From: Helmut Springer <helmut@bonnie.physik.uni-stuttgart.de>
Newsgroups: vmsnet.mail.mx
Subject: RE: help!!  need information on lists on MX V3.1c
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 09:31:36 +0200
Organization: Mx-List<==>Vmsnet.Mail.Mx Gateway
X-Gateway-Source-Info: Mailing List

Hi Matt,

>I need to get a copy of the MX manual via FTP how can I do so???
ftp to ftp.spc.edu and get the file mx031.k_z (and eventually the unpacker
lzdcmp.exe), contaons the whole docu...

>How do I set up a list(s)
it's easy, MLF-guide appended  8-)

enjoy
  helmut



_____________________________________cut here_____________________________


          Message Exchange Mailing List/File
          Server Guide




          March, 1992


          This manual describes the management and operation
          of Message Exchange, electronic mail software for VMS
          systems.





          Revision/Update Information:  This is a revised manual.
                                        Revision bars indicate
                                        changes made since the
                                        last version of the
                                        software.

          Operating System and Version: VMS V5.0 or later

          Software Version:             Message Exchange V3.1

          Engineering Computing Services
          Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
          Troy, New York















          ________________________
          10 March 1992

          Permission is granted to copy and redistribute this
          document for no commercial gain.

          This document is still under construction. Comments
          and suggestions for improvements may be forwarded to
          MX-List@vms.ecs.rpi.edu.

          The information in this document is subject to change
          without notice and should not be construed as a
          commitment by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
          Rensselaer assumes no responsibility for any errors
          that may appear in this document.

          DISCLAIMER: The software described in this document
          is provided "as is". No guarantee is made by the
          author or the author's employer as to the suitability,
          reliability, security, usefulness, or performance of
          this software.

          The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment
          Corporation:

          DEC                   DECnet                ULTRIX
          VAX                   VAXcluster            VMS

          Jnet is a trademark of Joiner Associates, Inc.

          MultiNet is a trademark of SRI International and TGV,
          Inc.

          TCPware is a trademark of Process Software
          Corporation.

          __________
          Copyright )1992 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute








          _______________________________________________________

          Contents

                _________________________________________________
                PREFACE                                       vii

          _______________________________________________________
          CHAPTER 1  THE MAILING LIST/FILE SERVER             1-1

                _________________________________________________
                1.1   MAILING LISTS                           1-1

                _________________________________________________
                1.2   FILE SERVERS                            1-2


          _______________________________________________________
          CHAPTER 2  USING MLF_CONFIG.COM                     2-1

                _________________________________________________
                2.1   LIST SERVER MANAGERS                    2-1

                _________________________________________________
                2.2   MAILING LISTS                           2-2

                _________________________________________________
                2.3   FILE SERVERS                            2-2

                _________________________________________________
                2.4   USING THE RESULTS                       2-3


          _______________________________________________________
          CHAPTER 3  MAILING LISTS                            3-1

                _________________________________________________
                3.1   ARCHIVES                                3-1




                                                              iii




          Contents



                _________________________________________________
                3.2   PROTECTION CODES                        3-2

                _________________________________________________
                3.3   AUTOMATIC REQUEST HANDLING              3-4

                3.3.1     Control Commands  ______________    3-7

                _________________________________________________
                3.4   USER NOTIFICATION MESSAGES              3-7

                _________________________________________________
                3.5   VMS MAIL FORWARDING                     3-9

                _________________________________________________
                3.6   USING THE ADD AND REMOVE COMMANDS      3-10

                3.6.1     ADD  ___________________________   3-10

                3.6.2     REMOVE  ________________________   3-11

                _________________________________________________
                3.7   DELETING A MAILING LIST                3-12

          _______________________________________________________
          CHAPTER 4  FILE SERVERS                             4-1

                _________________________________________________
                4.1   PACKAGES                                4-1

                _________________________________________________
                4.2   HELP FILE                               4-2

                _________________________________________________
                4.3   FILE SERVER COMMANDS                    4-3






          iv




                                                         Contents



          _______________________________________________________
          APPENDIX A  TROUBLESHOOTING MLF PROBLEMS            A-1

