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- Removed all use of html.sty.

Browse Source 
- Removed all references to the CGI manager.

 - Removed autoconf support.

 - Removed the index.

 - Reformatted the document to look good and to compile without
   warnings.
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Peter Simons 2000-12-13 14:24:03 +00:00
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2
docs/Makefile
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@ -25,4 +25,4 @@ ml-principle2.eps: ml-principle2.fig
directory-struct.eps: directory-struct.fig
clean distclean realclean:
rm -f petidomo.aux petidomo.dvi petidomo.idx petidomo.log petidomo.ps petidomo.toc
rm -f petidomo.aux petidomo.dvi petidomo.log petidomo.ps petidomo.toc

640
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@ -1,153 +1,54 @@
\documentclass[a4paper]{report}
\documentclass[a4paper,10pt]{scrreprt}
%
% Petidomo Manual
%
% $Header$
%
\usepackage{html}
\usepackage{makeidx}
\typearea[2cm]{12}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\makeindex
\usepackage{lastpage}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}
\pagestyle{fancy}
\lhead{\sl The Petidomo Mailing List Manager}
\chead{}
\rhead{Page \thepage\ of \pageref{LastPage}}
\lfoot{}
\cfoot{}
\rfoot{}
\fancypagestyle{plain}{}
\fussy
%
% Self-defined macros
%
\newcommand{\PetidomoM}{{\scshape Peti\-domo Mail\-ing List Ma\-nager}}
\newcommand{\Petidomo}{{\scshape Peti\-domo}}
\newcommand{\PetidomoTwo}{{\scshape Peti\-domo 2.1}}
\newcommand{\Def}[1]{{\index{#1}\sl #1}}
\newcommand{\DefNI}[1]{{\tt #1}}
\newcommand{\file}[1]{{\tt #1}}
\newcommand{\Index}[1]{#1\index{#1}}
\newcommand{\PetidomoTwo}{{\scshape Peti\-domo 2.2}}
\newcommand{\Def}[1]{{\sl #1}}
\newcommand{\file}[1]{{\sf #1}}
%
% Begin of document
%
\begin{document}
\sloppy
\pagestyle{empty}
%
% Titlepage
%
\title{The \PetidomoM}
\title{The Petidomo Mailing List Manager}
\author{Peter Simons $<$simons@petidomo.com$>$}
\date{March, 7th 1999}
\maketitle
%
% Copyright
%
\centerline{\huge\bf License Agreement}
\bigskip
\noindent
The "Petidomo Mailing List Manager" is copyrighted \copyright{} 1996--99 by
CyberSolutions GmbH, Germany. All rights are reserved.
\medskip
\noindent
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
are met:
\begin{enumerate}
\item Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
\item Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
\item All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software
must display the following acknowledgement:
\centerline{This product includes software developed by CyberSolutions GmbH.}
\item The name of the author may not be used to endorse or promote products
derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
\end{enumerate}
\noindent
You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed
it. However, nothing else grants you permission to use the program.
These actions are prohibited by law if you do not accept this license.
Therefore, by using the program, you indicate your acceptance of this
license to do so, and all its terms and conditions.
\medskip
\noindent
{\bf This software is provided by CyberSolutions GmbH ``as is'' and
any express or implied warranties, including, but not limited to, the
implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular
purpose are disclaimed. In no event shall CyberSolutions GmbH be
liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or
consequential damages (including, but not limited to, procurement of
substitute goods or services; loss of use, data, or profits; or
business interruption) however caused and on any theory of liability,
whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including negligence
or otherwise) arising in any way out of the use of this software, even
if advised of the possibility of such damage.}
\newpage
%
% Table of contents
%
\pagenumbering{roman} \setcounter{page}{1} \pagestyle{headings}
\tableofcontents
\clearpage
\pagenumbering{arabic} \setcounter{page}{1} \pagestyle{headings}
%
% Begin of actual text
%
\chapter{Quickstart for the impatient}
\index{quickstart}
We know you feel now. You just downloaded the new software
package and are eager to see it work as fast as possible. So, even
though it is kind of mad to write this long manual with the knowledge
that the vast majority of users will never read it, here is a step by
step quickstart guide.
\begin{enumerate}
\item Get the distribution for your Unix platform.
\item Unpack the tar archive: {\tt gunzip <archivename | tar xf -}
\item {\tt su} to the super user.
\item Create a user {\tt petidomo} and a group {\tt petidomo}. The
home directory of this user is the place where the whole package will
be installed. The user doesn't need a valid password and shell.
\item As superuser, {\tt cd} into the directory `petidomo-{\sl
your-architecture-name}' and start {\tt ./install.sh} or {\tt sh
install.sh}.
\item Answer all questions asked by the script truthfully.
\item If no error occurs, send an e-mail to the \PetidomoM: {\tt mail
petidomo </dev/null} and see what happens.
