MailMan

All mailing lists are handled by bar, so that is where all configuration take place.

Creating a list

How to add a list listname@listdom.ain, with the MailMan web interface on webdom.ain (which can be the same as listdom.ain).

• If this is the first list for the domain, Postfix and Mailman must be prepared for the new domain. This needs root privileges:
  1. Add listdom.ain to /etc/postfix/local_host_names
  2. Add webdom.ain,listdom.ain to the variable MAILMAN_VIRTUAL_HOSTS in /etc/sysconfig/mailman and run SuSEconfig --module mailman
  3. Add the virtual alias mailman@listdom.ain adminaddress@wherever.dom to /etc/postfix/virtual.
  4. Run SuSEconfig --module postfix

• For each list you want to create, point your favourite browser to http://webdom.ain/mailman/create and follow the instructions. This requires the list creation password, which you can get from the MailMan admin.

Creating a list with a "short" name

Mailman is designed such that no two lists hosted on the same host can have the same list name (i.e. the part before @). You cannot for instance have lists info@one.dom and info@anotherdom.ain. Typically, the list name must "identify" the domain name, such as in mydom-info@mydom.ain.

Using aliases and address rewriting in Postfix, it is still possible to set up Mailman lists wich pretend to have non-unique list names. Assume you want to create a list name@listdom.ain, administered from http://webdom.ain/mailman/:

1. Create the Mailman list listdom-name@listdom.ain as described above.
2. In the list administration web interface for the list, add name@listdom.ain as an acceptable alias (acceptabe_aliases).
3. Add the following virtual alias to /etc/postfix/regexp_virtual: /^name(.*)@listdom.ain$/ listdom-name${1}@listdom.ain. This enables Postfix to deliver mails to name@listdom.ain.
4. Add the following canonical rewrite to /etc/postfix/regexp_canonical: /^listdom-name(.*)@listdom.ain$/ name${1}@listdom.ain. This makes email from the list addresses to look like they came from name@listdom.ain.

The last two steps require root privileges. The first two can be done by the list administrator.

In order to make the list look more like it is called name@listdom.ain, the following can be done in the admin web interface:

• subject_prefix = [name] (or remove completely)
• welcome_msg: Add a note that the list name is name@listdom.ain
• include_list_post_header = No
• msg_footer and digest_footer: Replace %(real_name)s with name, or remove completly
• The HTML for the list's web page: Replace < MM-Posting-Addr> with name@listdom.ain
• The text sent out as a welcome email: Replace the long name with the short name

(The original addresses will show some places, especially in mail headings and adminstrative emails.)

-- BjornHelgeMevik - 01 May 2005, 18 Apr 2007