post.office Documentation - Unix Contents

• Chapter 1 - E-Mail in a nutshell

  • 1.0 GENERAL E-MAIL BASICS
  • 1.1 IT STARTS AS A MESSAGE
    • 1.1.1 Evolution of the Electronic Message: E-mail is Born
    • 1.1.2 Message Headers
    • 1.1.3 The Body
      • MIME: Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extensions
    • 1.1.4 Electronic Envelopes
  • 1.2 THE USER AGENT (UA)
    • 1.2.1 Creating, Editing, Reading and Storing
    • 1.2.2 Sending and Receiving
  • 1.3 THE MESSAGE TRANSPORT AGENT
    • 1.3.1 How Message Transport Agents Fit in To an E-mail System
    • 1.3.2 Sorting and Forwarding
    • 1.3.3 Forwarding a Message to an MTA
    • 1.3.4 Delivering A Message to a User Agent
    • 1.3.5 MTA's And addresses
  • 1.4 ADDRESSING PROTOCOLS
    • 1.4.1 The Domain Name System (DNS)
    • 1.4.2 Multiple Address
    • 1.4.3 Other Types of Addressing
  • 1.5 PROTOCOL PROLIFERATION
  • 1.6 THE POSTMASTER
  • 1.7 DIRECTORY SERVICES
    • 1.7.1 Finger Service
    • 1.7.2 X.500 Directory Service

• Chapter 2 - E-mail with post.office

  • 2.0 E-MAIL WITH POST.OFFICE
  • 2.1 FEATURES OF POST.OFFICE
    • Mail Accounts
    • Security
    • Multiple Protocols
    • Remote Configuration & Management
    • Wide Area Network Design
    • Operating System Independence
    • Auto-reply Utility
    • Finger Query Server
    • sendmail Emulation
  • 2.2 POST.OFFICE ARCHITECTURE
    • The Dispatcher
    • The Message Transport Agent
    • post.office Managers
    • Account and Module configuration Databases
    • The Auto-Reply Utility
    • Finger Directory Service

• Chapter 3 - Unix Platform Installation

  • 3.A.0 SETTING UP YOUR E-MAIL NETWORK
  • 3.A.1 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING YOUR NETWORK
    • System Load
    • Addressing
    • User Access to E-mail
    • Connectivity
    • Firewall
  • 3.A.2 ADDRESSING
    • Account Addresses
    • Local Mail Domains
    • Channel Aliases
    • Mail Routing Table
    • MX Records
  • 3.A.3 EXAMPLE SETUPS
    • The Basic setup
    • Hostname Hiding
    • Behind a Firewall
    • Intermittently Connected Site
  • 3.B.0 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
  • 3.B.1 PRE-INSTALLATION PLANNING
    • 3.B.1.1 Establish What Mail System You Already Have
    • 3.B.1.2 Your DNS Domain
    • 3.B.1.3 Setup User and Group for post.office
    • 3.B.1.4 Locations of Programs and Working Directories
    • 3.B.1.5 Changes to Existing Files and Services
    • 3.B.1.6 The Role of the Postmaster
    • 3.B.1.7 Impact of Migration for Mail System Users
  • 3.B.2 INSTALLING POST.OFFICE
    • 3.B.2.1 The Installation Process
    • 3.B.2.2 postmaster and personal accounts
    • 3.B.2.3 Where to Go Now
  • 3.B.3 COMMON INSTALLATION MISHAPS
    • 3.B.3.1 Rerunning Install
    • 3.B.3.2 Changing the Postmaster Account
  • 3.B.4 DE-INSTALLATION
    • 3.B.4.1 Things To Check
    • 3.B.4.2 Removing post.office