\item Now use your WWW browser to access
\htmladdnormallink{`http://local\-host/cgi-bin/peti\-domo\-conf.cgi'}{http://localhost/cgi-bin/petidomoconf.cgi} and create any mailing
lists you'd like to have.
\item Be happy.
\item Now read the blasted user manual. It was a lot of work to write
it.
\end{enumerate}
\chapter{Introduction}
Congratulations. Obviously you are a clever person. Not only
@ -261,9 +162,11 @@ undocumented except for a totally outdated README file.
A big ``thank you'' to Markus Fleck of the University of Bonn for
providing us with an FTP mirror of the \Petidomo\ Beta distributions.
\begin{sloppypar}
Furthermore, our appreciation to Gray Watson for writing the excellent
``argv'' and ``dmalloc''-libraries, which have been used in the
\PetidomoM\ during the beta testing phase.
\end{sloppypar}
And last, but not least, the developers would like to thank the team
of CyberSolutions~GmbH for their support during the development,
@ -305,8 +208,7 @@ replies to the wrong person, they have to keep their aliases
up-to-date for the mail to reach the person, etc\dots{}
To remedy these shortcomings, the idea of the mailing list was
developed. A mailing list is \DefNI(hosted)\index{hosting a mailing
list} on a central server, which has the addresses of the people who
developed. A mailing list is \Def(hosted) on a central server, which has the addresses of the people who
are on that mailing list. Then a special account is created, called
the \Def{mailing list address}, to which people can send the mail they
want to be distributed to all receivers.
@ -446,7 +348,7 @@ Just follow the steps as described below:
\item Become `root'. You will need super user privileges.
\item Create a user \index{petidomo-user} `petidomo' using vipw(8),
\item Create a user `petidomo' using vipw(8),
adduser(8) or whatever method your system uses. The user should
not have a valid shell, nor a valid password because it is very
unlikely that anybody ever needs to log in as `petidomo'. The
@ -463,8 +365,7 @@ Just follow the steps as described below:
This means that all files belonging to \PetidomoTwo\ live in the
\file{/usr/lo\-cal/pe\-ti\-domo} tree. The entry in the password file can be
changed at any time. Hence it is very easy to move \Petidomo\
\index{Moving Petidomo} to a different location or to de-install
the whole package.
to a different location or to de-install the whole package.
\item Create a group `petidomo' and make the `petidomo'-user a member of it.
You should also add all users of your system, that will administrate
@ -472,7 +373,7 @@ Just follow the steps as described below:
these users full access to all configuration files, so be careful who
to add.
\item index{install.sh} \index{Install script} As `root', execute the
\item As `root', execute the
install script included in the distribution with `./install.sh'
The script will ask you a couple of questions about your system
and insert the appropriate values in the config files. Ones the
@ -520,7 +421,7 @@ whole system.
\end{figure}
Before we dive into the details configuration of \Petidomo, it is
necessary to describe the \Index{directory structure} of the package.
necessary to describe the directory structure of the package.
\Petidomo's base path, which we call \Def{\~{}petidomo} throughout the
manual, is the home directory of the `petidomo' user. Relative to this
directory, \Petidomo\ accesses its master config file as
@ -537,20 +438,15 @@ list ``testlist'' can congruously be found under the path
\file{lists/testlist/config}, relative to the base directory of
course.
\section{The Config-Files}
\section{The Config Files}
We will describe the master config file first now, followed by the
options you can set on a per-list basis. You won't have to edit all
these files yourself. The CGI manager, which is described in detail in
section~\ref{using the cgi manager}, is usually a more comfortable way
of configuring \Petidomo. You should read the following description
nonetheless, because you need to know what an option \emph{means},
even if you don't have to set it with a text editor.
options you can set on a per-list basis.
\subsection{Config File Syntax}
All configuration files in the \Petidomo-package\index{Config file
format}\label{Config file format}, have the following format:
All configuration files in the \Petidomo-package\label{Config file
format}, have the following format:
\begin{verbatim}
keyword parameter
\end{verbatim}
@ -573,8 +469,7 @@ AdminPassword "open sesame"
Quoting the parameter is not strictly necessary, though, \Petidomo's
config file parser will get it right anyway. You only have to quote
the parameter, if it contains blanks as first or last character, what
is rather unlikely to happen. If you're using the CGI manager for the
configuration, you won't have to worry about quoting at all.
is rather unlikely to happen.
Furthermore all empty lines are ignored. So are lines that start with
a `\#' sign. You can use this for writing comments for the reader into
@ -591,10 +486,9 @@ recognized:
\begin{description}
\item[Hostname] \hfill ``hostname.domainname''
\index{Hostname}
This entry specifies the fully qualified domain name of the machine,
\Petidomo\ is running on. A \Index{fully qualified domain name} is the
\Petidomo\ is running on. A fully qualified domain name is the
hostname of the machine with the domain name appended with a dot. The
following, for example:
\begin{verbatim}
@ -613,7 +507,6 @@ This option is \emph{required}. \Petidomo\ will abort with an error,
if the master config file doesn't set it.
