Topic: Sorting multidrop mail

[Kelvin]

Hi All,

I have a SME server collecting mail for a particular domain using multidrop. The problem I currently have is that some of the mail keeps going the the Admin account because SME cannot identify who the receipient should be. Most of the time, the mails are from some subscribed mailing list which somehow obscures the intended receipient. I've read through Stephen Noble's procmail add-on howto but here's the problem.

Stephen's Howto make specific mention of how mailing lists hides the receipient and suggests we sort on the subject to forward to the correct user / group. This won't work for a number of lists because the subject changes with every mail out. As for forwarding to the correct user / group, if there was only ever one or two people subscribed to a particular mailing list this should be OK (we could probably also tolerate minor duplication). But in an environment with multiple staff members subscribed to the same mailling list (and multiple lists) this can become a nightmare. Groups will only help to an extent but you can only create 28 groups from memory, which will not be sufficient in the long run.

My questions :-
1. Does this problem only affect multidrop mail ?
2. If we set it up so that the MX records of the domain point to the SME server's IP address (thereby making the SME server fully responsible for this domain's mail instead of the ISP), will this solve the problem ?

Any and all help appreciated.

Kelvin

[stephen noble]

>Stephen's Howto make specific mention of how mailing lists hides the receipient and suggests we sort on the subject to forward to the correct user / group. This won't work for a number of lists because the subject changes with every mail out.

Kelvin,
yes i found the old way inadequate
the latest procmail rpm adds support to filter by *any* header
eg X-From_: mail@twoman.org

two recipients on the one mailing list can be handled by using using the copy to:
but it does get messy after that

the problem is caused by multidrop

regards
stephen noble
dungog.net/sme

[Kelvin]

Thanks for the reply Stephen.

So, I take it then that my assumption that having SME directly handle all mail will solve this problem is correct ?

Kelvin

[Bobby]

Kelvin:
I had the same problem, letting e-smith be the mail server is the way to go.
Bobby

[Mark_P]

I too had problems with the multidrop not delivering mailing list mail correctly. But as suggested in other threads I requested my ISP add an "X-Delivered-To" header to each message, made the relevant change to the E-smith Admin mail settings and bingo all mail started going to the right holes and not defaulting to admin.
Letting E-smith be the mail server is all well and good (not to mention preferable) if you have a permanent connection, otherwise it is not practical.

Cheers

Mark

[Ed Form]

Mark_P wrote:
>
> I too had problems with the multidrop not delivering mailing
> list mail correctly. But as suggested in other threads I
> requested my ISP add an "X-Delivered-To" header to each
> message, made the relevant change to the E-smith Admin mail
> settings and bingo all mail started going to the right holes
> and not defaulting to admin.
> Letting E-smith be the mail server is all well and good (not
> to mention preferable) if you have a permanent connection,
> otherwise it is not practical.

I spoke to my ISP about this procedure and they didn't know what it was. Would this extra header be known by another name in Exim, which is the software they use?

Ed Form