Mailman 3 November 2009 - Mailman-Users

PLESK configuration question - Mailman default domain
by Brandon Rodak 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

I would like to use the subdomain of "reports" rather than the PLESK default "lists" subdomain. I have tried to edit "/etc/mailman/mm_cfg.py" and also whenever I add a new mailing list under my domain it is automatically given the "lists.domain.com" format. In other words, is there a force the Plesk/Mailman not to use http://lists.< domain.com>/mailman/ but use http://reports.<domain.com>/mailman/ for the Mailman interfaces? Is there a default template Plesk uses when a new mailing list (Mailman) is created which I can modify for the desired result? Thanks for any and all responses.

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Moving my Mailman list
by TG Platt - WW Publ 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

Hi. I need helpful advice unraveling the deeply mysterious Gordian knot of mailman conversions. Here's my situation... I'm looking for a temporary hosting arrangement for an existing mailman list. The list is presently running on my own dedicated server but the server was recently cracked by a rootkit and must now be rebuilt. So I need to move and rehost my mailman list elsewhere for a month or two while I do the server rebuild. Then I intend to move it back again. This discussion list has been using mailman for years. In fact, I moved it to my server just over a year ago from another mailman host (DreamHost as I recall). So we have a significant legacy message archive and mailing list I want to backup and move to the new host. Then I will need to move it back again later. I control the current server. So, I've got no problem backing up the existing list and archive from my current server but I'm not sure what capabilities I MUST HAVE to be able to install it on the new one and then to recapture the list later and bring it back to my own server. Of course there's a web site associated with the same domain name the mailman list now resides on. The list is presently configured using the site's domain name (myname(a)myname.org). Needless to say, I'd like both the server move and the eventual move back again to be transparent to our users and visitors if possible. In short I prefer to keep the same site name and list name when I move it and when I move it back later. So I'm planning to move both the site and the list to a new temporary host at the same time. Obviously I'd rather NOT pay for a full year of temporary hosting when I figure I'll be able to have my rebuilt server up and running again within 60 days. So I'm basically looking for a host where I can rent space by the month at a reasonable price. I tried moving to one mailman host (bluehost) but got very ticked when their advertised price of $4 a month turned out to be $6 a month and they were charging me for a full year of hosting up front too. The problem wasn't so much the price as it was that they never gave me any contract term options... AND they never TOLD me until they'd actually charged my credit card for a full year that I wasn't going to get the price they offered. Needless to say, that "bait and switch" pricing approach made me hopping mad. So I told them to take a hike and canceled the hosting deal. I then contacted another host who was up front about their short-term pricing and found I liked them a lot in other ways too. But having been burned once already, I'm being very cautious the second time around. So, when their tech told me I would not get access to any of the mailman command line utilities, I began to wonder if I'm really going to be able to migrate my mailman list to their server now and then migrate it out again later WITHOUT access to mailman's command line utilities. After checking out the docs pretty carefully, I have a strong hunch the answer to THAT question is an emphatic "No"! As I recall, when I first installed mailman on my server, I was faced with deciding whether to use the server's main domain name (mydomain.com) as the name that hosted all mailman lists on the server or I could have used the client's domain name as the domain name that hosted their list and all others. As I recall the two options were mutually exclusive. In other words, mailman wouldn't let me have two individual lists on the same server associated with different primary domain names (e.g. mymembers(a)mydomain.com and yourmembers(a)yourdomain.com). As I recall, this simply wasn't possible on a single server. Since my client didn't want to change the name and address of their list, I agreed to use their domain name as the hosting domain name and I have regretted that decision ever since. I've also realized since then that other mailman hosts seem to have figured out workarounds for that rule. I'm sure DreamHost for example didn't force my client to use another domain as the list domain or their list could never have been mydomain(a)mydomain.org to begin with! So, here are my questions: 1. Can someone tell me if my hunch about not being able to move to a new server and back without access to the mailman command line utils is right? 2. Is it possible to do the entire move from my server and back with nothing more than a tar-ed backup and the web interface? (I think it's not.) 3. If I MUST have access to the command line utils, what commands do I need aside from checkperms and possibly addmember? 4. Did I overlook something? Is there some way to set up mailman during my server rebuild so that multiple domains can be supported under a single instance of mailman WITHOUT forcing all lists to use the same hosting domain name? 5. Are thee any other gotchas with my plan that I've overlooked? Thanks!