\item[AdminPassword] \hfill ``password''
\index{AdminPassword}
This tag sets the master password, which authenticiates the
administrator of the \PetidomoM. Here is an example:
@ -626,16 +519,15 @@ Please chose this password carefully. Knowledge of the master password
will enable you to access \emph{all} mailing lists running on this
system.
The password comparison both \Petidomo\ and the CGI manager do, are
always case insensitiv. That means, that the passwords ``Open
SESAME'', ``open sesame'' and ``OPEN seSAme'' are all the same.
Passwords are compared case-insensitively. That means, that the
passwords ``Open SESAME'', ``open sesame'' and ``OPEN seSAme'' are all
the same.
This option is \emph{required}. \Petidomo\ will abort with an error,
if the master config file doesn't set it.
\item[MTA] \hfill \file{/path/to/sendmail}
\index{MTA}\index{mail transport agent}
The MTA tag tells \Petidomo\ which mail transport agent should be used
to deliver outgoing emails. Normally this option has been set by the
@ -654,7 +546,6 @@ if the master config file doesn't set it.
\item[MTA\_Options] \hfill ``string''
\index{MTA\_Options}
This tag is a bit tricky and in ninety-nine out of hundred cases you
should simply leave this option undefined as it is rarely required
@ -675,7 +566,6 @@ a fine example. This parameter will tell the Allmann sendmail to queue
all mail, instead of trying to deliver it immediately.
\item[DetachImmediately] \hfill ``yes'' or ``no''
\index{DetachImmediately}
This option decides whether \Petidomo\ will run in syncronous or
asyncronous mode. When a part of the package is called, it expects an
@ -709,7 +599,6 @@ DetachImmediately yes
The default, if the option is unset, is to operate syncronously.
\item[ShowStatistics] \hfill ``yes'' or ``no''
\index{ShowStatistics}
\Petidomo\ will append a small signature to all request-mails it
processes. This signature looks like this:
@ -734,7 +623,7 @@ You can switch this behavior off by setting this option to ``no''.
\label{list config file}
While the master config file sets options which are relevant for the
\Petidomo\ package as a whole, the \Index{list config file} sets
\Petidomo\ package as a whole, the list config file sets
options which are valid only locally for the mailing list. Each
mailing list expects its local config file to be found at
\file{\~{}petidomo/lists/<listname>/config}, with ``$<$listname$>$''
@ -747,7 +636,6 @@ describe the various settings here.
\begin{description}
\item[ListType] \hfill ``open'', ``closed'' or ``moderated''
\index{ListType}
There are three types of mailing lists \Petidomo\ knows about: ``Open
lists'' (or ``public lists''), ``closed lists'' and ``moderated
@ -815,7 +703,6 @@ This option is \emph{required}. \Petidomo\ will abort with an error,
if the list config file doesn't set it.
\item[AllowPublicSubscription] \hfill ``yes'' or ``no''
\index{AllowPublicSubscription}
Set this entry to either ``yes'' or ``no'', depending on whether you
want the mailing list to be open for everybody to subscribe or not.
@ -827,7 +714,6 @@ administrator for approval by \Petidomo.
If this option is unset, the default to allow public subscription.
\item[AllowAlienSubscription] \hfill ``yes'' or ``no''
\index{AllowAlienSubscription}
Please excuse the name of this tag, but no matter how hard we thought,
we were unable to come up with a better name for it. If you have any
@ -839,7 +725,6 @@ from. Set the option to ``yes'' to allow un-/subscribing a different
address, or to ``no'' to disallow it.
\item[AllowMembersCommand] \hfill ``yes'' or ``no''
\index{AllowMembersCommand}
\Petidomo\ knows a command ``members'' or ``who'', which can be sent
to the server and it will reply with the complete list of subscribed
@ -856,7 +741,6 @@ default if the option is not specified in the config file.)
If you set it to ``yes'', the ``members''-comman will work.
\item[ShowOnIndex] \hfill ``yes'' or ``no''
\index{ShowOnIndex}
\Petidomo\ allows people to request a list of mailing list running on
the server, using the ``index'' command. While it is generally a good
@ -876,7 +760,7 @@ list, instead of the one configured in
\file{\~{}petidomo/etc/petidomo.conf}. This feature is useful to do
virtual hosting.
\DefNI{Virtual hosting}\index{virtual hosting} is required when
\Def{Virtual hosting} is required when
several mailing lists run on the same server, but they have to look
like they would coming from different machines. Let's use an example:
The internet service provider ``Inter.Net'' offers its customers to
@ -910,7 +794,7 @@ If this entry is unset, the name configured in the master config file
will be used as hostname for this mailing list.