• Chapter 4 - Concepts in postmaster operations

  • 4.0 IMPORTANT CONCEPTS IN POSTMASTER OPERATIONS
  • 4.1 OF POSTMASTERS AND FORMS
    • 4.1.1 The Postmaster
      • What the Postmaster Does
      • What the Postmaster Doesn't Have to Do
    • 4.1.2 Philosophy of Configuration and Maintenance by Forms
      • Who uses forms?
  • 4.2 ACCOUNTS, FORMS, AND ALIASES
    • 4.2.1 post.office Accounts
      • What Information is in an Account?
        • How Account Information is Used
      • Security Features of Accounts
        • Passwords
        • Access Domains
        • Finger-Access Domain
        • Access Domain Algorithms
    • 4.2.2 Using Forms
      • How to Request an E-mail Form
      • How to Request a Web Form
      • Rules for Forms
        • Fields
        • Mime Attachments in E-mail forms
      • Forms Security
      • Common Mishaps with Forms
    • 4.2.3 Alias Addresses, Alias Accounts, and Channel Aliases
      • Alias Addresses
      • Alias Accounts
      • Channel Alias Addresses

• Chapter 5 - The account form and other account forms

  • 5.0 THE ACCOUNT FORMS
  • 5.1 ACCOUNT ADMINISTRATION/ USING THE ACCOUNT FORMS
    • 5.1.1 Requesting an Account Form
    • 5.1.2 The Account Form
      • Field descriptions
      • General Account Information
      • E-mail Addressing Information
      • Local Delivery Information
      • Account Security Parameters
      • Automatic Reply Information
    • 5.1.3 Changing Account Information
      • Requesting an E-mail account form for an existing account
      • Requesting a web account form for an existing account
    • 5.1.4 Deleting an Account
    • 5.1.5 Alias Accounts
    • 5.1.6 Special Accounts
      • The Postmaster Account
      • The Default Account
      • Other Special Accounts
    • 5.1.7 User Forms
      • The Greeting Form
      • The Information Form
    • 5.1.8 The List Form
  • 5.2 CHANNEL ALIASES
    • 5.2.1 The SMTP Aliases Form
      • Deleting a channel alias

• Chapter 6 - Configuration forms and other operations

  • 6.0 FORMS
  • 6.1 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
    • How to get the System Configuration Forms
    • 6.1.1 The Messages Form
    • 6.1.2 The Security Form
      • What the security form looks like
      • What the security fields mean
      • Security options for configuration via the web
      • Security options for configuration via E-mail
    • 6.1.3 The System Form
      • What the system form looks like
      • The meaning of fields on the system form
    • 6.1.4 The SMTP Channel Form
      • What the SMTP channel form looks like
      • The SMTP channel form fields
      • SMTP Channel Postmaster Controllable Error Action Options
    • 6.1.5 The Queue Form
      • What the queue form looks like
      • How to process or expire the queue
  • 6.2 ERROR MESSAGES
    • 6.2.1 Notification Messages
    • 6.2.2 Action Messages
    • 6.2.3 Changing the Error Actions from Defaults
  • 6.3 COMMAND LINE AND PORT OPERATIONS
    • 6.3.1 The QSND command
    • 6.3.2 Command Line Operations (for UNIX Platform)
      • How to Start the System (UNIX Platform)
      • How to Shut Down the System (UNIX Platform)
      • Checking the Mail Queue (UNIX Platform)
      • Delivering Mail in the Queue (UNIX Platform)

• Chapter 7 - The auto-reply handler

  • 7.0 THE AUTO-REPLY HANDLER
    • Technically speaking
  • 7.1 VACATION
    • The Vacation message
    • Setting the Vacation Feature
  • 7.2 REPLY
    • The Reply Message
    • Setting the Reply Feature
  • 7.3 ECHO
    • The Echo Message
    • Setting the Echo Feature
  • 7.4 AUTO-REPLY FORMS
    • The Information Form
    • The Account Form
    • The Message Form

• Chapter 8 Unix - post.office security - Unix version

  • 8.0 POST.OFFICE SECURITY (UNIX PLATFORM)
  • 8.1 SYSTEM SECURITY
    • 8.1.1 Run-Time Permissions
    • 8.1.2 Directory & Program Owners
  • 8.2 MAIL ACCOUNT SECURITY
    • Account Information
    • 8.2.1 WWW Form Security
      • Initial connection.
      • Authentication Form
      • Access Token
    • 8.2.2 Forms
      • Account Determination
      • Access Domains
      • Passwords
      • Postmaster Account Password
      • Locked Accounts
    • 8.2.3 Delivery of E-Mail to users with accounts
      • POP3

• Appendix A - Standards Conformance

  • A.0 STANDARDS CONFORMANCE
  • A.1 STANDARDS
    • Mail Transport Protocols
    • Mail Access Protocols
    • Directory Services