                _________________________________________________
                A.1   CASE SENSITIVITY                        A-1


          _______________________________________________________
          APPENDIX B  EXAMPLE: MAILING LIST WITH ARCHIVE
                      SERVER                                  B-1


          _______________________________________________________
          TABLES

                3-1       Mailing list protection
                          classes  _______________________    3-2

                3-2       Mailing list protection codes  _    3-2

                3-3       Typical protection codes  ______    3-3

                3-4       MLF -Request commands  _________    3-4

                3-5       MLF LISTSERV commands  _________    3-5

                3-6       User notification messages  ____    3-7














                                                                v







          _______________________________________________________

          Preface


          This guide describes the management and operation
          of the Message Exchange Mailing List/File Server (MX
          MLF).

          __________________________________________________________________

          Intended Audience

          This manual is intended for use by the system
          manager or any individual responsible for installing
          and maintaining MX, and for users responsible for
          creating or managing MX-based mailing lists and file
          servers. The reader should be generally familiar
          with VMS system concepts, electronic mail systems and
          networking terminology.

          __________________________________________________________________

          Document Structure

          This guide consists of

          Chapter 1   Contains a general description of MLF.

          Chapter 2   Describes how to use the MLF_CONFIG
                      procedure.

          Chapter 3   Describes how to manage a mailing list.

          Chapter 4   Describes how to manage a file server.

          __________________________________________________________________

          Related Documents

          You can find additional information in the following
          documents:

          o  Message Exchange Management Guide describes how to
             manage MX and contains the command dictionary for
             the MX Control Program (MCP).

                                                              vii




          Preface



          o  Message Exchange User's Guide describes MX features
             available to general users.







































          viii








          _______________________________________________________

   1      The Mailing List/File Server




          Message Exchange (MX) includes a program called the
          Mailing List/File Server (MLF). This program provides
          the services needed to distribute messages to mailing
          lists and manage those lists through mailed commands.
          It also provides services for distributing packages of
          files by electronic mail.

          __________________________________________________________________

   1.1    Mailing Lists

          When talking about electronic mail, the term mailing
          list is generally used to describe an E-mail address
          that forwards messages to one or more subscribers.
          Mailing lists abound on the Internet and BITNET, on a
          wide variety of technical and non-technical topics.

          Unfortunately, there are no standards on the
          implementation of mailing lists, so their use will
          vary depending on the systems on which the mailing
          lists are set up. For the most part however, mailing
          lists can be broken down into two basic types:
          Internet and BITNET.

          For an Internet-style mailing list, there are
          generally two addresses: one for the mailing list
          itself, and one for "administrivia" (subscription
          requests, etc.). The administrative address is usually
          the mailing list name with "-request" added. For
          example, the mailing list for discussing Message
          Exchange is MX-List@vms.ecs.rpi.edu. Subscription
          requests, removals, or comments about the list are
          sent to MX-List-request@vms.ecs.rpi.edu.

                                                              1-1




          The Mailing List/File Server



          Most mailing lists on BITNET hosts are implemented
          using Eric Thomas's LISTSERV, a package developed
          specifically for automated handling of mailing
          lists. One LISTSERV on a system, at address
          LISTSERV@hostname, manages all the mailing lists
          offered on that system, and provides automatic
          administrative request handling.

          MLF provides support for both the Internet -request
          interface and the BITNET LISTSERV interface for its
          automatic command handling.

          __________________________________________________________________

   1.2    File Servers

          As with mailing lists, there are no standards for file
          servers. There are several file server implementations
          in existence: LISTSERV, VMSSERV, MAILSERV, and several
          others. Some of these file servers accept commands
          via BITNET immediate messages, some only by E-mail
          messages. Some take commands on the subject line of
          a message, and some in the body of a message. The way
          files are distributed can also vary from server to
          server.

          The MLF file server command interface accepts commands
          by E-mail only, and returns files only by E-mail.