\item[AdminPassword] \hfill ``password''
\index{AdminPassword}\label{list admin password}
\label{list admin password}
This tag sets the master password, which authenticiates the
administrator of this mailing list. The administrator has special
@ -926,7 +810,7 @@ Leave this entry blank, if you don't want to enable remote
administration of the mailing list.
\item[PostingPassword] \hfill ``password''
\index{PostingPassword}\label{posting password}
\label{posting password}
This tag sets the ``posting password''. The posting password allows to
post an article to a moderated mailing list, but it does not allow any
@ -956,7 +840,6 @@ subscribers can conveniently post simply by hitting the `reply'
function in their mail reader.
\item[PostingFilter] \hfill ``bourne shell command''
\index{PostingFilter}
If you specify a posting filter, this program or script will be
started by \Petidomo\ before it sends a posting out to the
@ -999,221 +882,21 @@ If this option is unset, posted articles will not be archived at all.
\end{description}
\section{The CGI Manager}
\Petidomo\ comes with a CGI program, that lets you do all the
configuration out of your favourite WWW-Browser. This program is
called \Def{petidomoconf.cgi} and it is installed by the
install-script into the \file{cgi-bin} directory of your HTTP daemon
--- unless you skipped that part, of course.
\subsection{Installing the CGI Manager}
If you did, you can still ``install'' the CGI manager simply by
copying the \file{petidomoconf.cgi} binary from
\file{\~{}petidomo/bin/petidomoconf.cgi} into the appropriate directory.
The binary should be owned by `root:petidomo' and be installed with
the ``setuid'' and ``setguid'' flag set. You can do this by executing
the commands
\begin{verbatim}
$ chown root petidomoconf.cgi
$ chgrp petidomo petidomoconf.cgi
$ chmod 6555 petidomoconf.cgi
\end{verbatim}
Superuser privileges are required only when creating or removing a
mailing list with the CGI manager. In all other cases, the program
will give up the super user privileges immediately, to reduce the
chance of any abuse.
If you don't want to grant `root'-access to the CGI manager, you
should install it with the `petidomo'-user as owner and still set the
`setuid' and `setguid' flags. If you're creating a mailing list in
such a setup, you will have to add the appropriate aliases manually,
though. How this is done is explained in section~\ref{aliases} of the
manual.
The only way around this is to make the \file{/etc/aliases} file
writable for the user or group `petidomo'. Then the CGI manager will
be able to access the file without `root' privileges.
It is recommended, though, to grant `root'-privileges to the CGI
manager as this makes the administration of your mailing list server a
great deal easier.
It should be noted that the CGI manager will run the ``newaliases''
command after you have created a new mailing lists, or removed an
existing list with it, because these operations change the alias file
and sendmail won't notive that until ``newaliases'' is run. For this
to succeed, you must have this program into the execution path of your
shell, because the CGI manager doesn't know about the full path where
``newaliases'' is. On all systems we used to test this, the CGI
manager ran ``newaliases'' successfully, so you probably shouldn't
worry about this.
But if you notice that the changes made with the CGI manager don't
take effect immediately, you should either fix the {\tt \$PATH}
variable on your system, or copy the ``newaliases'' into a directory,
where the CGI manager can find it, for example \file{/usr/bin}.
\subsection{Using the CGI manager}
\label{using the cgi manager}\index{CGI Manager}
\begin{figure}[bth]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics{cgi-manager1.ps}
\caption{The CGI manager login screen.}
\label{cgiman login}
\end{center}
\end{figure}
The CGI manager is rather easy to use. Once it is propperly installed
in the \file{cgi-bin} directory of your WWW server, you can access it
under the URL:
``\htmladdnormallink{http://localhost/cgi-bin/petidomoconf.cgi}{http://localhost/cgi-bin/petidomoconf.cgi}''.
Please note that the CGI manager \emph{must} be installed on the same
machine as the mailing list server. It has to modify the config files
on the harddisk and obviously can't succeed when it is running on a
different machine, say, a dedicated web server.
If you access the CGI manager from your WWW browser, you'll see the
login screen, as shown in figure~\ref{cgiman login}. The CGI manager
prompts you for the password to authenticate yourself. Please enter
the password, you specified to the install-script now, choose the
``Configure Petidomo 2.1'' button and click on ``Submit Query''.
Your WWW browser will now present you a page with several text fields,
where you can enter the parameters you'd like to set. If you change
and submit the changes, they will be written back to the master config
file in \file{\~{}petidomo/etc/petidomo.conf}. The meaning of the
parameters here is the same as described in section~\ref{master config
file}.
If you choose ``Configure an existing mailing list'', the CGI manager
will present you a list of lists it has found. Select the list you''d
like to configure and hit ``Submit Query'' to enter the actual
configuration page.
It should be noted that you will only see the mailing lists, that you
password is valid for. If you entered the master password, which is
configured in the master config file, you will have access to all
mailing lists running on the machine. It is possible, though, to set
an admin password (see section~\ref{list admin password}) for a
mailing list, too. If you entered this password, instead of the master
password, you'd see only this particular list at the moment. In case
several mailing lists have the same admin password, you'll see all of
them.
