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List:       majordomo-users
Subject:    Re: The -h argument to resend?
From:       ec () strange ! pms ! ford ! com (Iain O'Cain)
Date:       1993-09-30 14:19:32
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Brent Chapman wrote:
> ec@strange.pms.ford.com (Iain O'Cain) writes:
> 
> # I'm trying to use the "-h" flag on resend to change the hostname
> # Majordomo's messages come from.  This seems only to change the "Sender:"
> # header on the messages, rather than the "From:" line.  Is that what I'm
> # stuck with, or would it be possible to get resend to behave differently
> # with a change or two?
> 
> "resend" doesn't rewrite the "From:" line.  You really don't want it
> to; you want "From:" to reflect the email address of the person who
> originally submitted the message.  If I hacked on "From:" for the
> Majordomo-Users mailing list, for instance, your messages to
> Majordomo-Users might end up looking like they were from
> "ec@GreatCircle.COM", and that wouldn't be right.

And Alan Millar wrote:
> And verily didst Iain O'Cain spake of these matters:
>  
> > I'm trying to use the "-h" flag on resend to change the hostname
 [ . . . ]
> 
> The -h flag changes the Sender: address, which essentially defines
> where any errors will be sent back to.  This is quite different
> than actually changing the From: address, which should still represent
> the originator of the message.
> 
> Since we're talking about the "resend" program and not Majordomo
> itself, you're saying you want to change the From: address on every 
> message to a list and not just administrative messages from Majordomo.
> 
> Why do you [think you] need to do this?  Explain the requirements/
> external constraints a little more.

Okay, I'll do that, since I'm a bit less certain of what's going on
after reading these two messages.

I really just want to use majordomo as intended, and I've got it set up
and working fine for Unix users here.  There's a snag when I try to
include users who are getting their mail on our IBM mainframes, though.
The gateway that's supposed to pass the mail between SMTP and PROFS
isn't what you'd call robust.

Theoretically, any user sending mail to this list should be registered
with the gateway; the gateway will allow messages from registered users
through.  Given that and a majordomo that "doesn't rewrite the 'From:'
line," I'd expect list messages to just work.  They don't.  It looks to
me like all messages through majordomo show up as "From:
Listname-Owner@strange.pms.ford.com" instead.

So . . . I wanted to save myself having to register each new list with
the gateway; I set about trying to configure majordomo to make all
messages show up as being from "majordomo@www.pms.ford.com" . . . right,
that's a different hostname, but no (doch), it is the same machine.  The
www name is associated with services on this machine, while the strange
name is associated with me.  It's preferable to have majordomo show up
as being on www in case I get my own machine.

I'm still interested to know why messages from my majordomo were "From:
Listname-Owner" when Brent and Alan insisted they should be from the
message originator.  I've worked around the issue, though, and gotten
all messages to come from majordomo@strange by just putting "-f
Majordomo" on the wrapper line in my aliases file.  Could it be that
Smail treats this differently than Sendmail?

Thanks again for all the help and clarification!

- Iain
-- 
Iain O'Cain, TS&UR (WSD (P&MS (CPD (NAO (Ford Motor Company)))));
+1(313)594-1769, FAX 390-4565, ec@strange.pms.ford.com
 >>> I do not speak for Ford Motor Company <<<

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