PMDF System Manager's Guide
PMDF-REF-6.0

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4.1.3 Basic mailing list example

Example 4-2 shows a simple alias file for an OpenVMS host acme.com which includes a mailing list named staff; Example 4-3 shows a similar alias file for a UNIX host acme.com. Mail to the staff list should be addressed to staff@acme.com. ³ Example 4-1 shows the actual file containing the addresses of each member of the mailing list (including some printer and FAX addresses); this file is referenced in the sample aliases files shown in Example 4-2 and Example 4-3 .

The use of the indirect stafflist alias directed to the process channel defers the processing so that performance as perceived by the sender is improved. A process channel must be defined for this to work. A process channel is automatically defined by the PMDF configuration utility, as well as rewrite rules that rewrite process to the actual name associated with the process channel, usually process.localhost.

The use of the AUTH_LIST named parameter here restricts the list such that only members of the list may post to it. Two positional parameters, error-return-address and comments, are used. The error-return-address parameter specifies the postmaster's address; the comments parameter generates a Comments: header line reading "ACME Computer Center Staff Mailing List" which will appear in each posting to the list.

Example 4-1 Sample mailing list filestaff.dis 

! 
! staff.dis -- employee mailing list 
sue@acme.com 
ralph@acme.com 
"Karl R. Smith" <karl@acme.com> 
lisa@other.acme.com 
! 
! Addresses for people who do not have regular e-mail 
"/at=Mr. Potato/o=Potato Farm/ms=Mail Stop PF/"@printer1.acme.com 
"/at=Dr. Pepper/fn=1-909-555-1212/"@text-fax.acme.com

Example 4-2 Sample OpenVMSaliasesfile defining a mailinglist4 

! 
! Standard aliases 
postmast:    postmaster 
postmaster:  ralph@acme.com 
root:        system 
! 
! The staff mailing list; errors are sent to postmaster@acme.com 
staff:       stafflist@process 
stafflist:   <pmdf_table:staff.dis, \
               [auth_list] pmdf_table:staff.dis, \
               postmaster@acme.com, *, *, *, \
               ACME Computer Center Staff Mailing List

Example 4-3 Sample UNIXaliasesfile defining a mailinglist4 

! 
! Standard aliases 
postmast:    postmaster 
postmaster:  ralph@acme.com 
root:        system 
! 
! The staff mailing list; errors are sent to postmaster@acme.com 
staff:       stafflist@process 
stafflist:   </pmdf/table/staff.dis, \
               [auth_list] /pmdf/table/staff.dis, \
               postmaster@acme.com, *, *, *, \
               ACME Computer Center Staff Mailing List

Example 4-4 Sample NTaliasesfile defining a mailing list 

! 
! Standard aliases 
postmast:    postmaster 
postmaster:  administrator 
! 
! The staff mailing list; errors are sent to postmaster@acme.com 
staff:       stafflist@process 
stafflist:   <C:\pmdf\table\staff.dis, \
               [auth_list] \pmdf\table\staff.dis, \
               postmaster@acme.com, *, *, *, \
               ACME Computer Center Staff Mailing List
As noted previously, addresses in the mailing file should be in standard RFC 822 format (e.g., not in the form supplied to VMS MAIL).

The command PMDF TEST/REWRITE/CHECK_EXPANSIONS (OpenVMS) or pmdf test -rewrite -check_expansions (UNIX and NT) may be used to test the list. For instance, on OpenVMS systems use the command 

$ PMDF TEST/REWRITE/CHECK_EXPANSIONS/FROM="sue@acme.com" staff
Or, on UNIX systems, 
# pmdf test -rewrite -check_expansions -from="sue@acme.com" staff
Or on NT systems 
C:\> pmdf test -rewrite -check_expansions -from="sue@acme.com" staff
Note the use of the /FROM (OpenVMS) or -from (UNIX and NT) qualifier to provide an authorized address (as specified in the [AUTH_LIST] list) to treat as the posting address when attempting the list expansion. (By default such a command would use as the posting address the official return address for the local postmaster as specified by the RETURN_ADDRESS option in the PMDF option file; that is, by default PMDF would perform its test as if the local postmaster were attempting to send a message to the list.)

Note

³ From within VMS MAIL, use in%"staff@acme.com" or simply in%staff if sending from the node acme.com itself. The VMS MAIL command SET FORWARD/USER can be used to make the simple address staff recognized (as opposed to in%staff or in%"staff@acme.com"): 
MAIL> SET FORWARD/USER=STAFF 
"IN%""STAFF@acme.com"""

4 This example assumes that you have a process channel and a rewrite rule that rewrites the pseudodomain process to the actual pseudodomain name associated with your process channel. If you are using an old configuration generated prior to PMDF V5.1, you may need to add, in addition to a process channel if you are lacking one, an appropriate rewrite rule rewriting process to the actual name associated with your process channel, or change stafflist@process to stafflist@process.localhost.

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