This behavior is very useful if you are hosting mailing lists that are
administrated by other people. Just tell the administrator of the hosted
mailing lists ``their'' password and the URL of the CGI manager, and
thez will be able to configure ``their'' mailing lists
remotely\index{remote configuration} without gaining access to the
other mailing lists running on the server.
Anyway, select the ``testlist'' entry now and enter the configuration.
As before, a page will be shown where you can customize all the
options that have been described in the section~\ref{list config file}
of the manual. The changes you make will then be written back into the
list's config file. In our example, this would be
\file{\~{}petidomo/lists/testlist/config}.
The remaining two choices on the main page of the CGI manager are
``Create a new mailing list'' and ``Remove an existing mailing list''.
These two should be pretty self-explanatory. If you chose to remove a
mailing list, you will be prompted for the list you'd like to remove
and by submitting the selection, it will be deleted from the server.
Creating a new mailing list works exactly like configuring a new
mailing list except for the fact you'll notice four additional text
fields at the top of the page, compared to the configuration page. The
first text field is for entering the name of the mailing list.
\index{mailing list names} You must choose a list name, that doesn't
contain any special characters, like the slash ('/'), the colon (':')
or the point ('.'), as these have special meanings to either the file
system or to the mail transport agent. The best is to stick with
normal characters and numbers, plus the minus (`-'), for example:
``basketball-fans'' or ``petidomo-support''.
In the second text field, you should enter a short \Index{description}
of the purpose and topic of the mailing list. This text is displayed
when a user requests the index of available mailing lists from the
server and it can be requested by sending the command ``HELP
listname'' to the list server. For our example mailing list
``basketball-fans'', a good description would probably be:
\begin{quotation}
This mailing list is a public forum meant for discussion of the topic
of ``basketball'' or all related topics. This is not a fan list for a
particular basketball team or player, but a forum for all fans of the
sport basketball.
\end{quotation}
A similar function has the third text field. Here you can enter an
``\Index{introduction text}'', which is sent to all new subscribers of
the mailing list automatically. This text should explain the topic and
purpose of the mailing list plus the rules of the list and other
important things, a new subscriber needs to know. Again an example for
our ``basketball-fan'' mailing list:
\begin{quotation}
\centerline{Welcome to the ``basketball-fans'' mailing list!}
\bigskip
This forum is meant for discussion of the topic of ``basketball'' or
related topics. This is not a fan list for a particular basketball
team or player, we don't want any bashing of players or teams here.
Also not welcome are postings which contain large binary data such as
pictures, logos or sound files. Neither should you post articles that
have been published on the WWW or in the news already, Please post
just the URL where anybody interested in them can obtain the files
himself.
Other than that, you can talk about pretty much anything you like.
Have fun! \texttt{:-)}
\end{quotation}
The last additional text field on this page finally is used to enter a
\Index{signature} for the mailing list. This signature is appended to every
article that is posted to the mailing list. Naturally, the signature
should be short and contain only important information. You should
actually consider whether you want to add a signature at all.
Nonetheless, here is an example of a good signature:
\begin{verbatim}
--
Mailinglist Archive: http://www.nba.com/bbfans/ml-archive/
\end{verbatim}
It is recommended, to enter one or two blanks line before you start
the actual text, because it looks better if there's a little space
between the end of the posted article and the appended signature.
The rest of the configuration options on the page are the same options
again as on the ``Configure an existing mailing list'' page.
\section{The Binaries}
The \Petidomo\ package consists of mainly three binaries:
\file{petidomoconf.cgi}, \file{hermes} and \file{listserv}. All three
The \Petidomo\ package consists of mainly two binaries:
\file{hermes} and \file{listserv}. Both
files are located in the \file{\~{}petidomo/bin} directory. In fact,
``hermes'' and ``listserv'' are the same binary, but they do different
things when called under the appropriate program name, like many other
commands of the Unix operating system do. They are only links of the
\file{petidomo}\index{\~{}petidomo/bin/petidomo}, which has no purpose
\file{petidomo}, which has no purpose
at all, but we thought it would be weird to deliver a package called
\Petidomo\ without actually having a binary of that name in there.
Since these three are all links to the same files, it doesn't consume
any diskspace anyway.
\subsection{listserv}
\index{listserv}\index{\~{}petidomo/bin/listserv}
The ``listserv'' program is the tool that handles incoming requests
like subscribing an address to a list, unsubscribing it again or
@ -1223,7 +906,6 @@ sendmail daemon. Further details on that can be found in
section~\ref{aliases} of the user manual.