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Googlemail vs Gmail Bounce
by James Sadri 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

Hi everyone, This is not the standard Gmail issue about receiving a copy of your posts. I have an issue with people using @gmail and @googlemail domains interchangably. I know some mailing lists you can configure to treat them as the same - is there a way to do that with Mailman? If someone subscribes with JOHNDOE(a)gmail.com it would be great if sending email from JOHNDOE(a)googlemail.com didn't bounce. Any ideas? Cheers, James

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How to reduce memory use?
by John Griessen 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

I've just started being the list server for a low volume list that runs on a OpenVZ virtual server where memory is limited to 256MB RAM and when you hit various barriers your programs can't allocate more memory. Unless you upgrade to a more expensive OpenVZ virtual server... Apache2 seems to be failing with the least grace -- just locking up sometimes, but adding mailman was what got me so close to my memory limits. Suggestions? I'm already reducing apache2 memory use by directions like: StartServers 1 MinSpareServers 1 MaxSpareServers 2 Is there anything like those directives in mailman? Thanks, John Griessen

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Hiding the To:
by Allen Armstrong 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

Hi, I would normally search the archives but they seem to be broken right now. Is there a way to hide: to: field went sending to the list? I want to hide my email address and my users email addresses. Ttyl, Allen Armstrong

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The email address you supplied is not valid. (E.g. it must contain an `@'.)
by Hicks, Robert CTR 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

Hello, I searched Google but didn't find anything definitive for the error in the subject line. I am trying to subscribe a member and I am using a valid email address. Bob

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Please can you help me investigate an issue with two of our e mail lists.
by Ian Peel 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

Please can you help me investigate an issue with two of our e mail lists. laws-pgs(a)ucl.ac.uk laws-pgs-research(a)ucl.ac.uk Mail sent to these is not being forwarded. The archive shows that these stopped working on October the 8th. I have checked various admin setting pages however these have not revealed anything to me. Please can you help? Yours Faithfully Ian Peel -- Ian Peel IT and Web Administrator Faculty of Laws Bentham House Endsleigh Gardens London WC1H 0EG Tel: 0207 7679 5578 Internal Tel: 25578

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Issue with plain text
by Pedro Jacobetty 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

Hello, I'd like to thank you for your great software, and I'm sorry to bother you with this. I was wondering if you could help me, I'm trying to use mailman mailing list as a way to publish in a wordpress blog. I selected plain text for all subscriptions (such as the blog address) and I thought it would be able to convert a MIME email into plain text. Yet this does not happen: the message reaches the blog as MIME unless it is sent in plain text in the first place. Is there any way I can make mailman convert MIME emails into plain text, so wordpress recognizes the content of the email, and not only its subject, in order to post it? Thanks in advance, Pedro

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Quick question
by Support 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

I'm trying to add a active email link in the non digest footer but having trouble doing so. Is this possible? Basically I manage around 15 lists and want people to be able to opt out of the list by emailing me directly at a certain email address. I can get the email address on there but its not active. I want people to just be able to click it (my email address) and type remove and hit send. Thanks, Joe

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Unable To Create Mailman Lists
by Carlos Williams 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

I just installed Mailman 2.1.9-4 on my Linux mail server and configured it according to the online guide straight from the Mailman site. It appears to be working fine and I get hit the main page via Apache and see the only pubic list available called 'Mailman'. Now I selected the 'Admin Overview Page' and it takes me straight to the 'Admin' page with out any credentials for password or anything. Is this normal Mailman behavior? Should anyone be able to simply hit my Mailman public page and walk right into the 'Admin' page with put any credentials? Secondly - since I am in the 'Admin' page, I then attempt to select the link that says "create a new mailing list" which takes me to a new page for adding all the criteria for the new list I would like to generate. At the very bottom, it has a blank field box for "List creator's (authentication) password:" and I simply have no idea what that is. If I leave it blank or type in the password for the only Mailman list I have called "Mailman", I get an error when creating the new list that says: "Error: You are not authorized to create new mailing lists" Can someone please tell me what I did wrong? Thanks so much! -Carlos

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