Re: [Mailman-Users] cannot add user or create mailing list
Please advise if preferred policy on this list is reply to all or reply to list, and excuse if I did wrong. On Tue, 29 Mar 2011, Mark Sapiro wrote: Lucio Chiappetti wrote: Recently I decided to make an experiment, so I installed mailman 2.1.11 via the suse 11.3 distribution on my machine. When you install a downstream packaged Mailman, it is best to refer first to any documentation the packager provides. yes thanks, that will be file /usr/share/doc/packages/mailman/README.SuSE (somewhat hidden and unannounced, but it is there) APACHE_SERVER_FLAGS in /etc/sysconfig/apache2, but I have no documentation for it, and it seems that the site can be accessed ok (QUESTION 1) Any Suse user can confirm this is unnecessary ? De facto I found out that this flag is documented in README.SuSE. A command a2enflag (NOT applied during yast installation) applies all necessary changes to apache .conf files. They are equivalent to what I did, but simpler to use. So I reset things and did it, and will recommend that for our final installation. -- question 1 solved -- Concerning sendmail, I followed the method 2 (WITHOUT mm_handler) So all this seems to be working. yes. After I posted to mailman-users I also verified that creation of another list, adding members, removing members or lists via the linemode commands in mailman/bin also do work problems below appl(ied) only to the web interface (QUESTION 2) I hope the fact I always use the same test password is not a problem unless you have ALLOW_SITE_ADMIN_COOKIES = Yes in mm_cfg.py, this probably doesn't matter. thanks -- At this point I entered the admin web page of such a list [...] If I try to subscribe via the mailman/listinfo/mailman page, I get instead an error you must supply a valid e-mail address (QUESTION 3) Why does that happen ? see also question 4 -- (QUESTION 4) I tried also to create a new mailing list via the web interface (this requires supplying the site password as well) this gives me instead an error Unknown virtual host: sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it You are accessing the create CGI via a URL with host sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it, but the only host known to Mailman is poseidon.lambrate.inaf.it. I have read the FAQ entries. I changed mm_cfg.py first from DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST = 'poseidon.lambrate.inaf.it' DEFAULT_URL_HOST = 'poseidon.lambrate.inaf.it' to DEFAULT_URL_HOST = 'sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it' DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST = 'lambrate.inaf.it' and ran bin/withlist -l -a -r fix_url and finally to DEFAULT_URL_HOST = 'sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it' DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST = 'poseidon.lambrate.inaf.it' and did the same. The first case (sax/lambrate) is similar to what we wish on the target system (a web server name, and the domain name as mail host) The second case (sax/poseidon) is necessary in the test arrangement to create valid e-mail addresses. Both *mostly* work (if I use a list@poseidon type address for posting) in the sense that the web interface works (so URL_HOST is what solves questions 3 and 4. I still have some problems when subscribing a new user, and concerning message archiving. I will post a separate request for clarity. (QUESTION 5) The arrangement on the target system will be more complicated. because our aliases are mantained on the NIS master server. The master and slave servers are also the domain main and backup MX. However the web server is on a third machine. A configuration like the one I use on my test machine (local sendmail aliases inherited from local mailman aliases, which pipe into local mailman executables) is likely to work there ... ... but we'd have to expose somehow this machine name in the e-mail address (we currently mask all behind the domain) or replicate all mailman aliases in the NIS maps as x: x@mailmanhost but I do understand we cannot use a CNAME for mailmanhost ? -- Lucio Chiappetti - INAF/IASF - via Bassini 15 - I-20133 Milano (Italy) L'Italia ripudia la guerra [...] Italy repudiates war [...] come mezzo di risoluzione delle as a way of resolution of controversie internazionali ? international controversies ? [Art. 11 Constitution of the Italian Republic] For more info : http://www.iasf-milano.inaf.it/~lucio/personal.html -- Mailman-Users mailing list Mailman-Users@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/mailman-users Mailman FAQ: http://wiki.list.org/x/AgA3 Security Policy: http://wiki.list.org/x/QIA9 Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/mailman-users%40python.org/
Re: [Mailman-Users] cannot add user or create mailing list
Lucio Chiappetti wrote: Please advise if preferred policy on this list is reply to all or reply to list, and excuse if I did wrong. There is no policy per se. I prefer reply to all, and it seems to me, although I haven't actually counted in any rigorous way, that most long time members of this list do too. My reasons for preferring reply to all are: 1) Tt keeps digest subscribers who post up to date on replies to their posts and can facilitate their replying to replies. 2) Although the list policy is that posting is restricted to list members, non-member posts are sometimes accepted, and reply to all includes the non-member poster. 