L-Soft international, Inc.
Site Manager's Operations Manual
for
LISTSERV®, version 14.5
23 February 2006
Initial Release
The reference
number of this document is 0603-MD-01.
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.
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Copyright © 1996-2006 L-Soft international, Inc.
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
L-SOFT, LISTSERV and LSMTP are registered trademarks of L-Soft international, Inc.
LMail is a trademark of L-Soft international.
EASE and CataList are service marks of L-Soft international, Inc.
UNIX is a registered trademark of X/Open Company Limited.
AIX and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
Alpha AXP, Ultrix, OpenVMS and VMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation.
OSF/1 is a registered trademark of Open Software Foundation, Inc.
Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows, Windows NT and Windows 95 are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
HP is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company.
Sun is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
IRIX is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc.
PMDF is a registered trademark of Innosoft International.
Pentium and Pentium Pro are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
All other trademarks, both marked and not marked, are the property of their respective owners.
All of L-Soft's manuals for LISTSERV are available in ascii-text format via LISTSERV and in popular word-processing formats via ftp.lsoft.com. They are also available on the World Wide Web at the following URL:
http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/index.html
L-Soft invites comment on its manuals. Please feel free to send your comments via e-mail to MANUALS@LSOFT.COM, and mention which manual you are commenting on. (However, please do not send support questions to this address. See chapter 19 of this manual for appropriate support addresses.)
"Hot fix" revisions to this and other L-Soft manuals are posted as they are made to the master document, on the announcement-only mailing list:
LSOFT-DOC-UPDATES@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM
A word about formatting: This manual was written in Microsoft Word 2000, and originally formatted to be printed on 8-1/2"x11" paper on an HP LaserJet 1000 series printer. When printing the manual on a different type of printer, or converting to a different word-processing program, it is highly likely that the formatting and pagination will change and it will be necessary to update the tables of contents and figures as well as the index prior to printing. The author has taken great pains to ensure that the pagination and formatting works properly with the particular printer mentioned above, and cannot be held responsible for what is, in the end, a limitation of the software used to produce the manual.
Reference Number 0603-MD-01
Preface: LISTSERV Command Syntax and Other Conventions
Editorial Note – New Version Numbering
LISTSERV Command Syntax Conventions
1.1. Changes and updates to the manual
1.2. New documentation is coming!
2. Differences Between Architectures and Implementations
2.1. Differences between architectures
2.2. Differences between LISTSERV and LISTSERV Lite
2.3. Operating Systems and Architectures Supported
4. A LISTSERV How-To for Site Managers
4.1. Installation/Startup Questions
Why do I need a DNS A record and a static IP number for my LISTSERV machine?
Can LISTSERV read mail from POP mailboxes?
How do I install the web archive/administration interface?
How do I add, change, and delete LISTSERV Maintainers (aka postmasters)?
How do I create passwords for postmasters, and what are they used for?
Does LISTSERV have a GUI interface?
5. Configuring your LISTSERV® site.
5.4. Installing and configuring LISTSERV's WWW Archive and Administration Interface
5.4.1. The WWW Archive Interface described
5.4.2. The WWW Administration Interface described
5.4.3. Installing a web server
5.4.4. Installing the web archive interface script
5.4.5. Creating a subdirectory for the archive interface
5.4.6. Configuring LISTSERV to activate the web archive interface
5.4.7. Customizing the web pages LISTSERV creates
5.4.8. Enabling individual lists
5.4.9. Enabling web-based bulk operations
5.5. The "spam" detector and anti-subscription-"spoofing" feature
5.5.2. "Anonymous" spam alerts
5.5.3. Subscription anti-spoofing feature
5.6.1. Registering LISTSERV Classic Servers
5.6.3. Automatic Registration for LISTSERV Lite Servers
5.8. Setting up archive and notebook directories for use with LISTSERV
5.9. DBMS and Mail Merge Functions
5.10. Synonymous host name registration via ALIASES NAMES
5.11. Real-Time Anti-Virus Scanning
6.1.1. List subscription commands (from most to least important)
6.1.2. Other list-related commands
6.1.4. Commands related to file server and web functions
6.1.5. Other (advanced) commands
6.2. List Owner and File Owner Commands
6.2.1. File management commands (for file owners only)
6.2.2. List management functions
6.3. LISTSERV Maintainer Commands
6.4. Sending commands to LISTSERV
6.5. Defining Personal Passwords
7. Creating and Maintaining Lists
7.2. Architecture-Specific Steps for List Creation
7.2.1. Unix: Creating required Sendmail aliases
7.2.2. OpenVMS: Creating required PMDF aliases
7.3. A sample checklist for creating lists
7.5. List Header Keywords and what they do
7.6. Retrieving and editing the list – some considerations
7.7. Adding a list password (obsolete since 1.8c)
7.8. Storing a modified list on the host machine
7.10. A sample list header file
7.12. Adding HTML to a list header for the CataList
7.12.2. Inserting a pointer to another list
7.12.3. Restrictions on the placement of equal signs
7.13. How to set up lists for specific purposes
7.13.1. Public discussion lists
7.13.2. Private discussion lists
7.13.7. Private edited/moderated lists
7.13.10. Restricted subscription lists with automatically-generated questionnaire
7.13.12. "Super-lists" and "sub-lists"
