Copyright: Copyright ® 1995 L-Soft international, Inc.


Contents

BITNET_ROUTE

CREATEPW

DEFAULT_SPLIT

FILTER_ALSO

FIOC_TARGET

FIOC_TRIM

FIOC_WARNING

LIST_ADDRESS

LIST_EXITS

LOCAL

MAILMAXL

MAXBSMTP

MAXDISTN

MYDOMAIN

MYORG

NODE

POSTMASTER

PRIMETIME

RUNMODE

QUALIFY_DOMAIN

Setting non-default directory paths with .SD

SMTP_FORWARD

SMTP_FORWARDn

SMTP_RESET_EVERY

SORT_RECIPIENTS

TRAPIN

TRAPOUT

Version 1.8b

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.  Companies, names and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted. L-Soft international, Inc. does not endorse or approve the use of any of the product names or trademarks appearing in this document.

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of LSoft international, Inc.

Copyright  1995, L-Soft international, Inc.

All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

L-SOFT and LISTSERV are trademarks of L-Soft international, Inc.

UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX Systems Laboratories.

Alpha AXP, Ultrix and VMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation.

Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows, Windows NT and Windows 95 are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.

All other trademarks, both marked and not marked, are the property of their respective owners.


BITNET_ROUTE

Abstract

Defines the Internet hostname of a machine that will be used to route mail to BITNET addresses. If your organization is connected to BITNET, you may want to use the hostname of your main BITNET system for best turnaround time. Otherwise the default value is suitable.

Example

BITNET_ROUTE=BITMAIL.LSOFT.COM

Default Value

If not explicitly defined, this keyword defaults to BITMAIL.LSOFT.COM.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


CREATEPW

Abstract

Defines the password used to validate the creation of new lists.

Example

CREATEPW=SECRET

Default Value

None. This parameter must be set explicitly.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


DEFAULT_SPLIT

Abstract

Provides a default value for the "SPLIT=" command line keyword, causing files ordered through the GET command to be automatically split into smaller chunks. This option can be useful if LISTSERV is behind a firewall or other central mail gateway with an unusually low maximum message size limit. Unit: kilobytes.

Example

DEFAULT_SPLIT=250

Default Value

Not set - messages are not split unless specifically requested by the user.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


FILTER_ALSO

Abstract

Blank-delimited list of problem users who should not be allowed to post or subscribe to any list. This is similar to the Filter= list header keyword, but applies to all the lists. The FILTER_ALSO option is usually used to filter out problematic mail gateways, anonymous remailers (if anonymous postings are not desired), troublesome users, etc. Please refer to the list owners guide for more information.

Example

FILTER_ALSO=*@BADNODE.COM OBNOXUSR@SOMEHOST.NET

Details

Sometimes it may be necessary to deny a specific user (or a class of users) access to all the lists hosted by your server. This may be due to policies internal to your organization, technical problems, or simply to lock out an obnoxious user. FILTER_ALSO adds to the standard LISTSERV filter and denies access to all lists on the server.

Default Value

Not set; adds to LISTSERV's built-in filter.

Wildcards

Allowed.


FIOC_TARGET

Abstract

Defines the "target size" for LISTSERV's file cache (in kilobytes). You normally set this option through the various Optimize for... buttons in the LISTSERV configuration program. See the LISTSERV Tuning Guide (available from L-Soft at no extra charge) for more information.

Example

FIOC_TARGET=15000

Details

One of three variables that control how LISTSERV handles its built-in data cache. FIOC_TARGET is the "target size" for the cache. LISTSERV will strive to keep the cache to about that size, but will allow it to grow past this value for short periods of time. LISTSERV expects that it will have fast access (low paging rate) to these FIOC_TARGET kilobytes of cache memory; it does not help to increase this value if your system is memory-constrained.

Default Value

System dependent.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


FIOC_TRIM

Abstract

Defines the threshold (in kilobytes) where LISTSERV should start aggressively trimming the cache. You normally set this option through the various Optimize for... buttons in the LISTSERV configuration program. See the LISTSERV Tuning Guide (available from L-Soft at no extra charge) for more information.

Example

FIOC_TRIM=17000

Details

One of three variables that control how LISTSERV handles its cache. FIOC_TRIM is the point at which LISTSERV should start aggressively trimming the cache in order to free up virtual storage. Typically this value should be set to FIOC_TARGET plus 20% or 512KB (whichever is larger).