          1-2








          _______________________________________________________

   2      Using MLF_CONFIG.COM




          MLF comes with a command procedure, MLF_CONFIG.COM,
          which is placed at installation time in the MX_DIR:
          directory. This command procedure uses a simple
          question-and-answer script to develop the MCP commands
          needed to create mailing lists and file servers.

          __________________________________________________________________

   2.1    List Server Managers

          MLF_CONFIG begins by reading in your current MX
          configuration and checking to see if you have any
          list server managers (called SYSTEM_USERS in MCP)
          defined. If not, MLF_CONFIG will prompt you first for
          the primary list server manager's address, followed by
          any other users who should be given manager access to
          mailing lists.

          List server managers are granted control access to
          all mailing lists on the system, allowing them to use
          the ADD and REMOVE commands. In addition, they are
          granted access through the SYSTEM protection class on
          all mailing lists.

          Note: The mailing list processor is case sensitive
          when matching the username portion of addresses. Be
          sure to enter the list manager addresses using the
          correct case. MX, by default, converts all usernames
          to lower case for local users, so you should generally
          use lower case when specifying local list managers'
          addresses.



                                                              2-1




          Using MLF_CONFIG.COM



          Primary List Server Manager

          The first address on the SYSTEM_USERS list is for
          the primary list server manager. The primary list
          server manager's address is used as the return address
          for non-list-related mail messages sent by MLF. If
          you would rather not have an actual person's E-mail
          address be used for that purpose, you should set up an
          alias.

          __________________________________________________________________

   2.2    Mailing Lists

          Once you have defined your list server managers, or if
          they were already defined before you ran MLF_CONFIG,
          you can then set up one or more mailing lists. MLF_
          CONFIG will prompt you for the name of the mailing
          list and the address of the owner of the list, which
          are required. It will then prompt you for the optional
          information related to the list.

          To move on to the File Server section of MLF_CONFIG,
          just press RETURN when prompted for a mailing list
          name.

          Note: The mailing list processor is case sensitive when
          matching the username portion of addresses. Be sure to
          enter the owner addresses using the correct case. MX,
          by default, converts all usernames to lower case for
          local users, so you should generally use lower case
          when specifying local owner addresses.

          __________________________________________________________________

   2.3    File Servers

          After the mailing lists phase, MLF_CONFIG will ask
          you about file servers. To create a file server, you
          must specify the name, manager's address, and the
          device and directory that will serve as the root of
          the file server. MLF_CONFIG will prompt you for this
          information, and will create the root directory for

          2-2




                                             Using MLF_CONFIG.COM



          you, if you wish. It will then prompt for optional
          information regarding the file server.

          __________________________________________________________________

   2.4    Using the Results

          When MLF_CONFIG finishes, it leaves you with an
          MCP command file, called MX_DIR:MLF_CONFIG.MCP by
          default. You should review the contents of that
          file; if satisfied with the results, you should then
          execute the command file in MCP, save the resulting
          configuration information, then reset the Router and
          MLF processes to have the new mailing lists and file
          servers recognized:

               $ MCP
               MCP> @MLF_CONFIG.MCP
               MCP> SAVE
               MCP> RESET/CLUSTER ROUTER,MLF

          Your newly-created mailing lists and file servers will
          then be ready.


















                                                              2-3








          _______________________________________________________

   3      Mailing Lists




          The MCP DEFINE LIST command is used to create a
          mailing list. The mailing list processor supports
          the automatic archiving of mailing list messages,
          automatic subscription processing, and limited remote
          control of mailing lists. In addition, mailing lists
          can be protected in a variety of ways to restrict the
          automatic subscription facility as well as postings to
          the list.

          Two local addresses are set up for each mailing list:
          one for the list itself and a request address (list-
          name-REQUEST). The mailing list processor accepts
          subscription requests and other control messages on a
          list's request address.

          The list of subscribers is maintained by the MLF agent
          in the file MX_MLIST_DIR:list-name.MAILING_LIST. The
          format used for this file is not readable by humans;
          you should use the list server command interface or
          the MCP REVIEW command to examine subscriber list.

