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| -rw-r--r-- | INSTALL | 115 |
1 files changed, 109 insertions, 6 deletions
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ Mailman - a mailing list management system -Copyright (C) 1998 by the Free Software Foundation, Inc. +Copyright (C) 1998 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA This file contains installation instructions. Mailman is now @@ -54,9 +54,15 @@ and install the Mailman software. - Create an installation directory (called $prefix in the documentation that follows). All of the Mailman files will be - installed under $prefix. Make sure this directory is set to - group `mailman' and has the group sticky bit set. For example, - these shell commands will accomplish this: + installed under $prefix. + + Note that if you've added a mailman user, and plan to install to + the default location (/home/mailman), that directory may have + already been made for you. + + Make sure this directory is set to group `mailman' and has the + group sticky bit set. For example, these shell commands will + accomplish this: % cd $prefix % chgrp mailman . @@ -68,7 +74,8 @@ and install the Mailman software. You do not need to be root to perform the steps in the section. Do them under your own login, or whatever account you typically - install software as. + install software as. However, make sure that you have write + permissions to the directory you'll be installing into. - If you've installed other GNU software, you should be familar with the configure script. Usually you can just cd to the @@ -120,6 +127,15 @@ and install the Mailman software. $MAIL_GID The gid to use in the CGI wrapper (default is the gid for the group `mail') + For example, to set $MAIL_GID to 20 instead of the default, + users of csh or tcsh should type: + + % setenv MAIL_GID 20 + + Users of bash, ksh and similar shells should type: + + % export MAIL_GID=20 + For $CGI_UID and $CGI_GID, consult your Web server's documentation. This uid and gid should match the user and group that the Web server will execute CGI scripts as. @@ -166,6 +182,23 @@ and install the Mailman software. % cd $prefix/cron % crontab crontab.in + - Add aliases for mailman and owner-mailman to the system's mail + alias database. These aliases should point to whoever is ultimately + responsible for the Mailman installation. Here are instructions + for those running sendmail: + + 1. su to root. + 2. Assuming your email is fred@flintstone.com, add the following + lines to the file /etc/aliases: + + mailman: fred@flintstone.com + mailman-owner: mailman + + 3. Run the program 'newaliases'. + + If you don't run sendmail, consult the documentation of your mail + transport program for information on adding these aliases. + 4. Customize Mailman You should do these steps using the account you installed Mailman @@ -198,5 +231,75 @@ and install the Mailman software. <http://starship.skyport.net/crew/amk/maintained/pipermail.html> - Future release of Mailman will probably come bundled with + Future releases of Mailman will probably come bundled with Pipermail. + +5. Getting started + + - Create a list named test. To do so, run the program + $prefix/bin/newlist. You will be prompted for the name of the list, + as well as the email address of the person running the list. Put + your own email address as the list administrator's address. + + - Running newlist will generate a list of aliases that must be added + to the system. If you are running Sendmail, you may add the lines + output directly to the file /etc/aliases. You must then run the + command 'newaliases' (all as root). Now the mailing address for + your list as well as its administrative addresses will be set up. + If you are not running Sendmail, consult your MUA's documentation + for information on adding aliases. + + - You will receive email instructions on how to visit the list you + just created. Using these instructions, subscribe to the mailing + list. Once you have subscribed (which requires a confirmation step!), + send a message to the list, and see if you get it. If so, then you + have successfully installed Mailman, and set up your first list! + + +6. Troubleshooting + + If you encounter problems with running Mailman, first check the + "Common Problems" section, below. If your problem is not covered there, + then check for a log entry from Mailman in your syslog. Where syslog lives + on your particular machine may vary. It may be in /var/log/maillog. + It may also be in /var/log/syslog. On many machines, syslog files live + in /adm/log/ instead of /var/log. Then, send an error report to + mailman-users@python.org. Include a description of what you're doing + to cause the problem, and the relevant lines from your syslog. + Also include information on your operating system and version of Python. + +7. Common Problems + + Problem: All Mailman web pages give a 404 File not found error. + + Solution: Your web server has not been set up properly for handling + Mailman's cgi commands. Make sure you've: + + 1) Configured the web server to give permissions to + $prefix/cgi-bin + 2) Restarted the web server properly. + + Consult your web server's documentation for instructions + on how to do these things. + + + Problem: All Mailman web pages give an "Internal Server Error". + + Solution: The likely problem is that you are using the wrong GID or + UID for CGI scripts. Check your syslog. If you see, for + example, a line like: + + Attempt to exec script with invalid gid 51, expected 99 + + You need to reinstall Mailman, and specify $CGI_GID to be 51, + as described in the installation instructions. + + + Problem: I send mail to the list, and get back mail saying the + list is not found! + + Solution: You probably didn't add the necessary aliases to the system + alias database, given to you when you ran the newlist command. + If you did add them, you likely did not update the alias + database. Refer to section 5 above for more information. + |