INFORMATION SYSTEMS SERVICES
Managing a Mailman Mailing List
A step-by-step guide to configuring
mailing lists on the Mailman server.
AUTHOR: ISS
DATE: 10 January 2006
Bounce Options...‐ 17 ‐
Tr y t o figur e ou t e r r or m e ssa ge s a u t om a t ica lly?...‐ 17 ‐
M in im um n u m be r of da ys a n a ddr e ss h a s be e n n on - fa t a lly ba d be for e w e t a k e a ct ion ....‐ 17 ‐
M in im um n u m be r of post s t o t he list since m e m be r s fir st bou n ce be for e w e con side r r e m ovin g t h e m fr om t h e list ....‐ 17 ‐
M a x im um n u m be r of m e ssa ge s you r list ge t s in a n hou r ....‐ 17 ‐
Act ion w he n cr it ica l or e x ce ssive bou n ce s a r e de t e ct e d....‐ 17 ‐
D isa ble a nd n ot ify: M a ilm a n se t t h e pr oble m a ccoun t t o " n om a il" st a t us a n d n ot ifie s you of t h e pr oble m ....‐ 17 ‐
Archival Options ...‐ 18 ‐
Ar ch ive m e ssa ge s?...‐ 18 ‐
I s a r ch ive file sou r ce for public or pr iva t e a r ch iva l?...‐ 18 ‐
Se t da t e in a r ch ive t o w h e n t h e m a il is cla im e d t o h a ve be e n se n t , or t o t h e t im e w e r e se nd it ?...‐ 18 ‐
H ow oft e n sh ou ld a ne w a r ch ive volu m e be st a r t e d?...‐ 18 ‐
Mail News Gateway Options ...‐ 19 ‐
Autoresponder Options...‐ 20 ‐
Other Admin Tasks...‐ 22 ‐
Quick Reference Guide ...‐ 24 ‐
Accessing your list management screen....‐ 24 ‐
Changing maximum message size...‐ 24 ‐
Removing a user from a list...‐ 24 ‐
Add a member to your list...‐ 25 ‐
Keep unwanted persons from joining...‐ 25 ‐
Copyright (c) 1999, 2000 Aurora University, Christopher Kolar. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front‐Cover Texts specified, and with no Back‐Cover Texts specified. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ʺGNU Free
Introduction
This
document
is
intended
for
persons
who
have
the
responsibility
of
managing
lists
that
are
being
run
by
the
GNU
Mailman
list
manager.
Note
that
this
Avoiding Spam
Over t im e t he addresses of m ailing list s can becom e know n t o m any people and hence t hey can som et im es at t ract spam m essages. Mailm an allows a list ow ner t o aut om at ically filt er out m essages based on subj ect and hence t his feat ure can be used t o det ect t he " PMX: [ # # # ] " st yle t agging. Set t ing up a filt er w ill m ean t he list ow ner or m oderat or w on't have t o frequent ly log int o t he list w eb- int erface t o discard spam m essages being held for m oderat ion. To set up t he filt er, do t he following:
1) Log int o t he adm in int erface for your list
2) Browse t o PRI VACY OPTI ONS and SPAM FI LTERS
3) I n t he " SPAM FI LTER REGEXP" t ext box, ent er t he follow ing t ext ( i.e. backslash t hen square bracket t hen t he t ext pm x)
\ [ pm x
4) Change ACTI ON t o be " DI SCARD"
General Options
not universal, it w ill cover t he convent ions used by m ost of t he m ail list m anagers
including t he list address, t heir passw ord, and t he URLs needed t o access t heir list preferences.
Sh ou ld a dm in ist r a t or ge t im m e dia t e n ot ice of n e w r e qu e st s, a s w e ll a s da ily n ot ice s a bou t colle ct e d on e s?
w hy t heir not e never show ed up. This m essage w ill also be sent t o non- m em bers w ho at t em pt t o post t o list s t hat allow post ing for m em bers only.
M a x im u m le n gt h in Kb of a m e ssa ge body. Use 0 for n o lim it .