          __________________________________________________________________

   3.1    Archives

          A mailing list is archived automatically by the
          mailing list processor when the /ARCHIVE qualifier
          is used on the DEFINE LIST command. You must specify
          at least a device and directory for the archive. The
          file name for the archive defaults to the name of
          the mailing list, and the file type for the archive
          defaults to yyyy-mm, the current year and month. By
          keeping with the default, a new archive file will be
          created every month.

                                                              3-1




          Mailing Lists


          __________________________________________________________________

   3.2    Protection Codes

          The standard VMS protection code syntax is used to
          describe access to mailing lists. Table 3-1 describes
          how each of the protection classes relates to mailing
          lists, and Table 3-2 describes the protection codes.

          Table_3-1__Mailing_list_protection_classes_____________

          Class_______Description________________________________

          SYSTEM      any address matching one of the addresses
                      on the system user list (see DEFINE
                      SYSTEM_USERS)

          OWNER       any address matching one of the owner
                      addresses specified on the /OWNER
                      qualifier

          GROUP       any address matching one the addresses on
                      the subscriber list for the mailing list

          WORLD_______any_other_address__________________________

          Table_3-2__Mailing_list_protection_codes_______________

          Code________Description________________________________

          R (Read)    allows the use of the REVIEW command

          W (Write)   allows the user to post messages to the
                      list

          E (Enroll)  allows the automatic handling of the
                      SUBSCRIBE command

          D (Delete)  allows the automatic handling of the
          ____________SIGNOFF_command____________________________

          Note that Enroll access is only meaningful to WORLD-
          class users, and Delete access is only meaningful

          3-2




                                                    Mailing Lists



          to GROUP-class users. For most, if not all, mailing
          lists, you should grant RWED access to both SYSTEM
          and OWNER classes. SYSTEM and OWNER also implicitly
          have Control access, allowing them to add and remove
          other users from the mailing list. Some typical
          protection codes for GROUP and WORLD users are given
          in Table 3-3.

          Table_3-3__Typical_protection_codes____________________

          (G:RWED,W:RWE)   Public list. Anyone can subscribe,
                           sign off, and review the list; anyone
                           can post to the list.

          (G:RWED,W:E)     Semi-public list. Anyone can
                           subscribe and sign off the list, but
                           only subscribers can review or post
                           to the list.

          (G:W,W)          Private list. Only subscribers
                           can post to the list, and all
                           subscription requests are screened
                           by the owners of the mailing list.

          (G,W)            One-way list. Only the owners can
                           post to the list, and they also
          _________________screen_all_the_subscription_requests._

          Note: Since electronic mail can readily be forged,
          you should not depend on this protection scheme for
          absolute security of your mailing lists. The mailing
          list processor attempts no authentication of addresses
          when it receives messages.








                                                              3-3




          Mailing Lists


          __________________________________________________________________

   3.3    Automatic Request Handling

          MLF will answer requests automatically at both a
          list's -Request address and through the LISTSERV
          interface. The commands it recognizes through the -
          Request interface are listed in Table 3-4. LISTSERV
          commands are listed in Table 3-5.

          Table_3-4__MLF_-Request_commands_______________________

          Command____________________Description_________________

          ADD address[,...]          Control command: allows
                                     list owner to add other
                                     users to the list.

          HELP                       Sends file MX_MLIST_
                                     DIR:MLIST_HELP.TXT.

          LIST                       Lists all available mailing
                                     lists.

          QUERY                      Returns the subscriber's
                                     status on the list.

          REMOVE address[,...]       Control command: allows
                                     list owner to remove other
                                     users from the list.
       |
       |  REVIEW                     Returns the list of
       |                             subscribers.

          SET [NO]MAIL               Enables/disables receipt of
                                     list messages.
       |
       |  SET [NO]CONCEAL            Controls whether subscriber
       |                             is concealed from view in
       |                             REVIEW listings.