3) It is not a burden for most list members as they have set their duplicate avoidance appropriately for their preference. On Tue, 29 Mar 2011, Mark Sapiro wrote: Lucio Chiappetti wrote: [...] (QUESTION 5) The arrangement on the target system will be more complicated. because our aliases are mantained on the NIS master server. The master and slave servers are also the domain main and backup MX. However the web server is on a third machine. A configuration like the one I use on my test machine (local sendmail aliases inherited from local mailman aliases, which pipe into local mailman executables) is likely to work there ... ... but we'd have to expose somehow this machine name in the e-mail address (we currently mask all behind the domain) or replicate all mailman aliases in the NIS maps as x: x@mailmanhost but I do understand we cannot use a CNAME for mailmanhost ? There is no Mailman restriction per se, but there is an email standard (RFC 1123, STD 3) that is clear that the names in MX records must have A records, not CNAME. See the FAQ at http://wiki.list.org/x/uYA9 for some of the consequences. I don't think I actually understand the configuration or what the problem is. Ultimately, mail to a list must be delivered to the Mailman machine, but I don't understand why the existing MXs can't relay it there or can they? -- Mark Sapiro m...@msapiro.netThe highway is for gamblers, San Francisco Bay Area, Californiabetter use your sense - B. Dylan -- Mailman-Users mailing list Mailman-Users@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/mailman-users Mailman FAQ: http://wiki.list.org/x/AgA3 Security Policy: http://wiki.list.org/x/QIA9 Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/mailman-users%40python.org/ Unsubscribe: http://mail.python.org/mailman/options/mailman-users/archive%40jab.org
Re: [Mailman-Users] cannot add user or create mailing list
Lucio Chiappetti wrote: Recently I decided to make an experiment, so I installed mailman 2.1.11 via the suse 11.3 distribution on my machine. I read carefully the PDF GNU Mailman Installation Manual release 2.1 by Barry Warsaw, and other stuff on the wiki, including those concerning sendmail (we are a sendmail site). When you install a downstream packaged Mailman, it is best to refer first to any documentation the packager provides. The installation manual may be largely relevant, but there may be conflicts due to packager changes. I say experiment since I am testing it on my personal machine, although the target system will be one of the institute servers (in process of being upgraded). I thought to gain experience first in a simpler arrangement. -- I followed the manual except that at step 6 (6.3) I followed http://wiki.list.org/display/DOC/Integrating+Mailman+with+Sendmail+-+Method+2 and related links. The suse installation via yast2 installs mailman partly in /usr/lib/mailman, partly in /var/lib/mailman/ (and also /usr/share/man/man8 and /usr/share/doc/packages/mailman/), it also creates the user and group. It does not provide any automatic configuration for apache, so I did it manually (I actually like this better). I had to place in default-server.conf also this block Directory /usr/lib/mailman/cgi-bin AllowOverride None Options +ExecCGI -Includes Order allow,deny Allow from all /Directory in order to be able to execute the CGIs. I note that the startup script /etc/init.d/mailman gives a message Starting mailman (Warning: the Apache2 webinterface for Mailman has not been activated!) which seems to imply a flag missing in line APACHE_SERVER_FLAGS in /etc/sysconfig/apache2, but I have no documentation for it, and it seems that the site can be accessed ok (QUESTION 1) Any Suse user can confirm this is unnecessary ? I'm not a Suse user, but see http://mail.python.org/pipermail/mailman-users/2011-March/071310.html. -- Concerning sendmail, I followed the method 2 (WITHOUT mm_handler) because it seems to apply better to our institute arrangements. So I have a sudo wrapper script with the two lines /bin/cp /var/lib/mailman/data/aliases /etc/mail/mailman.aliases /usr/bin/newaliases a sendmail.cf with O AliasFile=/etc/mail/aliases,/etc/mail/mailman.aliases and the fake arrangement in mm_cfg.py MTA='Postfix' POSTFIX_ALIAS_CMD = '/usr/bin/sudo /usr/sbin/mailman.aliases' POSTFIX_STYLE_VIRTUAL_DOMAINS = [] I have verified the command /usr/lib/mailman/bin/genaliases works and touches the right files. I have also run /usr/lib/mailman/bin/newlist mailman to create the top list and it works (it said to have sent a mail, but actually it was just queued, and it was sent as soon as I started the qrunner from /etc/init.d So all this seems to be working. I set my own e-mail as list owner, and set a password (incidentally the same test password used by /usr/lib/mailman/bin/mmsitepass) (QUESTION 2) I hope the fact I always use the same test password is not a problem It's not a problem for Mailman, but it is possible that in some cases if say the list admin and site passwords are the same, your authentication context will be that of the list admin rather than the site admin, but unless you have ALLOW_SITE_ADMIN_COOKIES = Yes in mm_cfg.py, this probably doesn't matter. -- At this point I entered the admin web page of such a list (for which I received the Your new mailing list message). It seems I can browse it OK. Then I wanted to subscribe myself to the list. If I do it via the Membership Management - Mass Subscription, and I enter my e-mail address in the form, I get no errors but nothing happens. If I try to subscribe via the mailman/listinfo/mailman page, I get instead an error you must supply a valid e-mail address (QUESTION 3) Why does that happen ? see also question 4 See the FAQ at http://wiki.list.org/x/ioA9. That may help. Usually this occurs because of some http redirect that loses the POST data from the form. -- I tried also to create a new mailing list via the web interface (this requires supplying the site password as well) this gives me instead an error Unknown virtual host: sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it You are accessing the create CGI via a URL with host sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it, but the only host known to Mailman is poseidon.lambrate.inaf.it. (QUESTION 4) This may have to do with our institute standard arrangement, and will apply also to the real arrangement on our target server. Unfortunately I cannot find the documentation for the keywords in mm_cfg.py so I am not sure what shall be tuned. This is the content of mm_cfg.py. The first 9-10 lines were added automatically by the suse yast installation, the rest was edited/added by me to suite our apache config and the sendmail method 2
