CHECKERR

Section: Misc. Reference Manual Pages (X_MAN8_EXT_X)
Updated: 31 January 1988
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NAME

checkerr - check for serious errors encountered by smail

SYNOPSIS

X_UTIL_BIN_DIR_X/checkerr

DESCRIPTION

Checkerr reads through the spool area used by smail(8) and looks for serious processing errors detected by smail. Whenever new errors are detected, a summary is mailed to ``Postmaster,'' which is assumed to be an address for the user who is responsible for maintaining the smail software and configuration. In addition to this, a number of cleanup operations are performed.

Checkerr should be run periodically from cron(8). Once per day should be sufficient. Make certain that checkerr is executed under a user and group ID that can write to the directories in the smail spool areas.

The checkerr detects message spool files under the smail error directory. If any files have appeared since the last time checkerr was executed, a summary is mailed to the Postmaster. A quick check is made to determine if mail to ``Postmaster'' will actually succeed. If not, the error summary is left in the file .checkerror in the error directory.

The error summary mailed to the Postmaster will include any logged information pertaining to the failed messages. The per-message transaction log, the smail transaction log and the panic log are all used as sources of this information.

FILES

X_LIB_DIR_X/config: The main smail configuration file. A second smail configuration file can also be specified in config.
X_SMAIL_NAME_X: The default executable used for attempting to deliver error summaries to the postmaster.
X_LOGFILE_X: The default name for the transaction log file. This can be changed in the smail config file.
X_OLD_LOGDIR_X/logfile.0: Archived version of the transaction log file. The directory "X_OLD_LOGDIR_X" is changed to be under the directory where the logfile resides, and thus can be changed in the smail config file.
X_OLD_LOGDIR_X/logfile.1X_DOT_Z_X: Previous compressed archive version of the transaction log file. The directory "X_OLD_LOGDIR_X" is changed to be under the directory where the logfile resides, and thus can be changed in the smail config file.
X_PANICLOG_X: The default name for the panic log file. This can be changed in the smail config file.
X_OLD_LOGDIR_X/paniclog.0: Archive for the panic log file. This can be changed in the smail config file.
X_OLD_LOGDIR_X/paniclog.1X_DOT_Z_X: Previous compressed archive for the panic log file. This can be changed in the smail config file.
X_SPOOL_DIRS_X: The default, colon separated, list of smail spool directory trees. Delivery is attempted at intervals from each of these trees. In addition, errors in spooling new messages to trees earlier in the list will result in attempts to spool to trees later in the list.

The directories listed below are an example of the contents under each of these trees:

X_SPOOL_DIRS_X/input: The directory into which incoming messages are spooled. Each file in this directory has a unique 14 character name derived from the message ID used internally by the smail program. Delivery is attempted at intervals for each of these files.
X_SPOOL_DIRS_X/lock: A directory containing lock files. On systems which do not have an efficient file locking primative, files are created under this directory to prevent simultaneous processing of messages by concurrant invocations of the smail program.
X_SPOOL_DIRS_X/msglog: A directory containing per-message transaction logs. Smail maintains these logfiles to keep track of which recipients have received a particular mail message, and what errors have so far been found while delivering. These files are removed automatically by smail processing of a message has completed.
X_SPOOL_DIRS_X/error: If a mail messages fails for a reason that requires attendance by the site administrator, it is moved into this directory to prevent smail from continuing to attempt delivery.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright(C)1987, 1988 Ronald S. Karr and Landon Curt Noll
Copyright(C)1992 Ronald S. Karr
See a file COPYING, distributed with the source code, or type smail -bc for distribution rights and restrictions associated with this software.

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