treat me as if I
might not know where they're coming from after a few years and many
installations of it.  (My reaction to it is basically the same as to
those versions of Windows which scold you for not shutting the system
down properly while checking the filesystem after they crashed
without giving the opportunity to shut down cleanly.)

As it stands now, this message is hardcoded into the main script.
While it is easy to go in and comment the relevant lines out, this
means that I must do so after every upgrade of the package - and this
seems to be one of the packages to most frequently receive security
updates, so I would greatly appreciate not having to re-edit the
logcheck script after every one of them.

Granting this wishlist item should be simple...  An additional
SUPPRESSHEADER value in logcheck.conf and a test for it around the
relevant section in the main script:

# Add an identification line at the beginning of the sent mail
# (text by Rainer Dorsch)
# SUPPRESSHEADER is set in /etc/logcheck/logcheck.conf
if [ $SUPPRESSHEADER -ne 1 ]; then
echo "This mail is sent by logcheck. If you do not want to receive it any more," \
  >> $TMPDIR/checkreport.$$
echo "please modify the configuration files in /etc/logcheck or deinstall logcheck." \
  >> $TMPDIR/checkreport.$$
fi

should be sufficient.  Adding an option for it in the install script
isn't even necessary, as anyone who tries to comment it out in the
main script can be informed by a comment there of the proper
procedure for disabling the header without taking any chance that a
new user might accidentally turn it off and then wonder why he's
getting those messages.  (Although mentioning it in the installer
text and/or /usr/share/doc/logcheck would be good to inform the
experienced user of the option's existence, even if it still has to
be enabled manually...)

-- System Information
Debian Release: 3.0
Kernel Version: Linux genma 2.2.19 #4 Tue Feb 19 20:52:40 CST 2002 i686 GNU/Linux

Versions of the packages logcheck depends on:
ii  cron           3.0pl1-72      management of regular background processing
ii  debconf        1.0.32         Debian configuration management system
ii  exim           3.35-1woody3   An MTA (Mail Transport Agent)
ii  logcheck-datab 1.1.1-13.1wood A database of system log rules for the use o
ii  logtail        1.1.1-13.1wood Returns parts of logfiles that have not alre
ii  mailx          8.1.2-0.200204 A simple mail user agent.
ii  sysklogd       1.4.1-10       System Logging Daemon
ii  exim           3.35-1woody3   An MTA (Mail Transport Agent)
	^^^ (Provides virtual package mail-transport-agent)
ii  sysklogd       1.4.1-10       System Logging Daemon
	^^^ (Provides virtual package system-log-daemon)

--- Begin /etc/logcheck/logcheck.logfiles (modified conffile)
Config file not present or no permissions for access

--- End /etc/logcheck/logcheck.logfiles

--- Begin /etc/logcheck/logcheck.conf (modified conffile)
Config file not present or no permissions for access

--- End /etc/logcheck/logcheck.conf

--- Begin /etc/logcheck/logcheck.logfiles (modified conffile)
Config file not present or no permissions for access

--- End /etc/logcheck/logcheck.logfiles

--- Begin /etc/logcheck/logcheck.conf (modified conffile)
Config file not present or no permissions for access

--- End /etc/logcheck/logcheck.conf