Matt Dillon described a mail ‘API’, where a particular MTA port would be installed into a /usr/local/ directory, and then an /etc/rc.d/mail scipt would correlate the right variables to control behavior for that MTA.

Full post added below, in case someone decides to use it as a template for work… (hint)

Also: the slab allocator is now in by default.

Matt Dillon quote:

“The way I envision mail replacement is to create an ‘API’ through
an RCNG script which ‘mail system ports’ would have to conform to.

So, for example, we could have an /etc/rc.d/mtas/ directory and a
/usr/local/etc/rc.d/mtas/ dierctory which mail system ‘ports’ would
install into. We would then have an /etc/rc.d/mail RCNG script which
interfaces RC variables with the various mail systems.

E.G.

cd /usr/ports/..../sendmail23.3
make; make install

(/usr/local/etc/rc.d/mtas/sendmail23 would be installed)

(our /etc/rc.d/mtas/ would then automatically recognize RC variables
begining with: mta_sendmail23_*)

This is just an example of how it could work. In anycase, this would
provide a migration path for sendmail to leave the base system because
the RCNG support could be worked on right now, without removing sendmail,
then the sendmail port could be modified to use the new API and tested
(by using mta_sendmailXXX_* RC variables and turning off the base sendmail
with the original RC variables), and then as a final step sendmail
could be removed from the base system).”