Default Value

System dependent.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


FIOC_WARNING

Abstract

Defines the cache size (in kilobytes) at which LISTSERV should write a warning to the console log. You normally set this option through the various Optimize for... buttons in the LISTSERV configuration program. See the LISTSERV Tuning Guide (available from LSoft at no extra charge) for more information.

Example

FIOC_WARNING=20000

Details

One of three variables that control how LISTSERV handles its cache. Under certain circumstances, LISTSERV may not be able to trim the cache right away, either because a cache entry is locked by a routine that maintains pointers to it or because the file is currently open and thus it would be counter-productive to flush the cache entry right away.  In such cases, the cache size can continue to grow past FIOC_TRIM.  When it reaches FIOC_WARNING, a warning is displayed on the LISTSERV log. This probably indicates a programming error, or a value of FIOC_TARGET which is significantly below the "correct" value for your workload. Typically this value should be set to FIOC_TARGET plus 75% or 1MB (whichever is larger).

Default Value

System dependent.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


LIST_ADDRESS

Abstract

Default value for the "List-Address=" list header keyword. This keyword does not normally need to be changed on Windows systems.

Example

LIST_ADDRESS=LIST-ID@NJE

Details

LIST_ADDRESS defines how mailing lists will identify themselves by default. The main purpose of this keyword is to allow BITNET sites to select their NJE address as the primary address, for compatibility. There is no practical application for this keyword under Windows, other than as a migration aid for mainframe BITNET sites moving to Windows.

Default Value

LIST_ADDRESS=LIST-ID@FQDN

Wildcards

Not allowed.


LIST_EXITS

Abstract

A list of filenames of Windows NT .CMD/.BAT files that can be activated as list exits through the "Exit=" list header keyword. The suffixes (CMD for Windows NT and BAT for Windows 95) should not be included.

Example

LIST_EXITS=EXIT1 EXIT2

Details

An "exit" is a program supplied by the customer to modify the behavior of a product (such as LISTSERV) in ways that the supplier of the product could not anticipate, or could not afford to support via standard commands or options. The product checks for the presence of the "exit" program and calls it on a number of occasions, called "exit points". In some cases, the "exit" program supplies an answer ("return code") to the main program, which adjusts its behavior accordingly. For instance, LISTSERV may ask an exit program "Is it OK to add JOE@XYZ.EDU to the ABC-L list?", and the program will answer yes or no, and possibly send a message to the user explaining why his subscription was accepted or rejected. In other cases, the "exit point" call is purely informative: the exit program gets a chance to do something, such as sending an informational message to a user, but does not return any answer. Because this "exit" is a computer program, it must be prepared by a technical person and installed by the LISTSERV maintainer.

List "exits" are available to control the major events associated with list maintenance. This makes it easier to tailor the behavior of LISTSERV to local requirements that are too specific to be addressed through standard facilities.

An exit is enabled by adding "Exit= filename" to the list header. For security reasons, all exits must be explicitly declared in the LIST_EXITS configuration variable (in the LISTSERV configuration). This prevents list owners from causing the invocation of arbitrary executable files through the use of the "Exit=" keyword.

See the Site Manager's Operations Manual for LISTSERV 1.8b for more information on list exits.

Default Value

Empty string (no exits enabled).

Wildcards

Not allowed.


LOCAL

Abstract

A list of hosts and nodes to be associated with the hard-coded LCL FAC.  Also used as the default for the "Local=" list header keyword. You usually want to set this variable to a wildcard pattern matching all the hosts in your organization (or department for large organizations).

Example

LOCAL=*.XYZ.EDU

Default Value

None. This parameter must be set explicitly.

Wildcards

Allowed.


MAILMAXL

Abstract

The maximum size, in lines, of an incoming mail message. Messages larger than this are not accepted for processing. This option is mostly intended for small machines where there are not enough resources to process very large messages. Rather than attempting to process them and then running out of resources anyway, you can use the MAILMAXL option to reject the message right away. You should not set this option unless you are experiencing this kind of problem.

Example

MAILMAXL=15000

Default Value

System dependent.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


MAXBSMTP

Abstract

The maximum number of recipients in each message forwarded to the mail delivery system (see SMTP_FORWARDSMTP_FORWARD). This is an optimization parameter that you would normally set through the various Optimize for... buttons in the configuration program. If your mail delivery system is a unix machine, you should use values in the 50-100 range; smaller values will result in faster delivery, but will use up more system resources. If your mail delivery system runs L-Softs LSMTP™ product, you should use a much larger value, such as 1000. With LSMTP™, larger values improve turnaround time and decrease system resource usage. Very large values, however, may exhaust available system storage.

