Copyright: Copyright 1997  Ipswitch, Inc


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IMail List Server Utility

The List server lets you set up automated mailing lists on the IMail Server. A mailing list can receive mail and resend the mail to all the users on the mailing list. Mailing lists are used widely on the Internet as a means of sharing information about a topic.

Creating a List

Setting Advanced Options

Setting Mailing List Security

Setting Up Digest Mode

Setting the Digest Schedule

List Server Commands (i.e. subscribe, unsubscribe, set mode digest)

Sending mail to a list


create_list
Creating a List

To create a list after installing the List server:

1.  From the Start menu, select Programs->IMail->IMail List Server.

The List Server window appears and displays each list name, if any lists were yet created.

2.  If you have created virtual hosts to support multiple domains, in the Host drop-down list, select the host (domain) to which you want to add a mail list.

3.  From the Lists menu, select New or click the New button. The Create New List dialog box appears.

4.  Enter a name for the list and click OK.

The name must be from 3 to 23 characters in length, with no spaces between characters. This is the name used to send mail to the list. For example, if you enter the name "IMail-info," users will send mail to the list by specifying the To address:

      IMail-info@ipswitch.com.

Note: Do not use the name listserv as the mailing list name, as this is the name of the List server program.

The List Settings dialog box appears.

5.  Complete the entries in the dialog box and click OK.

Title

Enter the title to appear on the mailing list.

Owner

This is the mail account that the list runs under. You must enter the full mail address.

Local administrator

This is a local mail userid that is allowed access to the mail account that the list runs under.

Related Files

You can edit the Help or Subscription files by clicking on the Help or Subscribe buttons. The Help file displays a prepared message that the List server sends in reply to a help request. The Subscription file contains a prepared message that the List server sends in reply to successful completion of a subscribe request. See List Server Commands for more information on the commands accepted by the List server.

Click Addresses to show the mail addresses of subscribers. Click Users to show the user names of subscribers. You should not modify the Addresses and Users files as they are maintained automatically.

6.  From a different system, send a test mail message to listserv@your_IMail_server_hostname.

In the body of the message, place the lines:

subscribe list_name your_full_name

help

help list_name

list

list list_name

See the List Server Commands for a description of the commands accepted by the List server.

7.  You should get five messages back from the system.

8.  To send mail to the list, make sure the Allow remote mail to local lists option is enabled in the SMTP Security options (from the Start menu, select Settings->Control Panel->IMail Server). Then, send mail to:

 list_name@your_IMail_server_hostname.

The List server support directory is the directory lists created under your main imail directory. Make sure you have an imail.ini file in your winnt directory and that the [_GLOBAL] MAILDIR variable points to the top level imail directory. Each list is created as a separate directory under that directory and there is an alias created in the imail.ini [_ALIASES] section.


list advanced options
Setting Advanced Options

You can use the Advanced options to further define the operation of a mailing list. To set Advanced options:

1.  In the List Settings dialog box, click the Advanced tab. The Advanced options appear.

2.  Select the options you want to use. Each option is described below.

Reply-To list (vs. sender)

Have replies sent from the list server account go to the list rather than to the sender of the original message.

Enable Digest Mode

When enabled, the list server will group the messages sent to the list into a digest, which is then sent to digest subscribers as a single message. You schedule the digest to be sent on a particular time-basis (for example daily or weekly). When list users receive a digest, it will contain all the messages sent to the list for the specified period.

When you select Enable Digest Mode, the Digest and Digest Scheduling tabs appear in the List Settings dialog box. You need to define how the digest will operate by setting the options under these tabs. See Setting Up Digest Mode and Setting the Digest Schedule for more information.

Enable Subject Modification

When enabled, displays the text string (entered in the Edit box) at the beginning of the subject line of every message sent to the list. For example, if you enter [IMail-info] as the defined text string, the subject line of messages will appear as follows:

Subject: re:[IMail-info] How do you receive mail?

The default string is the name of the mailing list.

Enable Header/Enable Trailer

When enabled, displays text information (entered in the Edit function) at the beginning or end of every message sent to the list. To enter the header information, select the Enable Header option, click Edit, and then enter the text information. This information is entered in the header.txt file. To enter the trailer info, select the Enable Trailer option, click Edit, and then enter the text information. This information is entered in the trailer.txt file.

For example, you can enter the subscribe/unsubscribe information for the list and have it appear at the beginning or end of every message.

Max message size in bytes (0 = unlimited)

The maximum size (in bytes) of a message that can be sent to the list. Enter 0 if you want the size to be unlimited.

Number of recipients per message

The maximum number of recipients per message.

3.  Click OK to save your changes.


list security
Setting Mailing List Security

You can use the Security options to determine whether you want the mailing list to be moderated or unmoderated, and to set access to the list.