This set t ing will allow you t o specify t he m axim um size of m essages allow ed t o be passed t hrough t he list t o t he subscribers. This is an im port ant securit y m easure as it allow s you t o block a m alicious post er from bom bing everyone's list w it h a large file and it prevent s your server from being t ied up delivering inappropriat ely large m essages.
Membership Management
o Scroll down t o t he area labeled " Mass Subscribe Users."
o Type t he e- m ail address of t he individual t hat you w ould like t o add int o t he
t ext box. I f you w ould like t o add m ore t han one person t hen each address should be ent ered on a separat e line.
o I f you w ould like t o send a w elcom e m essage t o t he new m em bers t hen
m ake sure t hat t he " yes" but t on is checked. This w ill send t he new m em bers t heir passw ords and list configurat ion inst ruct ions.
o Click t he " Subm it your changes" but t on at t he bot t om of t he screen t o put w ant . Do not use Mailm an for unconscionable act ivit ies such as sending Spam .
Su bscr ibe r Opt ion s
I n t he m ain t able each part icipant s address is shown along wit h t he curr ent opt ions for t hat user's list set t ings. As list adm inist rat or you have t he capabilit y t o m odify any of t he opt ions for each of your subscribers. Modificat ions are m ade by checking or unchecking t he boxes for each feat ure on t he row corresponding t o t he
users m ay have t he sam e set t ings w hen you look at t his page. Do not be alarm ed,
As a privacy feat ure, Mailm an allow s subscribers t o m ake t hem selves invisible t o ot hers as part of t he web- based e- m ail subscriber list . A check here indicat es t hat t he nom ail st at us if m ail t o t heir address experiences delivery problem s. See t he sect ion on bounce handling for m ore inform at ion.
a ck
Mem bers m ay request t hat Mailm an send a short acknow ledgem ent when a t hey post a m essage t o t he list . Mem bers find t his useful for m oderat ed list s so t hat t hey know t hat t heir post ing was delivered t o t he m oderat or successfully.
n ot m e t oo
I n t he event t hat m em bers find t heir own post s annoying, t hey can t ell Mailm an not t o include t hem in t he delivery of t heir ow n post ings t o t he list .
dige st
I f t he digest feat ure has been act ivat ed for t he list , m em bers m ay choose t o receive list t raffic bundled as a single large m essage as opposed t o receiving individual m essages. This set t ing indicat es whet her t he m em ber will receive individual post s or t he digest .
pla in
When a user opt s for digest delivery, t his set t ing indicat es whet her t he digest will be delivered as plain t ext or in MI ME form at . Most users of m odern, GUI - based m ail client s can handle MI ME t raffic wit h no problem s. Persons using charact er- based m ail client s should opt for plain- t ext digest s.
Privacy Options
Mailm an w as creat ed w it h t he pr ivacy shor t com ings of ot her list s in m ind. There are a num ber of m anager- configurable set t ings t hat can help in prevent ing spam , subscript ion abuse, and widespr ead disclosure of list t raffic t o non- subscr ibers.
Su bscr ibin g som eone from m aliciously adding people against t heir w ill.
Require Approval: w hen a subscript ion request is m ade a not e w ill be sent t o t he list adm inist rat or let t ing t hem know t hat a person is pet it ioning t o j oin. The list
adm inist rat or w ill be given a URL t o follow t hat w ill t hen show t hem t he request and allow t hem t o approve or deny it via t he web.
Confirm + Approval: includes bot h of t he above.
M e m be r sh ip e x posu r e set t ings can be overridden by individual users who have set t he " hide" opt ion for t heir account .
List adm in only: only t he adm inist rat or can see t he list m em bers.
Sh ow m e m be r a ddr s so t h e y'r e n ot dir e ct ly r e cogn iz a ble a s e m a il a ddr s?
Ge n e r a l post in g filt e r s
Mailm an allow s you a good deal of cont rol over who m ay and m ay not post t o t he list . Because t here is a bit of good old- fashioned logic involved som e people m ay be confused by t hese set t ings. Please see t he chart following t he descript ions of t he set t ings for an illust rat ion of how t hese set t ings w ork in concert .