          3-4




                                                    Mailing Lists



       |  Table_3-4_(Cont.)__MLF_-Request_commands_______________
       |
       |  Command____________________Description_________________
       |
       |  SET [NO]REPRO              Controls whether subscriber
       |                             receives a posting s/he
       |                             makes to the mailing list.

          SIGNOFF                    Removes the user from the
                                     list of subscribers.

          SUBSCRIBE                  Adds the user to the
          ___________________________subscriber_list.____________


          Table_3-5__MLF_LISTSERV_commands_______________________

          Command____________________Description_________________

          ADD list-name              Control command: allows
          address[,...]              list owner to add other
                                     users to the list.

          HELP                       Sends file MX_MLIST_
                                     DIR:MLIST_HELP.TXT.

          LIST                       Lists all available mailing
                                     lists.

          QUERY list-name            Returns the subscriber's
                                     status on the list.

          REMOVE list-name           Control command: allows
          address[,...]              list owner to remove other
                                     users from the list.
       |
       |  REVIEW list-name           Returns the list of
       |                             subscribers.



                                                              3-5




          Mailing Lists



          Table_3-5_(Cont.)__MLF_LISTSERV_commands_______________

          Command____________________Description_________________

          SET list-name [NO]MAIL     Enables/disables receipt of
                                     list messages.
       |
       |  SET list-name [NO]CONCEAL  Controls whether subscriber
       |                             is concealed from view in
       |                             REVIEW listings.
       |
       |  SET list-name [NO]REPRO    Controls whether the
       |                             subscriber receives a
       |                             posting s/he makes to the
       |                             mailing list.

          SIGNOFF list-name          Removes the user from the
                                     list of subscribers.

          SUBSCRIBE list-name        Adds the user to the
          ___________________________subscriber_list.____________


          SUBSCRIBE requests are handled automatically only
          if the WORLD protection class is granted E (Enroll)
          access to the list. Otherwise, they are forwarded to
          the list owners for manual handling.

          SIGNOFF requests are handled automatically only if the
          GROUP protection class is granted D (Delete) access
          to the list. Otherwise, they are forwarded to the list
          owners for manual handling.

          REVIEW requests are handled automatically only if
          the requesting user is granted R (Read) access to the
          list. Read access may be granted only to GROUP (i.e.,
          the subscribers of the list) or to GROUP and WORLD.
          If access is denied, the request is returned with an
          error message.


          3-6




                                                    Mailing Lists


          ___________________________

   3.3.1  Control Commands

          The mailing list processor currently supports two
          control requests: ADD and REMOVE. They may be used by
          the owners of a mailing list to add and remove other
       |  users to and from the list of subscribers.
       |
       |  The owners of a mailing list also receive the
       |  full list of subscribers when they REVIEW their
       |  list, regardless of the CONCEAL setting of each
       |  subscriber. Non-owners receive a list consisting of
       |  subscribers who have not set the CONCEAL flag for
       |  their subscription to the list.

          __________________________________________________________________

   3.4    User Notification Messages

          You can control the text of the message that is sent
          to the user when he or she subscribes or signs off
          from a mailing list, on a per-list and/or global
          basis. Table 3-6 lists the types of messages you can
          set up and when they are sent.

          Table_3-6__User_notification_messages__________________

                                                           When
          Per-list_qualifier____Global_default_____________sent__

          /ADD_MESSAGE          MLIST_ADD_MESSAGE.TXT      when
                                                           a
                                                           user
                                                           is
                                                           added
                                                           to a
                                                           mail-
                                                           ing
                                                           list


                                                              3-7




          Mailing Lists



          Table_3-6_(Cont.)__User_notification_messages__________

                                                           When
          Per-list_qualifier____Global_default_____________sent__

          /REMOVE_MESSAGE       MLIST_REMOVE_MESSAGE.TXT   when
                                                           a
                                                           user
                                                           is
                                                           re-
                                                           moved
                                                           from
                                                           a
                                                           mail-
                                                           ing
                                                           list

          /FORWARD_MESSAGE      MLIST_FORWARD_MESSAGE.TXT  when
                                                           a
                                                           user
                                                           at-
                                                           tempts
                                                           to
                                                           sub-
                                                           scribe
                                                           to a
                                                           list
                                                           with
                                                           no
                                                           W:E
                                                           ac-
          _________________________________________________cess__


          The global default message files are located in MX_
          MLIST_DIR. You can customize these files to suit your
          site's needs for all mailing lists, or use them as
          templates for the per-list files.