7.14. Merging existing LISTSERV lists
7.14.1. Merging list A into list B; list A user options not preserved
7.14.2. Merging list A into list B; list A user options preserved
7.14.3. Merging list A and list B into list C
7.15. Migrating lists from one site to another
7.15.1. Migrating lists from one LISTSERV site to another LISTSERV site
7.15.2. Migrating lists from non-LISTSERV sites
7.15.3. Migrating lists from Sendmail alias files, databases, etc.
7.16. Changing the name of an existing list
7.17. Bulk operations (ADD and DELETE)
7.17.2. Bulk DELETE operations
7.19. DomainKeys Message Signing (14.5)
8.1. What is the file archive?
8.2. Starting a file archive for your list
8.3. Filelist maintenance (VM systems only)
8.3.1. VM only: Creating a filelist
8.3.2. VM only: Adding FAC codes
8.3.3. VM only: Retrieving the filelist
8.3.4. VM only: Adding file descriptors to the filelist
8.3.5. VM only: File Access Codes (FAC) for user access
8.3.6. VM only: Deleting file descriptors from the filelist
8.3.7. VM only: Storing the filelist
8.4. The listname.CATALOG system on non-VM systems
8.4.1. Adding files to the SITE.CATALOG
8.4.2. Delegating file management authority
8.4.4. Updating the sub-catalog
8.4.5. Indexing the sub-catalog
8.5. Storing files on the host machine
8.6. Deleting files from the host machine
8.7. Automatic File Distribution (AFD) and File Update Information (FUI)
8.9. Where to find more information on File Archives
8.10.1. Setting up notebook archives for a list
8.10.2. Migrating old notebook archives to a new site (LISTSERV to LISTSERV)
8.10.3. Migrating old notebook archives (non-LISTSERV to LISTSERV)
8.10.4. Deleting old notebook archives
8.10.5. Indexing existing notebook archives
9. Creating and Editing LISTSERV's Mail and Web Templates
9.1. What LISTSERV uses templates for
9.2. The default template files and how to get copies
9.3. Mail template format and embedded formatting commands
9.3.1. 8-bit characters in templates
9.4. Creating and editing a <listname>.MAILTPL file for a list
9.4.2. Other available template forms
9.4.3. Tips for using templates
9.5. Storing the <listname>.MAILTPL file on the host machine
9.6. Other template files: DIGEST-H and INDEX-H
9.7. Templates and template forms for the WWW interface
9.7.1. Forms contained in DEFAULT MAILTPL
9.7.2. The www_archive.mailtpl file (optional)
9.7.3. The default.wwwtpl file
9.7.4. The site.wwwtpl file (optional)
9.7.5. National language template files (idiom.mailtpl) (optional)
9.8. Using the DAYSEQ(n) function
9.8.2. Rotating FAQ via the PROBE1 template and "Renewal= xx-Daily"
9.8.3. Calculating the value for DAYSEQ()
9.9. Serving up custom web pages for your list
9.9.1. A practical example: ADMIN_POST
9.10. Modifying the output of LISTSERV's HELP command (non-VM)
10. Interpreting and Managing LISTSERV's log files
10.3. Interpreting the LISTSERV log
10.3.2. Releasing and reallocating a disk slot
10.3.5. Daily error monitoring reports
10.3.6. Processing mail for local lists
10.3.7. Administrative mail (X-ADMMAIL)
10.3.8. DISTRIBUTE jobs from remote hosts
10.3.9. Requesting "OK" confirmation for commands
10.3.10. Subscription summary updates (SUPD jobs)
10.3.11. Global list of lists updates (LUPD jobs)
10.3.12. Valid "OK" confirmation received
10.3.13. Invalid "OK" confirmation received
10.3.14. User is already subscribed to a given list
10.3.15. User has included non-command text (e.g., a .sig file) in his mail to LISTSERV
10.3.16. Response to list owner or LISTSERV maintainer commands
10.3.18. Command forwarded via GLX from another host
10.3.19. Netwide DELETE (X-DEL jobs)
10.3.20. FIOC cache notifications
10.3.21. Web archive/administration interface logging (starting with 1.8d)
10.3.24. Responses to LVMON@VM.SE.LSOFT.COM
10.3.25. MIME parser messages (1.8e)
10.3.26. Content filter rejection message (1.8e)
10.4. Interpreting the SMTP logs (Windows servers only)
10.5. Interpreting the SMTP "worker" log entries (non-VM only)
10.7. Using LISTSERV logs and SHOW CTR to extract server statistics
10.7.1. Sample log-processing scripts
10.7.2. Interpreting the output of SHOW CTR
10.8. Using the system changelog to track distributions