Under nearly all circum st ances t his should be set t o " yes." This rest rict ion w ill cause Mailm an t o hold for adm inist rat ive review all post s t o t he list t hat do not originat e from a list m em ber. Set t ing t his t o yes prevent s you from being spam m ed by people w ho m anage t o get a hold of your list address.
Addr e sse s of m e m be r s a cce pt e d for post ing t o t h is list w it h ou t im plicit a ppr ova l r e qu ir e m e nt .
This set t ings can be used t o designat e post ing privileges t o persons who are not subscribers t o t he list . I t m ay also be used t o specify persons who are exclusively allowed t o post . Please see t he chart below for explanat ion.
Spa m - spe cific post in g filt e r s for alias or for m ail servers where list address receives m ail from an alias wit h a different nam e.
Ce iling on a cce pt a ble n u m be r of r e cipie n t s for a post in g.
Prevent s t he list from being used as part of a m ass recipient spam . Also discourages use of list as recipient of office j okecast not es and bogus solicit at ions.
Addr e sse s w h ose post in gs a r e a lw a ys he ld for a ppr ova l.
Allows m anager t o designat e special special individuals whose post ings are always held for approval w hile w hen post ings are ot herw ise allow ed t hrough.
H old post s w it h he a de r va lue m a t ch ing a spe cifie d r e ge x p.
H ide t h e se n de r of a m e ssa ge , r e pla cin g it w it h t h e list a ddr e ss ( Re m ove s Fr om , Se nde r a n d Re ply- To fie lds)
Regular Member Options
These are opt ions t hat affect t he norm al m ail t raffic t hat is delivered im m ediat ely and individually t o list m em bers.
Ca n su bscr ibe r s ch oose t o r e ce ive m a il im m e dia t e ly, r a t h e r t h a n in ba t ch e d dige st s?
While t his seem s a bit silly, it is really asking about w hat opt ions are available t o list m em bers. I f you say no, t hen subscr ipt ion t o t he list will be available only as a digest .
H e a de r a dde d t o m a il se n t t o r e gu la r list m e m be r s.
Allow s you t o add a unifor m header t o all not es passing t hrough t he list .
Foot e r a dde d t o m a il se n t t o r e gu la r list m e m be r s.
Allow s you t o add a uniform foot er t o all not es passing t hrough t he list . The default foot er show s t he list nam e, t he list address, and t he URL t hat persons can go t o in order t o access t he list inform at ion and change t heir set t ings.
including t his foot er inform at ion will cut dow n on t he num ber of t im es list users w ill have t o cont act t he list adm inist rat or asking for t hings such as t heir
Bounce Options
Unlike m any ot her m ail list m anagers, Mailm an includes built - in bounce handlers t o help t he list m anager deal w it h address t hat have delivery problem s. I f you Mailm an how long t o hold ont o t he delivery error m essages before t aking act ion. I n pract ice, t his is a good w ay of prev ent ing persons from get t ing bounced j ust because t heir net w ork is flaky and not reliably reachable.
Archival Options
Unlike ot her m ail list m anagers, Mailm an has a built - in ar chival feat ure t hat is easily act ivat ed and configured by t he list m anager.
Ar ch ive m e ssa ge s?
Set t ing t his t o " yes" will cause Mailm an t o st ore a record of all t raffic sent t horough t he list .
I s a r ch ive file sou r ce for pu blic or pr iva t e a r ch iva l?
I f set t o " privat e," t hen only list m em bers are able t o access t he cont ent s of t he list ar chive. They w ill be pr om pt ed for t heir list passw or d w hen t he t ry t o access t he cont ent s. Set t ing t his t o " public" w ill allow anyone t o access t he list ar chives t hrough t he list info page. Not e: t hink carefully about whet her your list
m em bership w ant s t heir ident it ies and post ings m ade available t o t he w orld at large by m aking t he archive public. Public access m eans t hat w eb spiders w ill be able t o st ore and m ake available m em ber's w rit ings out side of t he cont ext of t he list t o w hich t hey w ere post ed t o t he list .