1.  In the List Settings dialog box, click the Security tab. The Security options appear.

2.  Select the options you want to use. Each option is described below.

Allow posting by

Determines who can post mail to the list. Select Anyone to let any user post mail. Select Subscribers to let only the subscribers post mail. Select Moderator to let only the list owner post mail. Moderator is used when you want the list owner to review all messages before they are posted to the list.

Allow List Unsubscribes based on Subject line

When a user wants to unsubscribe from the mailing list, most list servers expect the Unsubscribe command to be specified in the body of mail message. If you want the mailing list to also accept an Unsubscribe command specified in the Subject line of the message, select this option.

When enabled, the list will accept the following commands in the Subject line to unsubscribe: unsubscribe, remove, signoff

Disallow Subscriptions

When enabled, refuses a Subscribe request to the mailing list. The owner or administrator must add new users either by editing the Users file, or through the Web Remote Administration utility. Note that Unsubscribe requests are always enabled.

Disable List Command

A user can obtain a list of the users subscribed to a mailing list by addressing a message to the list server (for example, listserv@ipswitch.com) and entering the List listname command in the body of the message. If you do not want users to receive a list of the subscribers to your mailing list, select this option.

If the list is set to Subscribers or Moderated, subscribers can still send the help/list command to obtain a list of subscribers.

Edit Kill File

The kill file lets you specify a mail address or a particular mail host that you do not want to accept mail from. To specify a mail address or host in the kill file, click the Edit kill file button. The file kill.lst appears in the Windows Notepad. In the kill.lst file, enter one entry per line in either of the following formats:

userid@host

@host

For example, to deny access from a user mail account, you could enter: fred@widget.com  To deny access to all users from the mail host widget.com, you

can enter: @widget.com

IMail Server checks the incoming message's MAIL FROM: <user@host> line. When it receives mail from an address listed in the kill file, IMail Server returns an error message.

Note: The kill.lst file is also used by the SMTP server to deny access to the mail server.

3. Click OK to save your changes.

Security for mailing lists is also determined by two setting in the SMTP Security options (from the Start menu, select Settings->Control Panel->IMail Server->SMTP Security). The options that affect mailing lists are:

Allow remote mail to local lists

When selected, the SMTP server will accept mail addressed to local mailing lists and will resend the message to the list contents.

Allow remote view of local lists

When selected, the SMTP server will reveal the contents of a list server list in response to an EXPN SMTP command.

3.  Click OK to save your changes.

Security for mailing lists is also determined by two setting in the SMTP Security options (from the Start menu, select Settings->Control Panel->IMail Server->SMTP Security). The options that affect mailing lists are:

Allow remote mail to local lists

When selected, the SMTP server will accept mail addressed to local mailing lists and will resend the message to the list contents.

Allow remote view of local lists

When selected, the SMTP server will reveal the contents of a list server list in response to an EXPN SMTP command.


list digest
Setting Up Digest Mode

You can offer your mailing list subscribers a digest of messages sent to the mailing list. The list server will "archive" messages sent to the list to a digest mailbox. The accumulated messages are then sent to digest subscribers as a single message. You schedule the digest to be sent on a time-basis (for example daily or weekly) or when the size of the digest reaches a specified number of bytes. When list users receive a digest, it will contain all the messages sent to the list since the last digest was sent.

To set up digest mode for a mailing list:

1.  In the List Settings dialog box, click the Advanced tab. The Advanced options appear.

2.  Enable the Enable Digest Mode option (make sure it is checked).

When Enable Digest Mode is enabled, the Digest and Digest Schedule tabs appear in the List Settings dialog box.

3.  Click the Digest tab. The options appear.

4.  Select the options you want to use. Each option is described below.

Digest Mailbox

Enter the name of the mailbox where postings get stored before the digest mailing is

sent out.

A copy of all postings will be sent to:

list_administrator-mailboxname@yourdomain.com

After a posting is sent to the digest list, the Digest Mailbox is emptied and a copy is made in the format:

digestmailboxMMDD.mbx

where digestmailbox is the name of the Digest Mailbox, MM is the month, and DD is the day of the posting.

The list owner/moderator can view the mailbox by using the Web Remote Administration utility and can delete or add messages before the posting is sent. The list owner/moderator can also view posted digests by the MMDD format.

Subject Line for Digest Postings

Enter the text that you want to appear as the Subject line on digest postings.

Include Headers/Trailers When Posting to Digest Mailbox

When enabled, the messages posted in the digest will include the header and or trailer messages. We recommend enabling this option as it will make the digest larger and the digest has its own header and trailer.

Strip Non-Text Attachments before Posting

When enabled, strips non-text attachments from messages when the digest posting is sent.

Enable Message Separators

Lets you enter lines or characters to automatically separate messages in the digest posting. When you select this option, the Edit button is enabled. Click the Edit button and then enter the lines or characters that you want to use as a separator.