10.9. Logging changelog information to a DBMS
11. Using the Web Adminstration Interface
11.1. Default LISTSERV Home Page
11.3. Setting a LISTSERV password
11.4. The List Management main page
11.5. Maintaining subcriptions via the web
11.5.1. Examine or delete a subscription
11.5.2. Add a new user to the list
11.6. Maintaining the list header via the web
11.7. Customizing how a list's pages look
11.8. Maintaining mail and WWW templates via the web
11.9. Bulk operations via the web
11.10. Sending interactive commands via the web
11.12. Server administration interface
12. Distribution Features and Functions
12.1. Controlling the default level of acknowledgement to user postings
12.2. Controlling the maximum number of postings per day
12.2.1. Controlling total postings to the list per day
12.2.2. Controlling the number of postings per day from individual users
12.3. Controlling "prime" time
12.4. "Holding" and "freeing" a list
12.5. Controlling the list digest feature
12.7. Allowing/Blocking MIME Attachments
13. Error Handling Features and Functions.
13.1. Defining list-level error handling addresses
13.2. The auto-deletion feature
13.3. LISTSERV's loop detection feature
13.3.1. The anti-spamming filter
13.4. RFC822 mail header parsing
13.5.1. Active address probing
13.5.2. Passive address probing
13.5.3. OS-specific issues with probing
13.6. Defining server-level error handling addresses
13.6.2. Crash reports and CRASH_MONITOR=
14. List Maintenance and Moderation Features and Functions
14.1. Setting up edited/moderated mailing lists
14.2. Restricting the size of messages posted to the list
14.3. Restricting the number of posts per user per day
14.4. Moving a list to a new location: the New-List= keyword
15. Security Features and Functions
15.1. First line of defense: The VALIDATE= keyword
15.2. Controlling subscription requests
15.3. Controlling the service area of the list
15.4. Controlling who may review the list of subscribers
15.5. Controlling who may access the notebook files
15.6. Controlling who may post mail to the list
15.7. The "OK" confirmation mechanism
15.7.1. Explicitly cancelling "OK" cookies (1.8e)
15.8. Denying Service to Problem Users
15.8.1. The "Filter=" list header keyword
15.8.2. The "FILTER_ALSO" configuration file variable
15.8.4. The POST_FILTER list exit point
15.9. Hiding selected header lines
15.10. Tracking subscription changes with the Change-Log keyword
16. Subscription Features and Functions
16.1. Setting up subscription confirmation
16.2. Defining default options for subscribers at subscription time
16.3. Setting up subscription renewal
17. Other Features and Functions
17.1. Setting up national language mail templates
17.2. Translating control characters included in list mail
17.3. Communicating with list owners
17.3.1. The listname-REQUEST alias
17.3.3. Configuration required for unix servers and VMS servers running PMDF
17.3.4. Other aliases used by LISTSERV
18. Special Functionality for ISP's
18.1. Directory quotas for individual lists
18.1.2. Displaying quota information
18.1.3. Reloading quota information after making changes
18.2. Limiting the number of subscribers to a list
Appendix A: Command Reference Card for LISTSERV® version 14.5
Appendix B: List Keyword Reference for LISTSERV® version 14.5
Appendix C: Site Configuration Keyword Reference for LISTSERV® 14.5
Appendix D: Sample Boilerplate Files
Appendix E: Related Documentation and Support
List of Tables and Figures
Table 5.1. LISTSERV site configuration variables
Figure 6.1. Sample output of an INDEX listname command.
Figure 7.1. A sample list header.
Figure 7.2. A sample list header file for a list called MYLIST.
Figure 7.3. The edited list header file ready to be sent back to the server.
Figure 8.1. Sample filelist retrieved with (CTL option.
Figure 8.2. Adding a file descriptor to the filelist
Figure 9.1. The default contents of the INFO template form of DEFAULT.MAILTPL.
Figure 9.2. Sample edited INFO template form.
Figure 9.3. Typical contents of a DIGEST-H or INDEX-H file.
Figure 10.2. Typical SMTP log for the SMTPL.EXE "listener"
Figure 10.3. Typical SMTPS log for the SMTPW.EXE SMTP "workers"
Figure 13.1. A typical daily error monitoring report.
