Doveconf -n not empty after fresh install - how to update the default, if possible?

Question

After a fresh install of dovecot in Ubuntu 15.10, which was done after having purged the old conf, I still have a non empty doveconf -n output, but the man says that it should only output what is different from the default. So, I conclude that the default used to compute the output does not match with the actual default installation of dovecot in Ubuntu 15.10. If that is the case, is there a way to update the default used in doveconf so that it matches with the actual default configuration? Any other way to get the list of parameter definitions that are different from those of the original installation in the same format as doveconf -n, not just a mere diff, is what I am looking for.

Below is the output of doveconf -n after a fresh installation. Note that I have no issue with Ubuntu default. I just want to be able to obtain in an automated manner what else is added to this Ubuntu default in the current installation in the same format as with doveconf -n.

mail_location = mbox:~/mail:INBOX=/var/mail/%u
namespace inbox {
  inbox = yes
  location = 
  mailbox Drafts {
    special_use = \Drafts
  }
  mailbox Junk {
    special_use = \Junk
  }
  mailbox Sent {
    special_use = \Sent
  }
  mailbox "Sent Messages" {
    special_use = \Sent
  }
  mailbox Trash {
    special_use = \Trash
  }
  prefix = 
}
passdb {
  driver = pam
}
protocols = " imap pop3"
ssl = no
userdb {
  driver = passwd
}

score 0 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:25

It's not impossible that the defaults compiled into the binaries differ from the default config files shipped by the Ubuntu packages.

Either way, you can make sure you reinstalled the original conffiles shipped by the package by using the dpkg option --force-confmiss, as explained at e.g. How can I restore configuration files?

BTW in case any of the configuration files aren't marked as conffiles, but they affect the program, the purge procedure is indeed necessary (and it has to be thorough, i.e. the prerm and postrm packaging scripts have to account for everything relevant).

Doveconf -n not empty after fresh install - how to update the default, if possible?

1 Answers1