[Mailman-Users] cannot add user or create mailing list
Although I have a few years of experience as a list administrator of lists hosted on other sites, so far I never managed a mailman server on my own. In our institute we manage small list via /etc/aliases :include:s Recently I decided to make an experiment, so I installed mailman 2.1.11 via the suse 11.3 distribution on my machine. I read carefully the PDF GNU Mailman Installation Manual release 2.1 by Barry Warsaw, and other stuff on the wiki, including those concerning sendmail (we are a sendmail site). I say experiment since I am testing it on my personal machine, although the target system will be one of the institute servers (in process of being upgraded). I thought to gain experience first in a simpler arrangement. -- I followed the manual except that at step 6 (6.3) I followed http://wiki.list.org/display/DOC/Integrating+Mailman+with+Sendmail+-+Method+2 and related links. The suse installation via yast2 installs mailman partly in /usr/lib/mailman, partly in /var/lib/mailman/ (and also /usr/share/man/man8 and /usr/share/doc/packages/mailman/), it also creates the user and group. It does not provide any automatic configuration for apache, so I did it manually (I actually like this better). I had to place in default-server.conf also this block Directory /usr/lib/mailman/cgi-bin AllowOverride None Options +ExecCGI -Includes Order allow,deny Allow from all /Directory in order to be able to execute the CGIs. I note that the startup script /etc/init.d/mailman gives a message Starting mailman (Warning: the Apache2 webinterface for Mailman has not been activated!) which seems to imply a flag missing in line APACHE_SERVER_FLAGS in /etc/sysconfig/apache2, but I have no documentation for it, and it seems that the site can be accessed ok (QUESTION 1) Any Suse user can confirm this is unnecessary ? -- Concerning sendmail, I followed the method 2 (WITHOUT mm_handler) because it seems to apply better to our institute arrangements. So I have a sudo wrapper script with the two lines /bin/cp /var/lib/mailman/data/aliases /etc/mail/mailman.aliases /usr/bin/newaliases a sendmail.cf with O AliasFile=/etc/mail/aliases,/etc/mail/mailman.aliases and the fake arrangement in mm_cfg.py MTA='Postfix' POSTFIX_ALIAS_CMD = '/usr/bin/sudo /usr/sbin/mailman.aliases' POSTFIX_STYLE_VIRTUAL_DOMAINS = [] I have verified the command /usr/lib/mailman/bin/genaliases works and touches the right files. I have also run /usr/lib/mailman/bin/newlist mailman to create the top list and it works (it said to have sent a mail, but actually it was just queued, and it was sent as soon as I started the qrunner from /etc/init.d I set my own e-mail as list owner, and set a password (incidentally the same test password used by /usr/lib/mailman/bin/mmsitepass) (QUESTION 2) I hope the fact I always use the same test password is not a problem -- At this point I entered the admin web page of such a list (for which I received the Your new mailing list message). It seems I can browse it OK. Then I wanted to subscribe myself to the list. If I do it via the Membership Management - Mass Subscription, and I enter my e-mail address in the form, I get no errors but nothing happens. If I try to subscribe via the mailman/listinfo/mailman page, I get instead an error you must supply a valid e-mail address (QUESTION 3) Why does that happen ? see also question 4 -- I tried also to create a new mailing list via the web interface (this requires supplying the site password as well) this gives me instead an error Unknown virtual host: sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it (QUESTION 4) This may have to do with our institute standard arrangement, and will apply also to the real arrangement on our target server. Unfortunately I cannot find the documentation for the keywords in mm_cfg.py so I am not sure what shall be tuned. This is the content of mm_cfg.py. The first 9-10 lines were added automatically by the suse yast installation, the rest was edited/added by me to suite our apache config and the sendmail method 2 DEFAULT_URL_PATTERN = 'http://%s/mailman/' DEFAULT_NNTP_HOST = 'poseidon.lambrate.inaf.it' DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST = 'poseidon.lambrate.inaf.it' DEFAULT_URL_HOST = 'poseidon.lambrate.inaf.it' MTA = 'Postfix' DELIVERY_MODULE = 'SMTPDirect' SMTPHOST = 'localhost' SMTPPORT = '25' add_virtualhost(DEFAULT_URL_HOST, DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST) #IMAGE_LOGOS = '/mailmanicons/' IMAGE_LOGOS = '/icons/' # changed lines above manually # inserted this stuff for sendmail POSTFIX_ALIAS_CMD = '/usr/bin/sudo /usr/sbin/mailman.aliases' I have to explain our configuration: - we have two domains. lambrate.inaf.it is the one where all A and PTR records are, and also a number of CNAMEs for various services. iasf-milano.inaf.it is a more formal domain alias, which contains just CNAMEs for the main