Example

MAXBSMTP=50

Default Value

MAXBSMTP=100

Wildcards

Not allowed.


MAXDISTN

Abstract

The maximum number of recipients in forwarded DISTRIBUTE jobs. You should not modify this value unless instructed to do so by L-Soft.

Example

MAXDISTN=100

Default Value

MAXDISTN=1000

Wildcards

Not allowed.


MYDOMAIN

Abstract

The list of all the possible Internet host names and aliases for the machine on which LISTSERV is running. Usually this is the same as NODE, however you can supply additional names if your machine operates several services under different host names. For instance, if your machine operates WWW and FTP servers in addition to LISTSERV, under the hostnames WWW.XYZ.COM and FTP.XYZ.COM, you may want to list these names in MYDOMAIN. Similarly, if you operate the LISTSERV service under a hostname such as LISTSERV.XYZ.COM, while the machines real name is NT2.IGATE.XYZ.COM, you will want to list the real name in MYDOMAIN because some unix machines will automatically substitute it for the published name.

Example

MYDOMAIN=LISTSERV.XYZ.COM WWW.XYZ.COM NT2.IGATE.XYZ.COM

Default Value

None. This parameter must be set explicitly.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


MYORG

Abstract

Short organization name that appears in the mail header of messages from LISTSERV itself (i.e. not in the header of messages from a mailing list).

Example

MYORG=XYZ, Inc.

Default Value

Not set. Generates the standard "L-Soft list server at host" organization name.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


NODE

Abstract

Defines the Internet hostname of this LISTSERV host.

Example

NODE=LISTSERV.MYHOST.NET

Details

This must be a fully-qualified address, as noted in the example. It must not be an IP address or a non-qualified address such as NTSERV.

Default Value

None. This parameter must be set explicitly.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


POSTMASTER

Abstract

The Internet addresses of the LISTSERV maintainers, i.e. the people in charge of operating the LISTSERV service who are to be granted maintainer privileges and notified of problems with the operation of the server. The SHOW VERSION command reports the names and addresses of all the LISTSERV maintainers, allowing users to determine where to report problems. However, you can insert a Hide: keyword in the list, causing all the addresses that follow to be hidden from SHOW VERSION. Similarly, a Quiet: keyword indicates that all the addresses that follow should be granted privileges, but should not be notified of problems with the service.

Example

POSTMASTER=NATHAN@LSOFT.COM Hide: CHENG@LSOFT.COM Quiet: ERIC@LSOFT.COM

Default Value

None. This parameter must be set explicitly.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


PRIMETIME

Abstract

Defines the "prime time" for your node, during which mail to lists configured as Prime= No should not be processed. This option is mostly for small machines that are very busy during business hours. Refer to the list owners guide for more information.

Example

PRIMETIME=MON-FRI: 0800-1700; SAT-SUN: -

Default Value

PRIMETIME=MON-SUN: -

Wildcards

Not allowed.


QUALIFY_DOMAIN

Abstract

Defines the Internet domain to be appended to all non-qualified Internet addresses. This is mostly useful when dealing with unix systems, which often do use unqualified addresses (in violation of the Internet mail standards). In a typical Windows-based network, this option does not need to be set.

Example

QUALIFY_DOMAIN=.DC.LSOFT.COM

Default Value

Determined from the Internet hostname; for instance, if your hostname is NT.XYZ.COM, the value of QUALIFY_DOMAIN will be .XYZ.COM.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


RUNMODE

Abstract

Determines the servers mode of operation with respect to peer LISTSERV servers running on other Internet hosts. This parameter can only be set in the Windows NT version.

Details

LISTSERV can operate in one of three modes:

•	Networked: in this mode, your server will connect to the worldwide LISTSERV backbone operated over the Internet, exchanging information with these other servers on a regular basis. This allows you, for instance, to keep a local database of all the available LISTSERV lists, to act as a redistribution point for all LISTSERV mail directed to users on your campus, to advertise your lists in the worldwide list of lists, etc. Networked mode requires a number of special tables, which must be updated on a regular basis, and 24h uptime. Thus, this mode is not suitable for servers with dial-up connectivity.

