[Mailman-Users] Help: mailman, permissions, IOError (OS X, 10.3.8)

[Jason Miller]

Dear Mailman-users,

I had mailman working just dandy, and then I think I did something to
break it.  You can get the backstory if you think it's relevant, but I
don't think it's relevant at this point.  Since the start of this
problem (Friday), I've searched the mailman-user archive for help,
Googled, tried some 'common sense' approaches, reconfigures-and-
reinstalled about twenty times, and talked with local linux gurus,
all to no avail.  And so I come to the list for help.

I decided to resurrect mailman by doing a clean install of 2.1.5 using
Larry Stone's excellent instructions at
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/mailman-users/2004-September/ 
039600.html.
These instructions plus a postfix comment from Dan Phillips enabled me
to get mailmun up and running the first time.  Unfortunately, I'm not
having much success this time, and I was hoping I might benefit from
some of the list's accumulated experience to help me move forward.

I'm setting up mailman-2.1.5 in OS X 10.3.8.  My MTA is postfix.

Initially, I thought I had mailman working.  There were no hiccups
while I was following the Stone instructions for installing mailman.
(I do depart from his instructions by configuring with
--with-mail-gid=mailmaninstead of nobody because past experience led
me to believe that 'nobody' makes postfix unhappy; could these be
where I am going wrong?)

I can create a list from the command line and through the web
interface.  I cannot, however, distribute email.  Email invitations
sent to members do not get sent.  Email sent to a list does not get
distributed.  I've subscribed several test email accounts to each list
(one on localhost, one on yahoo, and other school address), and no
mail goes to any of the accounts.

Root does receive a stack of emails, however.  At least one every five
minutes.  The text of the email looks like this:

Subject: Cron <user at pyrite>
/usr/bin/python -S /Applications/mailman/cron/gate_news
X-Cron-Env: <SHELL=/bin/sh>
X-Cron-Env: <HOME=/Users/user>
X-Cron-Env: <PATH=/usr/bin:/bin>
X-Cron-Env: <LOGNAME=user>
X-Cron-Env: <USER=user>
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 14:30:01 -0500 (CDT)

Traceback (most recent call last):
   File "/Applications/mailman/cron/gate_news", line 284, in ?
     main()
   File "/Applications/mailman/cron/gate_news", line 264, in main
     process_lists(lock)
   File "/Applications/mailman/cron/gate_news", line 199, in  
process_lists
     mlist = MailList.MailList(listname, lock=0)
   File "/usr/local/mailman/Mailman/MailList.py", line 128, in __init__
     self.Load()
   File "/usr/local/mailman/Mailman/MailList.py", line 593, in Load
     dict, e = self.__load(file)
   File "/usr/local/mailman/Mailman/MailList.py", line 559, in __load
     fp = open(dbfile)
IOError: [Errno 13] Permission denied:  
'/usr/local/mailman/lists/mailman/config.pck'

I've also received similar emails (permission errors) that involve
gate_news, and aliases.  I've changed permissions by hand (chmod), and
I've modified Defaults.py so that all mentions of NNTP are commented
out, but this approach is just guesswork on my part.  I know that
postfix is very sensitive to permissions, and I also know (from
experience, now) that check_perms -f isn't thorough, because if it
were I wouldn't be having these problems.  (FWIW, postfix check
doesn't suggest to me any errors, either.)

Meanwhile, my system.log still has entries that look like

Apr 25 14:35:00 pyrite CRON[7432]: (root) CMD (/usr/libexec/atrun)
Apr 25 14:35:00 pyrite CRON[7433]: (mailman) CMD (/usr/bin/python -S  
/Applications/mailman/cron/gate_news)
Apr 25 14:35:00 pyrite CRON[7434]: (millerj) CMD (/usr/bin/python -S  
/Applications/mailman/cron/gate_news)
Apr 25 14:35:00 pyrite CRON[7435]: (root) CMD (/usr/bin/python -S  
/Applications/mailman/cron/gate_news)

even though I don't have a News<->Mailman gateway configured. In fact,
I've tried to make sure that mailman understand I do not want such a
gateway, but I guess I've not been successful.

I feel like fixing the IOError that's announced by the emails I've
been getting will be a major step in the right direction for me.  If
anyone can help me do that, or point out any other stupid errors I've
made, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

Jason



================================================================
Jason E. Miller, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Truman State University
Kirksville, MO
http://pyrite.truman.edu/~millerj/
660.785.7430