Mail Administration
This section describes how to use Mail Administration module.
If a server is configured to provide mail services, it becomes a mail server (a mail gateway between clients on the LAN and the Internet) and a mail host (incoming mail to users is available in the directory /var/mail). The Netra server runs both IMAP4 and POP3 daemons.
Note -
The server can be a mailhost / mail server without being configured as such from Netra j. In that case, the module says "Netra mail services are inactive." It says that about any configuration except one created by Netra i 3.2 or Netra j 2.0 or 2.0.1.
You can use Netra j to set the following aspects of the mail server configuration.
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The directory where the users' mailboxes are kept
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Whether this is shared (can be mounted on to other computers)
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The format of the return address on outgoing mail
The choices made when activating the mail services can be changed at a later time. If the Mail Administration page is loaded when Netra mail services are active, the following links: "Modify the mail services" and "Disable the Netra mail services configuration" are displayed. The first link shows the same form as for the initial configuration, while the latter link restores the mail services to the state they were in before Netra mail services were activated.
Mail Directories
The first choice concerns where users' incoming mail is kept. To users, the mailboxes appear to be in the directory /var/mail, but if space on the relevant disk partition is limited, you may prefer for /var/mail to be a link to another directory. Earlier versions of Netra (Netra j 1.0 or Netra i 3.1) linked /var/mail to /export/mail. The form shows whether /var/mail is currently linked to another directory, and gives the option of either keeping the mail in /var/mail or to link it.
If the location of the mailboxes changes, the mailboxes are moved to the new location from the current mail directory unless the /var/mail directory was mounted onto the Netra server from another server. In the latter case, the remote directory is unmounted without moving the mailboxes.
Directory Sharing
The second choice concerns whether the mailbox directory should be shared so that it can be mounted onto other computers. If the directory is to be shared, other computers can mount the Netra server's /var/mail directory so that it appears to be part of their own file system. (The directory /var/mail can be mounted as such even if it is actually linked to another directory.)
Mail Return Address Path Format
The third choice determines the format of the return address on outgoing mail, which can be either user@host.domain or user@domain. For example, suppose the Netra server's host name is stimpy and that stimpy resides in the domain cartoon.net. With the user@host.domain format, mail from the user setup goes out as from the sender setup@stimpy.cartoon.net, while with the user@domain format it is setup@cartoon.net.
The return address is used when people reply to messages sent out by the Netra server. For mail using the user@domain format to find its way back, the DNS server needs to know what server(s) deal with mail on the domain. This is accomplished by adding an MX record to the DNS database. If the Netra server is acting as the primary domain name server for the domain in which the server resides, this can be done through the Name Services module (See "Name Service Administration "). With reference to the example above, you would modify the domain cartoon.net by making an entry in the Mail Addresses/Preferences/Mail Servers box; in this case the mail address would be cartoon.net, the preference can be 5, and the mail server stimpy.cartoon.net.
To Configure a Server to Provide Mail Services
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From the Main Administration page, under "Network Service Administration," click Mail, then click Configure this server as mailhost and a mailserver.
The Configure Mail Services Administration page is displayed.
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Complete the form using the information in the following table.
Table 3-2 Mail AdministrationOption
Description
Store Mail in /var/mail
Store mail in /var/mail directory
Link /var/mail to directory
Link /var/mail to the directory specified in the textbox and store the mail in that directory.
Do you want the mail directory to be shared?
Determine whether other computers can mount the mailbox directory. Select yes or no.
Mail return address path format is: user@host.domain
The return address on mail includes the host name of the Netra server.
Mail return address path format is: user@domain
The return address on mail does not include the host name of the Netra server. For the mail format of user@domain to be used, the DNS primary server must have a mail exchanger record (MX record) for the Netra server in its database.
To Modify Mail Services
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From the Main Administration page, under "Network Service Administration," click Mail, then click Modify the mail services.
The Modify Mail Services Administration page is displayed.