\subsection{hermes}
\index{hermes}\index{\~{}petidomo/bin/hermes}
``hermes'' is the program that processes and delivers an incoming
e-mail. It does not understand any commands but simply takes an e-mail
@ -1244,7 +926,7 @@ This is archieved with the ``alias''-function of your mail transport
agent. Most MTAs, like sendmail, have a file where a list of special
account names is given together with the instructions what to do with
any mail received for that account. This file is usually located in
\file{/etc/aliases}\index{/etc/aliases}.
\file{/etc/aliases}.
One thing, aliases can do is to pipe the mail into a program for
processing. This is the mechanism \Petidomo\ uses. \Petidomo\ requires
@ -1327,29 +1009,21 @@ to the address ``listname-owner''. Usually this will ultimately be the
same person as the ``petidomo-manager'', but you are free to direct
mail for this account to somebody else, or to several persons.
These aliases are created automatically, when you add a mailing list
with the CGI manager included in the distribution, but knowing how
they work is very useful if you want to customize the settings for
your needs manually. It is recommended to read the aliases(5) and the
newaliases(1) man page of your system for further details.
\chapter{Using Petidomo as user}
\label{petidomo as user}
\index{commands}\index{user commands}
In this chapter, we will describe the commands, that are
understood by the ``listserv'' program. ``listserv'' is the interface
for the users of the mailing lists, where they can send their requests
to in order to be subscribed to a mailing list, be unsubscribed again
and similar things. The text here is mostly identical with the
\Index{default help text}\index{help text} that is sent to the user
default help text that is sent to the user
whenever he or she issues a command that is syntactically incorrect.
This text is stored in the file
\file{\~{}petidomo/etc/help}\index{\~{}petidomo/etc/help} and can be
\file{\~{}petidomo/etc/help} and can be
customized to fit the requirements of your site.
User commands always have to be sent to the \Index{request address} of
User commands always have to be sent to the request address of
the mailing list --- \emph{not} to the mailing list itself. \Petidomo\
will try to recognize commands that are sent to the mailing list and
redirect them to the ``listserv'' program, but naturally this will not
@ -1365,7 +1039,6 @@ for the fact that the ``listserv'' will have a default listname for
this address and thus understand a simpler command syntax.
\section{SUBSCRIBE}
\index{SUBSCRIBE}\index{ADD}
The ``subscribe'' command will add the address of the user to a
mailing list. When using the ``-request''-address, only the word
@ -1393,7 +1066,6 @@ the one, the request is sent from, using the
The command ``add'' is synonymous to ``subscribe''.
\section{UNSUBSCRIBE}
\index{UNSUBSCRIBE}\index{DELETE}\index{REMOVE}
The syntax and usage of the ``unsubscribe`` command are the same as the
``subscribe'' command. The difference is, though, the the user's address
@ -1402,7 +1074,6 @@ is removed from the mailing list rather than added to it.
``delete'' and ``remove'' can be used synonymously to ``unsubscribe''.
\section{INDEX}
\index{INDEX}\index{LISTS}\index{LONGINDEX}
The ``index'' command does not need any parameters. Sending it to the
server will return a list of available mailing lists on this server.
@ -1412,7 +1083,6 @@ remember the exact name anymore.
The commands ``lists'' and ``longindex'' are synonyms to ``index''.
\section{HELP}
\index{HELP}
If the server receives the command ``help'', it will send the file
\file{\~{}peti\-domo/etc/help} back. If ``help'' has a parameter,
@ -1421,7 +1091,6 @@ mailing list, and if it is, it will return the description file for
this mailing list, rather than the help-file.
\section{MEMBERS}
\index{WHO}\index{MEMBERS}
The ``members'' command will return the addresses of all subscribers
of the mailing list, if the administrator chose to allow this command.
@ -1440,7 +1109,7 @@ The command ``who'' can be used synonymously to ``members''.
On the ``other side'' of \Petidomo, from the user's
perspective, is the administrator of the mailing list --- also called
the \Def{mailing list owner}\index{owner}). Each mailing list has an
the \Def{mailing list owner}). Each mailing list has an
alias ``listname-owner'' (see section~\ref{aliases}), where the mail
address of the person who is responsible for this mailing list should
be specified. Per default, this is the user who is known as
@ -1494,19 +1163,16 @@ barrier. How this is done is described in section~\ref{approve} later.
If you have configured a mailing list to reject postings under certain
circumstances, such as a closed or moderated mailing list, these
rejected articles will be forwarded to you for approval. When you
receive such a \Index{rejected article}, you can either silently
receive such a rejected article, you can either silently
discard it, contact the author or post it to the mailing list with
your approval.
You can approve an article with the master password for \Petidomo, the
admin password of the mailing list in question or the posting password
(see section~\ref{posting password} of that list. This is useful
because you can give other people the posting password to allow them
to approve articles, without them being able to access the
configuration of that list through the CGI manager.
(see section~\ref{posting password} of that list.