Figure 13.2. Sample RFC822 parser error.
Figure 15.1. The editor-header for a list set to Send= Editor,Hold
Figure 15.2. A typical command confirmation request.
Figure 16.1. Typical daily subscription renewal monitoring report.
Figure 18.1. Typical output of a SHOW QUOTA command issued by privileged user
Table B.1. LISTSERV list-level commands and how they are affected by Validate=.
Preface: LISTSERV Command Syntax and Other Conventions
Editorial Note – New Version Numbering
With this release, L-Soft is aligning LISTSERV’s version numbering with the rest of the e-mail industry. There have been 50 released versions of LISTSERV since 1986 – 14 major upgrades and 36 minor releases. Version 1.8e in the “traditional” numbering system corresponds to 14.0, and the present update to 14.5.
Because the old nomenclature is more familiar to our users, in this version of the documentation we will continue to refer to versions of LISTSERV inferior to version 14.4 by the old versioning system.
LISTSERV Command Syntax Conventions
Generally, parameters used in this document can consist of 1 to 8 characters from the following set:
A-Z 0-9 $#@+-_:
Deviations from this include:
|
fformat |
Netdata, Card, Disk, Punch, LPunch, UUencode, XXencode, VMSdump, MIME/text, MIME/Appl, Mail |
|
full_name |
first_name [middle_initial] surname (not your e-mail address). Must consist of at least two space-separated words, for example, "John Doe". |
|
listname |
name of an existing list |
|
node |
Either: the fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) of an Internet host; or the BITNET nodeid or Internet hostname of a BITNET machine which has taken care of supplying an ':internet' tag in its BITEARN NODES entry; |
|
host |
Generally the same as node, but normally refers specificallly to the fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) of an Internet host rather than to a BITNET nodeid. |
|
pw |
a password containing characters from the set: A-Z 0-9 $#@_-?!|% |
|
userid |
Any valid RFC822 network address not longer than 80 characters; if omitted, the 'hostname' part defaults to that of the command originator |
|
internet_address |
Similar to userid, but specifically refers to a complete RFC822 network address in userid@fqdn format. When we use this nomenclature a fully-qualified hostname is required. |
Other deviations from the standard set will be noted along with the affected commands.
Also please note the following conventions for representing variable or optional parameters:
|
italic type |
always indicates required parameter names that must be replaced by appropriate data when sending commands to LISTSERV |
|
< > |
Angle brackets may sometimes enclose required parameter names that must be replaced by appropriate data when sending commands to LISTSERV. Sometimes used for clarity when italic type is inappropriate |
|
[ ] |
Square brackets enclose optional parameters which, if used, must be replaced by appropriate data when sending commands to LISTSERV |
This manual makes the following assumptions:
· You are a system administrator of a VM, VMS, unix, Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 or Windows 95/98/Me system (or in any case, a person with root- or system-level administrative privileges) whose assignment it is to be the LISTSERV maintainer;
· You have already installed the current version of L-Soft’s LISTSERV on your system in accordance with the installation instructions that come with the package, and have it running;
· You have sufficient knowledge (or know where to find it) of your system mailer to fine-tune it without needing instructions from this manual.
In other words, we expect you already to be knowledgeable about the system on which you plan to install and run LISTSERV. This manual does not contain installation instructions; individual installation guides for the four general types of operating systems supported by L-Soft can be found at http://www.lsoft.com/manuals .
L-Soft international’s LISTSERV software is designed to run on various platforms that have widely-differing configurations. Therefore it is not within the scope of this manual to describe in detail (for instance) how you can tune sendmail 8.7.3 under Linux for optimum performance with LISTSERV. However, general tips that could work on all systems will be offered within these pages.
Overall you will find that LISTSERV works much the same way on a unix workstation or a VMS minicomputer or an Intel Pentium machine running Windows 2000 as it has since 1986 on VM mainframes. Where LISTSERV procedures do differ between platforms, we will detail those differences in order to minimize confusion.
1.1. Changes and updates to the manual
When we find a mistake in the manual, or when between-release features are added, we normally report changes to the manual to the announce-only mailing list LISTSERV-DEVELOPERS@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM , provided as a free service for our customers.
Other changes are documented in the Revision History, found in Appendix F.
1.2. New documentation is coming!
L-Soft has committed to the production of completely new documentation for the LISTSERV product. The new documentation is targeted to become available with LISTSERV 15 (no release date has been set).
2. Differences Between Architectures and Implementations
This chapter outlines differences between how LISTSERV is implemented on VM and non-VM machines, and the differences between LISTSERV and LISTSERV Lite.