Re: rc.local config question

** Reply to message from [email protected] on Mon, 10 Jan 2005 16:08:24
-0500 (EST)


> On [2005-Jan-10]  Stan Goodman <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > If I understand the above correctly, this is a snippet intended to
> examine an
> > incoming message, and determine if there is an address in any of the named
> > headers that is identical to an address in the dist file, and, if not,
> to throw
> > it into a file called . SPAMTRAP (I think the "$" is not part of the
> filename;
> > is that correct?
> 
> Pretty much. The variable $SPAMTRAP is assigned a file name via an entry like

I now understand that $SPAMTRAP is a variable that the system knowsw about, and
I need only to set it equal to the name of the file I want this junk dumped
into.

> SPAMTRAP=mylistspam

No "$" before the name of the variable here? Why?

> which preceeds the recipe given and where mylistspam is the actual
> filename that will be used when procmail writes if the recipe succeeds.
> 
> >
> > I hope someone will correct me if I am wrong (I don't even know the name
> of the
> > language in which thise scripts are written, so anything is possible).
> 
> It is written in "procmail" (use man procmail and man formail as a
> starting point to understand the recipes/instructions in smartlist
> (smartlist is 'written' in procmail and in sh)

Very compact language. Very little intuitive baggage. Not for the faint of
heart.

> > I think there is more to its main paragraph that than, because I can't
> account
> > for all the terms.
> >
> > I am not clear what to do with the sentence "(define $SPAMTRAP to be a
> file of
> > your choice)". How define?
> 
> see above
> 
> >
> > In what file is this piece of script intended to go? And does it matter
> where
> > in that file it is located?
> 
> That little recipe would go in rc.local.r00. It is, as Charlie pointed
> out, quite draconian. Once in place then only messages purporting to come
> from someone already subscribed to your list will get through so you might
> want to at least examine what gets put into the $SPAMTRAP file every once
> and awhile.

Draconian is good. I don't want to see anything in my inbox except from
subscribers. 
 
> The rc.local.r00 file goes into the directory containing all of the other
> list's files.

I don't have any files of the form rc.local.rxx (only rc.local.sxx); I assume
that I can put the snippet into an otherwise empty one. No header is required?

> If all this makes very little sense thenI'd spend some time looking at the
> existing rc.local.** files (along with rc.submit and rc.request) to start
> getting a basic idea of what each does and why. You don't need to be an
> 'adept' to make small changes but some familiarity is a really good idea.
> I assume you can also make up a test list in which to run your additions
> before commiting them to a real list.

No, it makes sense. I needed to understand a few things that you have
described. I did configure the mailing list when I set it up a few years ago.
That amounted mostly to uncommenting lines so it would do what I wanted it  to
do. And it does.

-- 
Stan Goodman
Qiryat Tiv'on
Israel

"When your enemy falls, do not rejoice." -- Proverbs 24:17

I am not young enough to know everything.