procmail
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Re: The *How* and the *Why*

2000-09-05 13:18:14
At 08:36 2000-09-05 -0700, Ben Ocean wrote:
I'm an admitted newbie to all of this. I'm looking at the script and trying to figure out how it interacts with the UNIX shell (of which I know precious

It interacts with the shell only when you call shell programs. Otherwise, the entire procmail script is interpreted by procmail - not the shell.

little). My problem is trying to understand how I can set up procmail for *one* of my clients (virtually hosted).

Assuming that you don't actually already have it installed - perhaps it came as the default LDA on your system, you'd get, build, and install procmail as per the directions in the package. Create a basic .procmailrc file in the user's home directory. If it isn't the LDA, you set up a .forward for the individual user (in their home directory) to invoke procmail, also as per the documentation, then fine-tune the .procmailrc script.

It seems that procmail doesn't work at the docroot level, but much deeper. Is

AFAIK, 'docroot' is an httpd term. Procmail has nothing to do with your webserver.

this correct? If so, then I presume I would have *one* version of procmail to run *all* of my virtual hosts, correct? All I'd need to do is add recipies for each virtual host and user (stop me if I'm wrong <g>). If that is the

Just as with sendmail and other system utilities, you only need one binary of procmail (and formail) on your system.

Users who have .forward files invoking procmail and .procmailrc files, will be processed by their rules for procmail, those who don't will be handled normally. If Procmail is the LDA (i.e. configured in your sendmail.cf, or I guess whatever other MDA you might use), then the .forward isn't needed, and the mere presence of .procmailrc will invoke the rulesets included there.

case, where is the best location to place the procmail folder? I presume it doesn't need to be in the same path as the virtual hosts? I am running a recent version of Red Hat.

AFAICR, the procmail install process deals with this pretty smoothly. /usr/bin it where it should toss the handful of binaries. You'll *BUILD* procmail someplace else, as root. Man files will also be copied.

Check that you don't already have procmail in your standard distribution (though upgrading to the most recent release wouldn't be a bad thing to do either).

If it is installed properly, 'man procmail' will probably let you know in an instant whether you have it on your system.

---
 Please DO NOT carbon me on list replies.  I'll get my copy from the list.

 Sean B. Straw / Professional Software Engineering
 Post Box 2395 / San Rafael, CA  94912-2395


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