•	Tableless: in this mode, your server accesses the worldwide LISTSERV backbone through another LISTSERV site (which must be running in Networked mode with full backbone status). Your server still has access to the data available to backbone servers, but doesnt need to maintain any LISTSERV table (hence the name). This is the preferred mode for dial-up servers and for small servers where the overhead of maintaining the server should be kept to a minimum.

•	Standalone: this mode is for servers that are not connected to the Internet, or that operate in a closed environment where outside communication is not desired. The server will not communicate with any of the other LISTSERV servers on the Internet. As such, it will not have access to the list of lists or to other Internet LISTSERV resources.

The traditional academic servers operate in Networked mode. This is the default mode for the non-shareware versions.

Example

RUNMODE=TABLELESS SWGATE.LSOFT.COM

Default Value

Tableless for the Windows 95 version, networked for Windows NT.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


Setting non-default directory paths with .SD

Abstract

It is possible (but not recommended) to set non-default directory paths for LISTSERV files by using the .SD parameter.

Example

.SD L E:\FTP\LOGS

Details

L-Soft recommends that the default directory configuration not be changed without good reason. Such reasons might include putting LISTSERV logs on a shared network drive for testing or debugging purposes.

Default Value

Not set.

Wildcards

Not allowed. Note that this parameter must point to a valid, existing directory name.


SMTP_FORWARD

Abstract

The Internet hostname (not the IP address) of the server to which all outgoing SMTP mail should be forwarded for delivery. This can be any machine with SMTP software that will accept mail from your machine. If you are running the MS Mail SMTP gateway product, you should point SMTP_FORWARD to the smart host defined in the MS Mail configuration, rather than to the MS Mail gateway itself.

Example

SMTP_FORWARD=UNIX.XYZ.COM

Default Value

None. This parameter must be set explicitly.

Wildcards

Not allowed.

See also

SMTP_FORWARDn


SMTP_FORWARDn

Abstract

Defines a number of "SMTP workers" used to spread the mail delivery load across multiple machines (or multiple connections to the same machine). This option is normally used for large workloads (30,000 daily deliveries or more), or when the mail delivery server is very slow. In that case, opening multiple connections to the machine may improve throughput. Generally speaking, this option should not be used unless xxx.MAIL files are consistently accumulating in the LISTSERV spool directory.

Example

SMTP_FORWARD1=UNIXSERVER.BAR.COM

SMTP_FORWARD2=SMTP.BAZ.NET

SMTP_FORWARD3=UNIXSERVER.BAR.COM

Default Value

Not set.

Comments

The more SMTP_FORWARDn hosts you define, the more SMTP workers will be started. Since each SMTP worker takes up some resources on your machine, you should not define more workers than your workload requires.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


SMTP_RESET_EVERY

Abstract

Directs LISTSERV to reset the SMTP connections to the SMTP delivery machines (see SMTP_FORWARD) at regular intervals (units: minutes). This parameter improves turnaround time on busy servers if the mail delivery server is a unix machine. It should not be used with other types of delivery servers. This parameter is normally set through one of the Optimize for... buttons in the configuration program.

Example

SMTP_RESET_EVERY=60

Default Value

Not set; connections are not reset unless inactive.

Wildcards

Not allowed.


SORT_RECIPIENTS

Abstract

A boolean value (0 or 1) that determines whether or not LISTSERV sorts the recipient list in outgoing SMTP jobs. This option is normally set through the Optimize for... buttons in the configuration program. It should be set to 1 for best performance if your mail delivery host is a unix machine. Other systems do not normally need a pre-sorted recipient list for optimal performance.

Example

SORT_RECIPIENTS=1

Default Value

SORT_RECIPIENTS=0

Wildcards

Not allowed.


TRAPIN

Abstract

A list of Internet addresses from which LISTSERV should never accept mail. Mail and files from users matching these templates will not be processed. This parameter is provided for the convenience of mainframe customers migrating to Windows and should not need to be set by typical Windows installations.

Example

TRAPIN=OBNOX@SOMENODE.NET *@BADNODE.COM

Default Value

Built in.

Wildcards

Allowed.

See also

TRAPOUT


031
TRAPOUT

Abstract

A list of Internet addresses to which LISTSERV should never send mail. Mail and files to users matching these templates will be sent to the postmaster instead. This parameter is provided for the convenience of mainframe customers migrating to Windows and should not need to be set by typical Windows installations.

Example

TRAPOUT=OBNOX@SOMENODE.NET *@BADNODE.COM

Default Value

Built in.

Wildcards

Allowed.

See also

TRAPIN