          3-8




                                                    Mailing Lists



          Customization Variables

          The text of a notification message can contain
          references to customization "variables" whose values
          are supplied by the mailing list processor. Available
          variables are:

          {list-address}        the RFC822 address of the
                                mailing list

          {request-address}     the RFC822 address of the list's
                                -Request address

          {list-name}           the name of the mailing list (no
                                @hostname)
       |
       |  {list-desc}           the contents of the list
       |                        description, as specified by
       |                        the /DESCRIPTION qualifier on
       |                        the DEFINE LIST command

          {list-owner}          the address of the owner of
                                the mailing list (if there are
                                multiple owner addresses, only
                                the first is used)

          Note that each variable name must be surrounded
          by curly braces to be recognized. All other text
          (including unrecognized variable references) is sent
          verbatim.

          __________________________________________________________________

   3.5    VMS Mail Forwarding

          You can make it easier for local users and DECnet-
          connected users to send messages to a mailing list by
          creating a forwarding address in VMS Mail for the list
          name:

               $ MAIL
               MAIL> SET FORWARD/USER=list-name MX%list-name

                                                              3-9




          Mailing Lists



          This will allow users to use just the list name when
          addressing the mailing list, without the MX% prefix.

          If the list name ever changes or the list is deleted,
          you should remember to remove the forwarding address
          from VMS Mail for the list name:

               MAIL> REMOVE list-name

          This will prevent a possible mail looping problem from
          occurring.

          __________________________________________________________________

   3.6    Using the ADD and REMOVE Commands

          The list processor provides two commands for use
          exclusively by list owners and list server managers:
          ADD and REMOVE.

          ___________________________

   3.6.1  ADD

          The ADD command adds other users to a mailing list.
          The syntax for this command for the -Request interface
       |  is:
       |
       |                     ADD [/NONOTIFY] [/NOMAIL] [/NOCASE] [/CONCEAL]
 [/NOREPRO]  address [,...]

          The syntax for the LISTSERV interface is:

                             ADD [/NONOTIFY]  list-name  address [,...]

          You may specify multiple addresses to be added by
          separating the list with commas, but note that the
          entire command must fit on one line in the E-mail
          message.

          For address, you should enter the RFC822-type address
          for the user to be added. It should generally appear
          exactly as it does on the From line of a message,
          since the mailing list processor is case sensitive in
          the username part of addresses. You may include the
          personal name, if desired.

          3-10




                                                    Mailing Lists



          Use the /NONOTIFY qualifier when you do not want the
          new subscribers to receive the "you have been added"
          message for the mailing list.

          The /NOMAIL qualifier is used to add the user to the
          mailing list as a NOMAIL subscriber. That is, the
          user is on the list without receiving any mail from
          the list. NOMAIL subscriptions are used for private
          mailing lists, where only the subscribers are allowed
          to post, and for mailing lists that control access
          to file servers; a subscriber might have multiple
          addresses and may need access to the list or file
       |  server from any of those addresses.
       |
       |  The /NOCASE qualifier is used to add the user to the
       |  mailing list while having the list processor disregard
       |  the case of the username portion of the address.
       |  Normally, the list processor is case-sensitive
       |  regarding usernames.
       |
       |  The /CONCEAL qualifier is used to set the CONCEAL flag
       |  in the subscriber's entry in the list. CONCEALed users
       |  do not appear in REVIEW listings, except for those
       |  requested by the list owners.
       |
       |  The /NOREPRO qualifier is used to prevent the
       |  subscriber from receiving a copy of postings s/he
       |  makes to the list.
       |
       |  Note that the LISTSERV ADD command supports only the
       |  /NONOTIFY qualifier.