\section{Approving requests}
\label{approve}\index{Approval}
\label{approve}
To approve an article, you have several ways of specifying the
appropriate password. They are all the same for \Petidomo\ and it is
@ -1514,7 +1180,7 @@ only a matter of taste, which scheme you use.
When sending a command to the ``listserv'' program, though the
``-request'' or ``petidomo''-address, it is easy. Just preface your
commands with a ``password''\index{PASSWORD} command, like in the
commands with a ``password'' command, like in the
following example:
\begin{verbatim}
To: testlist-request@foo.bar
@ -1543,7 +1209,6 @@ Instead of ``password'', you can also use the commands ``passwd'', or
``approve'', they are all synonymous.
\section{Approving postings}
\index{Approval}\index{APPROVE}
If you want to approve a posting for a mailing list, just send the
article to the mailing list and specify your password either in the
@ -1607,15 +1272,15 @@ sons.
In \Petidomo, two places exist to control who is allowed to do what:
The global acl file
\file{\~{}petidomo/etc/acl}\index{\~{}petidomo/etc/acl} and the acl
\file{\~{}petidomo/etc/acl} and the acl
file that is local to the mailing list:
\file{\~{}petidomo/lists/listname/acl}. While the latter is valid only
\file{\~{}petidomo/lists/list\-name/acl}. While the latter is valid only
for the list in which's home directory it is stored, the globl acl
file will be parsed for \emph{all} your mailing lists. ACL files are
only relevant for mailing list postings, the ``listserv'' program does
not use them.
The syntax of an \Index{ACL file} is similar to the C programming
The syntax of an ACL file is similar to the C programming
language, as you can see in the following example:
\begin{verbatim}
if (envelope matches "mailer-daemon@") then
@ -1912,9 +1577,9 @@ guarantee certain formal criteria, because you can hook a script or
program of your into the posting process and use it to re-format or
re-write the article that is going to be posted.
\index{InsertNameInSubject.sh} We have included one
We have included one
script into the distribution,
\file{\~{}peti\-domo/bin/Insert\-Name\-In\-Subject.sh}, which adds a string
\file{\~{}peti\-domo/bin/Insert\-Name\-In\-Sub\-ject.sh}, which adds a string
into the subject line of every posting. The script is pretty short and
used sed(1) to perform its function.
@ -1975,8 +1640,7 @@ follow the steps described below.
\begin{enumerate}
\item Get the PGP software package from
\htmladdnormallink{`http://www.pgpi.com/'}{http://www.pgpi.com/}, you
\item Get the PGP software package from `http://www.pgpi.com/', you
will need the PGP 2.6.2 version or later --- 5.x won't work, as far as
I know, maybe someone wants to adapt the PGP-mechanism to PGP 5.x, any
volunteers are welcome, and install it.
@ -2057,8 +1721,7 @@ Finally, make sure that you do this only with the correct versions of
the software. \Petidomo\ needs to be version 2.1 or later, earlier
versions won't work. The PGP binary needs to understand the {\tt -@}
operator on the command line, which has been added in PGP 2.6i at some
time. \footnote{Curious people might want to take the PGP source code
and look up, who added this code back then. :-)}
time.
One last hint: If PGP-encryption or decryption doesn't work, it will
usually help to remove the {\tt \$LOGFILE} parameter from the {\tt
@ -2125,7 +1788,7 @@ immediately.
We strongly recommend looking at MHonArc, if you want to offer a WWW
archive of your mailing lists. You can find more information about
MHonArc at the following location:
\htmladdnormallink{`http://www.oac.uci.edu/indiv/ehood/mhonarc.html'}{http://www.oac.uci.edu/indiv/ehood/mhonarc.html}
`http://www.oac.uci.edu/indiv/ehood/mhonarc.html'
The installation of the tool itself is very easy. Once you have
MHonArc running, just enable the archiving feature in Petidomo and
@ -2220,195 +1883,6 @@ It might also be a good idea to take a look at the logfiles
occasionally, even when \Petidomo\ is running fine, just to make sure
it stays that way.
% Appendix
%
\begin{appendix}
% \chapter{Example master config file}
% \chapter{Example list config file}
\chapter{Humor}
\index{humor}
Here are some things to cheer you up when administrating
mailing lists annoys the hell out of you.
\section{Changing lightbulbs and mailinglists}
\index{lightbulb}
The following article was posted to various newsgroups and appeared on
several WWW servers. Unfortunately the original author is unknown. We
publish it here without explicit permission in the hope, that whoever
wrote this extremely funny text, does not mind.
\bigskip
\begin{quotation}
\noindent
Question: How many internet mail list subscribers does it take to
change a light bulb?
\noindent
Answer: 1\,331.
\noindent
Here's a detailed list why:
\begin{description}
\item[1] to change the light bulb and to post to the mail list that
the light bulb has been changed
\item[14] to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how
the light bulb could have been changed differently.
\item[7] to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs.
\item[27] to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing
light bulbs.