• Appendix B - References / Bibliography

  • B.0 REFERENCES
    • General Internet
      • Entry-level
      • System Administration
    • Basic Protocols
      • The Domain Name System (DNS)
      • Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
    • Electronic Mail
      • General Internet Messaging
      • Sendmail
    • UNIX System Administration
    • Security and Firewalls

• Appendix C - post.office Software Architechture

  • C.0 POST.OFFICE SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE
  • C.1 THE DISPATCHER
  • C.2 ACCOUNT AND MODULE CONFIGURATION DATABASES
  • C.3 THE MESSAGE TRANSPORT AGENT
    • Message Channels
      • The Components of a Message Channel
      • The SMTP Channel
      • Switching Messages Between Channels
    • The Local Delivery Channel
      • POP3
      • UNIX Delivery
      • Program Delivery
      • The Local Delivery Channel In Summary
    • The MTA Handlers
      • The Account Handler
      • The Error Handler
  • C.4 POST.OFFICE MANAGERS
    • The Configuration Manager
    • The Account Manager
    • The WWW Server
  • C.5 THE AUTO-REPLY UTILITY
  • C.6 POST.OFFICE DIRECTORY SERVICE
  • C.7 THE WHOLE TAMALE

• Appendix D - Troubleshooting

  • THE POST.OFFICE FAQ
    • Getting a copy of the post.office FAQ
  • I. ERROR MESSAGES
  • II. ACCOUNTS
    • Changing the Postmaster Account
  • III. INCOMPLETE ADDRESSES

• Appendix E - Misc. (Chapter 2 of the End User's Guide)

  • 2.0 USER OPERATIONS
  • 2.1 THE POST.OFFICE ACCOUNT
  • 2.2 POST.OFFICE SECURITY
    • Your Account Password
    • Your Access Domain
    • Finger Access Domain
  • 2.3 USING POST.OFFICE FORMS
    • How to Request an E-mail Form
    • How to Request a Web Form
    • Rules for Forms
      • Fields
      • Mime Attachments
    • Common Mishaps with Forms
  • 2.4 POST.OFFICE FORMS
    • The Greeting Form
    • The Information Form
  • 2.5 TROUBLESHOOTING
    • I. Can't get your mail:
    • II. Need someone's E-mail address:
    • III. Confused, need help
    • IV. Want to learn more about E-mail

• Appendix F - Sendmail Compatibility

  • F.0 SENDMAIL COMPATIBILITY
  • F.1 SENDMAIL AND POST.OFFICE
    • Functional Compatibility
    • SMTP
    • Incoming
    • Outgoing
    • Aliases
    • Delivery to Programs
    • Delivery to Files
    • Mailing Lists
    • Command Line Compatibility
    • Sending Mail with the sendmail Replacement
    • Starting post.office with sendmail
    • Checking the Mail Queue
    • Other Modes
  • F.2 REFERENCE: COMMAND-LINE SWITCHES AND OPTIONS
    • Alternate Names for sendmail
    • Command-Line Switches
    • sendmail Options

• Appendix G - Delivering Mail to Programs

  • G.0 DELIVERING MAIL TO PROGRAMS (PROGRAM DELIVERY
  • G.1 WHY DELIVER MAIL TO A PROGRAM?
    • Mail Sorting
    • E-Mail File Server
  • G.2 SECURITY
    • G.2.1 DEFINITIONS
      • setuid-root
      • Controlling User
      • Restricted Environment
      • Trusted Program
      • Trusted Program Directory
      • Valid Shell
    • G.2.2 OPERATING MODES
      • Untrusted Mode
      • Trusted Mode
  • G.3 CONFIGURING POST.OFFICE FOR PROGRAM DELIVERIES
    • G.3.1 Enabling the Program Delivery Module
      • Removing the NO-PROGRAM-DELIVERIES File
      • Enabling the Setuid Permission Bit
    • G.3.2 Set up the Trusted Program Directory
    • G.3.3 Set Up the List of Valid Shells
    • G.3.4 How to Disable
  • G.4 CONFIGURING ACCOUNTS
  • G.5 SETTING UP PROGRAM DELIVERIES AS A USER

• Glossary