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I want to install logwatch but configure it to use SendEmail (smpt authentication sender) instead of postfix. I don't need full blown mail server, I figure I can use google smtp.

I checked dependencies and logwatch installs automatically postfix. What if I don't want it at all on my system? How do I skip it? will it cause problems if I skip it?

Note: I'm using ubuntu server 12.04 Sendemail is smpt auth perl script: http://caspian.dotconf.net/menu/Software/SendEmail/#installation

After installing sendemail postfix is still in dependencies list for logwatch.

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  • Which distribution do you use?
    – Alex
    Jul 10, 2012 at 10:38
  • ubuntu server 12.04
    – user113400
    Jul 10, 2012 at 10:49
  • @Alex original post updated with details
    – user113400
    Jul 10, 2012 at 11:52

2 Answers 2

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You don't have to install Postfix. Postfix is not a dependency of logwatch. The actual dependency is postfix | mail-transport-agent, so any package that provides mail-transport-agent will satisfy the dependency.

Now, the problem is, you're not using a packaged MTA. I would recommend ditching this sendEmail thing and instead install a packaged MTA that does the same thing, like nullmailer or ssmtp. They will both provide the necessary virtual package, and will receive security updates and bugfixes if required. If you really, really have an eagerness for SendEmail, you can either package it properly, or use the equivs package to generate a dependency-satisfying stub package that'll also solve the problem.

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  • I don't think if I install sendEmail it will automatically satisfy dependency. I'm on ubuntu server 12.04.
    – user113400
    Jul 10, 2012 at 10:50
  • I updated original post to include more details.
    – user113400
    Jul 10, 2012 at 11:51
  • I went ahead and installed it anyways. I disabled postfix like so: sudo vi /etc/init.d/postfix and put exit 0 at the top. What do you think? is it safe way to disable postfix?
    – user113400
    Jul 10, 2012 at 14:07
  • <shrug> If you want to break your system, go for your life.
    – womble
    Jul 10, 2012 at 15:59
  • I don't have to explain anything, thank you very much, regardless of how curious you are. It'll break your system because you're doing unexpected things, fighting the system rather than working with it. Down the line, when someone else (or even an older, wiser you) will not expect someone to have installed and then knobbled Postfix, and thus confusion will ensue, and your name will be cursed through the ages. If you don't want Postfix, DON'T INSTALL IT.
    – womble
    Jul 10, 2012 at 17:31
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I know this is old, but I ran across this trying to install logwatch without postfix. I have a LAMP server (Ubuntu 12.04) that doesn't need all of postfix just to send error messages to an admin user. I used msmtp:

sudo apt-get install msmtp msmtp-mta

and configured it (in /etc/msmtprc) to send everything to my domain's MX. msmtp-mta provides the required mail-transport-agent dependency, so logwatch installs cleanly after that.

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