Se t da t e in a r ch ive t o w he n t h e m a il is cla im e d t o h a ve be e n se n t , or t o t h e t im e w e r e se n d it ?
Det erm ines whet her t he m essage is st or ed wit h t he t im e st am p of t he sender w hen t he not e w as sent , or t he t im e st am p at t he t im e it w as approved by t he m oderat or ( when applicable) .
H ow oft e n sh ou ld a n e w a r ch ive volu m e be st a r t e d?
Mail News Gateway Options
I n t he event t hat you find it useful t o gat e your list t raffic ont o USENET, you can use t hese set t ings t o set up t he ser vice. Not e t hat you m ay need t o t alk t o your syst em or net work adm inist rat or t o m ake sure t hat your news server w ill work nicely w it h t his list gat ew ay.
Th e I n t e r n e t a ddr e ss of t h e m a ch in e you r N e w s se r ve r is r u n n in g on .
This is t he host nam e of your NNTP server. I f in doubt , cont act your syst em adm inist rat or for t his set t ing. Make sure t o use a host t hat you have per m ission t o post t o.
Th e n a m e of t h e Use n e t gr ou p t o ga t e w a y t o a n d/ or fr om .
Make sure t hat t his new sgroup is available on your new s server.
Sh ou ld post s t o t h e m a ilin g list be r e se n t t o t h e n e w sgr ou p?
Specifies whet her m essages sent t o t he list should be sent t o t he new s group for t he ent ire w orld t o see.
Sh ou ld n e w sgr ou p post s n ot se n t fr om t h e list be r e se n t t o t h e list ?
Specifies w het her or not m essages post ed by people out t here in t he w orld w ho are not m em bers of t he list should be gat ed and dist ribut ed t o list m em bers.
Sh ou ld m a ilm a n pe r for m a ca t ch u p on t h e n e w sgr ou p?
Autoresponder Options
be useful, for exam ple, in sending FAQs or list part icipat ion guidelines t osender s. t he adm inist rat ive com m and handler. This m ay be useful in inform ing users about list use or enforcing m em bership rules.
Au t o- r e spon se t e x t t o se n d t o - r e qu e st e m a ils.
N u m be r of da ys be t w e e n a u t o r e spon se s t o e it h e r t h e m a ilin g list or -a dm in / - ow n e r -a ddr e ss fr om t h e s-a m e post e r . Se t t o z e r o ( or n e g-a t ive ) for n o gr a ce pe r iod ( i.e . a u t o- r e spon d t o e ve r y m e ssa ge ) .
Other Admin Tasks
dow n t he page clicking t he appropriat e act ion for each request before subm it t ing t hem all at once. You do not need t o click on t he subm it act ion on t his page rej ect post ings follow ing t he sam e guidelines as for non- m em bers post ings above.Mailm an allows you t o cust om ize t he look and feel for m any of t he pages t hat are accessible by your list subscriber s. This is nice if you want t o t ake t he t im e t o " brand" w eb pages. The follow ing pages can be cust om ized:
o The general list inform at ion page
o The subscript ions result s page
o The user specific opt ions page
o The changing user opt ions result s page
When you follow t he link t o a part icular page you ar e show n t he sour ce HTML in a brow ser w indow . I n order t o m ake m odificat ion you w ill need t o know how t o w rit e raw HTML code and insert it in t he proper places in t he page source. I t is im port ant t o not e t hat wit hin t he sour ce t here are em bedded Mailm an fields t hat are insert er on- t he- fly w hen t he user loads t he page. You can ident ify t he
Mailm an fields because t hey are enclosed in angle bracket s and are of t he form < M M -Fie ld- N a m e>
Quick Reference Guide
This
document
is
intended
to
serve
as
a
quick
reference
guide
for
list
managers.
It
will
briefly
outline
some
of
the
more
common
tasks
that
are
assigned
to
persons
who
o The check m ark in t he first colum n by t heir address, labeled " subscr" t heir password and list configurat ion inst ruct ions.
o Click t he " Subm it your changes" but t on at t he bot t om of t he screen t o put t he changes int o effect .
o Not e: Net work et iquet t e generally frowns on opt - out list s - - adding