          ___________________________

   3.6.2  REMOVE

          The REMOVE command removes other users from a mailing
          list. The syntax for this command for the -Request
          interface is:

                             REMOVE [/NONOTIFY]  address [,...]

          The syntax for the LISTSERV interface is:

                             REMOVE [/NONOTIFY]  list-name  address [,...]

                                                             3-11




          Mailing Lists



          You may specify multiple addresses to be added by
          separating the list with commas, but note that the
          entire command must fit on one line in the E-mail
          message.

          For address, you should enter the RFC822-type address
          for the user to be added. It should appear exactly as
          it does in the subscriber list (use the REVIEW command
          to check this). You may include the personal name, if
          desired, but only the address part is checked when MLF
          does the removal.

          Use the /NONOTIFY qualifier when you do not want the
          new subscribers to receive the "you have been removed"
          message for the mailing list.

          __________________________________________________________________

   3.7    Deleting a Mailing List

          The MCP REMOVE LIST command removes the definition of
          a mailing list from the MX configuration database. The
          file containing the list of subscribers will remain
          after the definition is removed, however. You should
          delete that file also:

               $ DELETE MX_MLIST_DIR:list-name.MAILING_LIST;*

          You should also remember to delete any add, remove, or
          forward message files you set up for the mailing list
          at creation time.










          3-12








          _______________________________________________________

   4      File Servers




          The MCP DEFINE FILE_SERVER command is used to set
          up a file server. Each file server can automatically
          service requests for single files or groups of files.
          Large files can be delayed to non-prime-time hours,
          on a per-server basis. You can specify a per-server,
          per-host, and/or per-user byte count limit, to prevent
          users from overtaxing the mail system with file server
          requests. In addition, you can link a file server
          to a mailing list, so that only those users who are
          subscribed to the list can gain access to the file
          server.

          __________________________________________________________________

   4.1    Packages

          The file server is designed to handle groups of files,
          called packages. When you create a package, you create
          a directory with the name of that package, and all
          files in that directory must have file names the same
          as the package name. In addition, you must place a
          description file above the package directory which
          is sent when a user requests a listing of available
          packages.

          This structure works best when you use a program such
          as VMS_SHARE to put together your packages. VMS_SHARE
          is readily available around the Internet and BITNET.
          It is used to collect together text files, format
          them so as to improve the chances of their being
          transferable through most mail systems, and split them
          up into easily mailable chunks. When all the chunks
          are put together on the receiving end, they form a DCL
          command procedure that re-creates the original files.

                                                              4-1




          File Servers



          Example

          To demonstrate the structure used by the file server,
          let us suppose you have created a package called
          STUFF. You used VMS_SHARE to create the package, which
          split the package into three parts.

          First, you would create a directory for the package:

               $ CREATE/DIRECTORY disk:[FILESERV.STUFF]

          Next, you would copy the VMS_SHARE files into that
          directory. They must have file names the same as the
          package name:

               $ COPY STUFF.* disk:[FILESERV.STUFF]

          Next, you would create a file containing a brief
          description of the package and place it above the
          STUFF directory:

               $ EDIT disk:[FILESERV]STUFF.DESCRIPTION

          Finally, you would need to set up the file server in
          MCP:

               MCP> DEFINE FILE_SERVER FILESERV/ROOT=disk:[FILESERV.]

          The file server FILESERV will now automatically handle
          distribution of the STUFF package.

          __________________________________________________________________

   4.2    Help File

          The file FILESERV_HELP.TXT, provided by the
          installation procedure in directory MX_ROOT:[MLF],
          contains a description of the file service commands.
          You should update this file to include the address
          you have chosen for your file server and any other
          information specific to the file server that you
          wish to include. Place the edited copy in the root
          directory of your file server to have it sent when a
          user sends a HELP command to your file server.