\item[53] to flame the spell checkers
\item[156] to write to the list administrator complaining about the
light bulb discussion and its inappropriateness to this mail list.
\item[41] to correct spelling in the spelling/grammar flames.
\item[109] to post that this list is not about light bulbs and to
please take this email exchange to ``alt.lite.bulb''.
\item[203] to demand that cross posting to ``alt.grammar'',
``alt.spelling'' and ``alt.punctuation'' about changing light bulbs be
stopped.
\item[111] to defend the posting to this list saying that we are all
use light bulbs and therefore the posts \emph{are} relevant to
this mail list.
\item[306] to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior,
where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best
for this technique, and what brands are faulty.
\item[27] to post URLs where one can see examples of different light
bulbs
\item[14] to post that the URLs were posted incorrectly, and to post
corrected URLs.
\item[3] to post about links they found from the URLs that are
relevant to this list which makes light bulbs relevant to this list.
\item[33] to concatenate all posts to date, then quote them including
all headers and footers, and then add ``Me Too''.
\item[12] to post to the list that they are unsubscribing because they
cannot handle the light bulb controversey.
\item[19] to quote the ``Me Too''s to say, ``Me Three''.
\item[4] to suggest that posters request the light bulb FAQ.
\item[1] to propose new ``alt.change.lite.bulb'' newsgroup.
\item[47] to say this is just what ``alt.physic.cold\_fusion'' was
meant for, leave it here.
\item[143] votes for ``alt.lite.bulb''.
\end{description}
\end{quotation}
\section{Unsubscribe me}
\index{unsubscribe me}
Since the very first day mailing list existed, people did not get the
difference between the mailing list address and the address where
commands for the list server should be sent to. Because of that, every
mailing list in the known universe receives an article with only the
word ``unsubscribe'' in the body occasionally, usually followed by a
lengthy flame war. (The only exception to this are mailing lists with
no susbcribers at all --- they just receive postings with only the
word ``subscribe'' in the body occasionally.)
Anyway, a pretty good reply to people posting their unsubscribe
command to the mailing list is the following text. It has supposedly
been written by KJ Fisher $<$fisherkj@snydelab.delhi.edu$>$, but we
were not able to verify this.
\bigskip
\begin{quotation}
\ $>$ someonme get me off this fucking mailing list
\medskip
First, ask your Internet Provider to mail you an Unsubscribing Kit.
Then follow these directions.
The kit will most likely be the standard no-fault type. Depending on
requirements, System A and/or System B can be used. When operating
System A, depress lever and a plastic dalkron unsubscriber will be
dispensed through the slot immediately underneath. When you have
fastened the adhesive lip, attach connection marked by the large `X'
outlet hose. Twist the silver- coloured ring one inch below the
connection point until you feel it lock.
The kit is now ready for use. The Cin-Eliminator is activated by the
small switch on the lip. When securing, twist the ring back to its
initial condition, so that the two orange lines meet. Disconnect.
Place the dalkron unsubscriber in the vacuum receptacle to the rear.
Activate by pressing the blue button.
The controls for System B are located on the opposite side. The red
release switch places the Cin-Eliminator into position; it can be
adjusted manually up or down by pressing the blue manual release
button. The opening is self- adjusting. To secure after use, press the
green button, which simultaneously activates the evaporator and
returns the Cin-Eliminator to its storage position.
You may log off if the green exit light is on over the evaporator . If
the red light is illuminated, one of the Cin-Eliminator requirements
has not been properly implemented. Press the ``List Guy'' call button on
the right of the evaporator . He will secure all facilities from his
control panel.
To use the Auto-Unsub, first undress and place all your clothes in the
clothes rack. Put on the velcro slippers located in the cabinet
immediately below. Enter the shower, taking the entire kit with you.
On the control panel to your upper right upon entering you will see a
``Shower seal'' button. Press to activate. A green light will then be
illuminated immediately below. On the intensity knob, select the
desired setting. Now depress the Auto-Unsub activation lever. Bathe
normally.
The Auto-Unsub will automatically go off after three minutes unless
you activate the ``Manual off'' override switch by flipping it up. When
you are ready to leave, press the blue ``Shower seal'' release button.
The door will open and you may leave. Please remove the velcro
slippers and place them in their container.
If you prefer the ultrasonic log-off mode, press the indicated blue
button. When the twin panels open, pull forward by rings A \& B. The
knob to the left, just below the blue light, has three settings, low,
medium or high. For normal use, the medium setting is suggested.
After these settings have been made, you can activate the device by
switching to the ``ON'' position the clearly marked red switch. If
during the unsubscribing operation, you wish to change the settings,
place the ``manual off'' override switch in the ``OFF'' position. You
may now make the change and repeat the cycle. When the green exit
light goes on, you may log off and have lunch. Please close the door
behind you.
\end{quotation}
\end{appendix}
%
% Index
%
\addcontentsline{toc}{chapter}{Index} \printindex
%
% End of document
%