[Bug 1134461] Re: /var/mail is real instead of symlink :: /var/spool/mail is symlink instead of real

[Steve Langasek]

There is no bug here.  The FHS-mandated location is the real directory,
which is the preferred implementation and done by design.
/var/spool/mail is *not* listed in the FHS, only /var/mail is.

> The /var/spool/mail should not be a symlink to an optional directory!

You have misunderstood the meaning of "optional" in the FHS.  It is
optional to *have* a directory for mail spools.  It is *not* optional to
use /var/mail as the location for those mail spools if present.

Closing this report as invalid.

** Changed in: base-files (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Invalid

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1134461

Title:
  /var/mail is real instead of symlink :: /var/spool/mail is symlink
  instead of real

Status in “base-files” package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid

Bug description:
  First of all, this isnt really a postfix bug, but as the Ubuntu
  Bugtracking system is quite horrible, i was forced to choose a
  package.

  If you look at /var/mail in Ubuntu, it is a real directoy.

  If we look at FHS:

  ---8<---
  /var/mail : User mailbox files (optional)
  Purpose

  The mail spool must be accessible through /var/mail and the mail spool
  files must take the form <username>.  Note that /var/mail may be a
  symbolic link to another directory.

  User mailbox files in this location must be stored in the standard
  UNIX mailbox format.

  The logical location for this directory was changed from /var/spool/mail in order to bring FHS in-line with nearly every UNIX implementation.
  ---8<---

  So this directory exists for staying incompatible with other UNIX
  Distributions and mostly is a symlink to /var/spool/mail as it
  contains parts of the mail spool.

  So /var/spool/mail is the "real" directory und /var/mail was created
  (as optional) as an compatibility directory.

  On Ubuntu (and seems like on Debian too), its the other way.

  /var/spool/mail is just a fake symlink to /var/mail.

  The /var/spool/mail should not be a symlink to an optional directory!
  Spool-Files belong to /var/spool, not /var/mail and /var/spool/mail
  just getting a symlink to that is just wrong.

  /var/mail is the optional directory which exists for compatibility reason and mostly is just a symlink
  /var/spool/mail is the real thing!

  ---8<---
  user at host:~$ file /var/spool/mail
  /var/spool/mail: symbolic link to `../mail'
  ---8<---

  thats just wrong!

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
  Package: postfix 2.9.3-2ubuntu2.1
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-25.38-generic 3.5.7.4
  Uname: Linux 3.5.0-25-generic i686
  NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
  ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu10
  Architecture: i386
  Date: Wed Feb 27 16:18:35 2013
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-01-29 (29 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release i386 (20121017.2)
  MarkForUpload: True
  ProcEnviron:
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: postfix
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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