          4-2




                                                     File Servers


          __________________________________________________________________

   4.3    File Server Commands

          The three commands accepted by the file server are
          SENDME, LIST (or DIRECTORY), and HELP. Each may be
          abbreviated to the smallest unique string. One command
          is allowed per line of text in a request message, but
          several command lines may be sent in one request.

          SENDME takes either a package name (to have all parts
          of a package sent) or a file name (to have just one
          part sent). Large files are delayed until non-prime-
          time hours if enabled when file service is set up.

          LIST takes a pattern which is used to match against
          package names. The description file for each matching
          package is added to a message that is returned to the
          requesting user. If no pattern is specified, "*" is
          used.

          HELP causes the file FILESERV_HELP.TXT (located in the
          root directory of the file server) to be sent to the
          requesting user.


















                                                              4-3








          _______________________________________________________

   A      Troubleshooting MLF Problems




          MLF includes a debug mode that displays information
          about what it is doing when processing mailing list
          and file server requests. If you are experiencing
          problems with either a mailing list or a file server,
          you can enable this debug mode with the command:

               $ DEFINE/SYSTEM MX_MLF_DEBUG TRUE

          If you are in a VAXcluster, this logical must be
          defined on the same node as the currently active MX
          MLF process to have any effect.

          Debug log files created by MLF are called MX_MLF_
          DIR:MX_MLF_LOG.LOG.

          __________________________________________________________________

   A.1    Case Sensitivity

          The mailing list processor uses case-sensitive
          matching on the username part of addresses when
       |  looking up users on the subscriber list (except for
       |  subscribers with the NOCASE flag set), owner list, and
          SYSTEM_USERS list. Be careful when adding and removing
          users from these lists that the case of the username
          part of the address exactly matches what will be in
          the From: header of the address.

          Remember that MX automatically converts usernames
          to lower case, by default, when creating the From:
          header, so messages originating on the local system
          will have lower case usernames.


                                                              A-1








          _______________________________________________________

   B      Example: Mailing List with Archive Server




          This example creates a mailing list whose archives are
          made available through a file server.

               $ CREATE/DIRECTORY SOME_DISK:[ARCHIVES.MAILLIST]
               $ MCP
               MCP> DEFINE LIST "MailList" -
               _MCP>     /OWNER="me@myhost.mycompany.ORG"-
               _MCP>     /PROTECTION=(S:RWED,O:RWED,G:RWED,W:RWE)-
               _MCP>     /ARCHIVE=SOME_DISK:[ARCHIVES.MAILLIST]

          This would set up a public mailing list, with the list
          owner being user "me", who would also receive all the
          bounced mail from the mailing list (by default, since
          no /ERRORS_TO was specified). The archive will be
          created in directory SOME_DISK:[ARCHIVES.MAILLIST] a
          file name of MAILLIST (defaulting from the list name)
          and a file type of yyyy-mm (the year and month).

          You could then create a file server called Archives:

               MCP> DEFINE FILE_SERVER "Archives" -
               _MCP>     /MANAGER="me@myhost.mycompany.ORG"-
               _MCP>     /ROOT=SOME_DISK:[ARCHIVES.]-
               _MCP>     /MAILING_LIST=MailList

          This file server could then respond to requests
          for sending some or all of the monthly archives for
          mailing list MailList. The mailing list link prevents
          those users who are not subscribed to MailList from
          obtaining the archives. To complete the setup, you
          would also need to create the files FILESERV_HELP.TXT
          and MAILLIST.DESCRIPTION to be placed in directory
          SOME_DISK:[ARCHIVES], to describe the file server and
          the MailList archive "package".

                                                              B-1


__________________________cut here______________________________________

--
Helmut Springer                    University of Stuttgart, FRG
User HelpDesk Computing Center           CipPool Physics Department
springer@rus.uni-stuttgart.de            helmut@bonnie.physik.uni-stuttgart.de
phone: +49 711 685-4828                  1291::helmut (BelWue)

%SYSTEM-W-MAILONSYS, there is real mail installed on this system