Enable Digest Header/Enable Digest Trailer

When enabled, displays text information (entered in the Edit function) at the beginning or end of every digest posting. To enter the header information, select the Enable Digest Header option, click Edit, and then enter the text information. This information is entered in the digest_header.txt file. To enter the trailer info, select the Enable Digest Trailer option, click Edit, and then enter the text information. This information is entered in the digest_trailer.txt file.

For example, you can enter the subscribe/unsubscribe information for the digest and have it appear at the beginning or end of every message.

Digest Subscribers

Click this button to edit the list of users (digest.lst) subscribed to the digest.

5.  Click Apply to save your changes.

See also:

  Setting the Digest Schedule

  Subscribing to a Digest


list digest schedule
Setting the Digest Schedule

You can set the scheduling method (and date/time, if necessary) to determine how often and when the digest will be posted.

1.  Click the Digest Scheduling tab. The scheduling options appear.

From the Periodicity drop-down list, select how often you want to post the digest. If you select Daily, Weekly, Bi-Weekly (every 2 weeks), or Monthly, you can then set the date and time to post the digest. For example, if you select Daily and set the Next Processing Date/Time to 07/10/1997 3:00 AM, then the digest will initially be posted on that date and time, and then every week thereafter at the same time.

Select User-Defined and enter the number of days if you want to post the digest every nn days. This controls both how often the digest is posted and how it is rescheduled for the next posting.

Select Size-Exceeds and enter the number of Kilobytes to specify a size limit that when reached causes the digest to be published. This controls both how often the digest is posted and how it is rescheduled for the next posting.

Select Manual if you want the digest to be posted only when you click the Process/Send Now button.

The Last Processing Date/Time shows the date and time of the last digest posting.

You can click the Process/Send Now button at any time to post the digest now and reschedule according to the selected periodicity.

2.  Click Apply to save your settings. Click OK to save the setting and exit the dialog box.

See also:

  Setting Up Digest Mode

  Subscribing to a Digest


digest subscribe
Subscribing to a Digest

The digest is written to a special mailbox that you define. List users can choose between receiving a digest and receiving all messages as they are sent. To receive the digest, list users must send mail to the List server (listserv@your_IMail_server_hostname) and enter the following command in the body of the message:

set mode digest listname

where listname is the mailing list name. A confirmation message will be sent to the user. To cancel digest mode, users can enter the following command in the body of the message:

set mode standard listname

where listname is the mailing list name.


list commands
List Server Commands

The List server will accept the following commands from the body of  an email message:

•	Subscribe listname  your_name

•	Unsubscribe listname  your_name

•	Help

•	Help listname

•	List

•	List listname

•	Set mode digest listname

•	Set mode standard listname

When sending email to the List server to perform any of these commands, you must always address the email to "listserv@your_IMail_server_hostname".

The following examples assume there is a list called "beer" on the IMail Server for Windows NT server:

To subscribe to the "beer" list located on ipswitch.com, you send mail to the listserver and enter the Subscribe command in the body of the message, as follows:

TO: listserv@ipswitch.com

Subject:

Subscribe beer Fred Farkle

To unsubscribe from the list:

TO: listserv@ipswitch.com

Subject:

Unsubscribe beer Fred Farkle

To get general help from the List server:

TO: listserv@ipswitch.com

Subject:

help

To get help for a specific list:

TO: listserv@ipswitch.com

Subject:

help beer

To display all of the "lists" on the IMail server:

TO: listserv@ipswitch.com

Subject:

list

To get a list of users subscribed to a specific list:

TO: listserv@ipswitch.com

Subject:

list beer

To receive a digest of messages sent to the list (the user must already be a subscriber to the list):

TO: listserv@ipswitch.com

Subject:

set mode digest beer

To cancel digest mode and receive messages as they are sent to the list (the user must already be a subscriber to the list):

TO: listserv@ipswitch.com

Subject:

set mode standard beer

Also, the list owner can subscribe another user by forwarding a message from that user to the listserver.

The list owner can also unsubscribe a user by sending a message to the List server with a message in the form: unsubcribe listname user@domain.com

For example:

TO: listserv@ipswitch.com

Subject:

unsubscribe beer ethel@acme.com

You can set up a program alias to allow automatic subscribes and unsubscribes for

a mailing list. For example:

beer-add@ipswitch.com = | listsrv -add ipswitch.com beer

Note: You must be able to forward a message unmodified (i.e. with the headers unchanged) in order for this to work; otherwise you will end up adding or removing yourself from the list.


list send mail
Sending Mail to a List

List subscribers can send a message to the list by addressing it to the mailing list

name. For example, to send a message to the "beer" list on ipswitch.com:

TO: beer@ipswitch.com

Subject: India Pale Ale

              ... body of message ...

When the list receives your message it is resent to all list subscribers, or it is archived

to the digest and resent to the list in the digest.