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Complete the form using the information in Table 3-2.
To Disable Netra Mail Services
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From the Main Administration page, under "Network Service Administration," click Mail, then click Unconfigure the mail services configuration.
The Unconfigure Mail Services Administration page is displayed.
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Click OK to confirm the operation.
This restores the mail configuration to what it was before being configured by Netra j.
Mail Alias Administration
The Netra Mail Administration module enables you to add and modify aliases that mail a copy of a message sent to the name to one or more users. Typically, such aliases are used to distribute messages to an interest group or to redirect a single users' mail, either because their mail should go to another server, or because they receive mail under an alternate name. Mail aliases that map names to a group of recipients are called as mailing lists, while mail aliases that map a name to a single user are called alias names.
In addition to creating new aliases, the mail administration module also allows you to modify two important system aliases: root and postmaster. These are standard names that people use for convenience: if you do not know who is in charge of a system, you use root to reach the systems administrator, and postmaster to reach the person who administers mail. Note that although root is a valid user, mail to root should always be redirected to a regular user (previous versions of the Netra software had a special form to administer the system administrator alias).
Mailing Lists
An example of how you might use a mailing list is to send messages to members of a volleyball team. You could create an alias with the name "vball" that has the email addresses of all the team members as the recipients. This way, mail sent to "vball" reaches the whole team without the sender needing to know the members' individual addresses (or even exactly who is on the team at any given point). When a member leaves or a new member joins, you update the alias.
Alias Names
Alias names redirect mail to single users. For instance, the user Tom Jones with user name "tom" may want to receive mail as "tjones". In this case, you would add an alias with the name "tjones" and the single recipient "tom." If John Smith, with user name "john," has left and wants to receive mail at his new address of jsmith at "otherdomain," add an alias that maps "john" to "jsmith@otherdomain."
To Modify the System and Mail Administrator Aliases
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From the Main Administration page, under "Network Service Administration," click Mail.
The Mail Administration page is displayed.
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Click Modify either System Administrator alias or Mail Administrator alias.
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Enter the mail addresses of the alias members (see the following table).
Table 3-3 System Administrator Alias AdministrationOption
Description
Alias Members
A list of people, one per line, who receive mail sent to root or postmaster. Each line must be a valid email address.
Note -If the Netra software has been installed onto a server that mounts /var/mail from a remote server, mail is handled by the remote server. This situation requires that the members of the administrator aliases are valid mail addresses on the remote server.
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Click OK.
Configuring Aliases
To Create a Mail Alias
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From the Main Administration page, under "Network Service Administration," click Mail, then click Add a mail alias.
The Add A Mail Alias page is displayed.
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Type the information in the form using the following table.
Table 3-4 Information for Mail Alias AdministrationOption
Description
Alias Name
The name of the mail alias. A copy of all mail sent to the alias is sent to each member of the alias. Alias names:
o Must be at least one character and no more than 20 characters
o Must begin with a letter, and can include letters, digits, hyphens, underscores, and periods
o Are case insensitive
o Must be unique
Alias Members
A list of people, one per line, who receive mail sent to the alias. Each line must be a valid email address.
There is a limit on the size of the entry made to the system (the entries together with comma separators must not exceed 1000 characters). Netra issues a warning if your alias exceeds this limit. You can use nested aliases to circumvent this restriction.
Note -You can use Netra to administer only aliases whose member list is other users specified in the alias file. You cannot administer aliases that send mail to programs or to files.
To Modify or Delete a Mail Alias
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From the Main Administration page, under "Network Service Administration," click Mail.
The Mail Administration page is displayed.
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Choose one of the following options:
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To modify an existing alias, click Modify for the required alias and make the changes in the form using Table 3-4.
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To delete an alias, select an alias, click Delete to remove the alias, and then confirm the operation.
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Mail Log File
Log files should be viewed and cleared periodically.
To View or Clear the Mail Log
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