Possible DarwinPorts implementation, mixing with existing services

[besson3c]

Hello,

I'm a exploring the idea of developing a port of Zimbra for usage with DarwinPorts on OS X. Our forthcoming version will include the ability to install from binaries, so I'm debating whether to work on developing a port to build from source, or waiting for the release of our next version to tackle this.

What may influence my decision the greatest is how Zimbra can be mixed in with existing email infrastructures. Is it relatively easy to use Zimbra with an existing LDAP or Postfix setup? If so, perhaps this would warrant building Zimbra from source so that these existing services aren't overwritten?

Of course, there are some optional installs in the current OS X Zimbra binary. Would leaving out these optional installs work okay without breaking anything in existing email infrastructures, or is it best to build from source against these existing services?

Is it best to tackle all of this now, or is Zimbra still too much of a moving target to make this worth my time?

Thanks in advance for your advice, and thanks for reading! I'm very excited about Zimbra, esp. considering the recent announcement of the iSync support in the works.

[KevinH]

I'd wait for a binary release. In general you can make Zimbra work with an existing postfix/ldap/mysql/etc but IMHO it's not worth the effort. One of Zimbra's strengths is that you get everything in one shot so it's simple to install and configure. Everything plays well together and there is no need to muck with config files. If you *like* mucking with config files and compiling your own feel free to go from source. It's just you lose a lot of the benefit of Zimbra when you try to pick it apart.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by KevinH

I'd wait for a binary release. In general you can make Zimbra work with an existing postfix/ldap/mysql/etc but IMHO it's not worth the effort. One of Zimbra's strengths is that you get everything in one shot so it's simple to install and configure. Everything plays well together and there is no need to muck with config files. If you *like* mucking with config files and compiling your own feel free to go from source. It's just you lose a lot of the benefit of Zimbra when you try to pick it apart.

Well, there is a binary release out for OS X, isn't there? I'm assuming you were referring to Zimbra and not DarwinPorts?

For me, I really do need to have my Zimbra play nicely with my existing Postfix/LDAP/MySQL, as it will be installed on the same server I run these services on. I want to be able to update these services independently through the FreeBSD ports mechanism (when a port of Zimbra is available for FreeBSD, which I'm sure is in the works) rather than having to update them manually or being dependent on getting these updates included in Zimbra updates.

Are there any instructors for setting up Zimbra to play nicely with existing services? Of course, I suppose that these wouldn't do me much good right now since I'm still waiting on the FreeBSD support, but I wouldn't mind taking a look at them anyway.

[KevinH]

Originally Posted by besson3c

Well, there is a binary release out for OS X, isn't there? I'm assuming you were referring to Zimbra and not DarwinPorts?

For me, I really do need to have my Zimbra play nicely with my existing Postfix/LDAP/MySQL, as it will be installed on the same server I run these services on. I want to be able to update these services independently through the FreeBSD ports mechanism (when a port of Zimbra is available for FreeBSD, which I'm sure is in the works) rather than having to update them manually or being dependent on getting these updates included in Zimbra updates.

Are there any instructors for setting up Zimbra to play nicely with existing services? Of course, I suppose that these wouldn't do me much good right now since I'm still waiting on the FreeBSD support, but I wouldn't mind taking a look at them anyway.

Take a look at the doc in the ZimbraServer/docs There is one for building from CVS. If you want to update at your own rate then building from source is your best bet. Let us know how it turns out.