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Using LISTSERV at SIUC

Printable Version

Document Table of Contents:

Introduction

Overview of LISTSERV Lists

Creating the List Header

• The Public List
• The Private List
• The Announcement List

How to Establish a List

Using your Newly Created List

• How a subscriber joins and leaves a list
• How a list owner adds and deletes subscribers
• Using the QUIET option
• Adding Subscribers in bulk
• Deleting all Subscribers
• Sending Email to the list

Userful LISTSERV Commands

LISTSERV Documentation

Information Technology Policies on LISTSERV Lists

Introduction:

LISTSERV is mailing list management software licensed from LSOFT, Inc. that facilitates the distribution of email postings from one person to all persons subscribed to a list. Lists can be established by SIUC faculty and staff for university or research related purposes. This document is intended primarily for those wishing to establish a list. Topics covered in this document are: the function of LISTSERV lists, the three most requested types of lists, how to establish a list, how to get started using a list, useful LISTSERV commands, and SIUC's LISTSERV policies.

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Overview of LISTSERV Lists:

Lists are stored and managed by the LISTSERV software on a UNIX server. The most common misconception that new list owners have is that they are establishing a "listserv". LISTSERV is the server that stores and processes the "lists". What you as a list owner are establishing is a "list", not a "listserv". Commands are sent to the listserv address LISTSERV@SIU.EDU in order to create lists, update list parameters, join or leave a list, see who is subscribed to a list, manually add or remove list subscribers, etc.

Each list has a name, such as MYLIST-L. The full email address for this example list would be MYLIST-L@SIU.EDU to which list subscribers or the owner would address an email in order to post a message to the list. Email sent to the MYLIST-L@SIU.EDU list address is then handled by the LISTSERV server which then sends an email to every subscriber's email address that is on the MYLIST-L list.

Each list has a list owner that manages the list. The list owner maintains certain aspects of a list such establishing desired list header parameters, handling bounced messages, assisting subscribers with joining or leaving the list, maintaining order on the list, among other tasks. The list owner works with the Listserv Administrator to initially create the list, work through list-related problems, and deleting the list when no longer needed.

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Creating the List Header:

The first step in setting up a list is creating the "list header". In the list header you specify the parameters that describe how you wish the list to operate. There are many ways to setup a list header. The following are the three most common examples. (The following three list examples are examples "only"--they are not real lists.)

The Public List:

A public list is ideal for someone wishing to establish a list that is publicly available for anyone to participate. A public list could potentially have anyone from the entire Internet subscribed to it. Make sure you really want to set up a public list, as it could attract a large number of subscribers and could be open to "spam" (unwanted email).

The following is an example of a public list:

PUT VACCINATION-L LIST PW=XXXXXXXX
*
* This list discusses the problems surrounding
* the world's diseases and the need to vaccinate
* all peoples of the world to prevent disease.
*
* Confidential=No
* Default-Options=Repro
* Notebook=Yes,/home/listserv/home,Monthly,Public
* Review=Public
* Send=Public
* Subscription=Open
*
* Owner= JonasSalk@siu.edu (Dr. Jonas Salk)
*

In the above list called VACCINATION-L, the owner is Dr. Jonas Salk. It is Non-Confidential, meaning that it is publicly known by anyone asking our LISTSERV for names of lists. It would also appear on the "list of lists" on the Internet. The Default-Options=Repro parameter will send the posting to the originator assuring that it was posted to the list. The Notebook parameter is setup to save monthly notebooks or "logs" of past email to the list for later retrieval by anyone. Review=Public allows anyone to see who is on the list, Send=Public allows anyone to post to the list, and Subscription=Open allows anyone to subscribe to the list.

The Private List:

A private list allows you to operate a private discussion list in which only a select group of people discuss a topic among themselves without outside intrusion. This is most commonly used by faculty or graduate students who teach classes and need a private list setup for the class to discuss topics related to the class. This type of list will prevent "spam" (unwanted email) being posted to the list.

PUT ENGL101999-L LIST PW=XXXXXXXX
*
* This is a private discussion list for those
* registered for English 101 section 999.
*
* Confidential=Yes
* Default-Options=Repro
* Notebook=Yes,/home/listserv/home,Monthly,Private
* Review=Private
* Send=Private
* Subscription=Open
*
* Owner= EdgarPoe@siu.edu (Edgar Poe)
*

In the above list called ENGL101999-L, the owner is graduate student Edgar Poe. It is Confidential, meaning that it is a private list and will not be published on the "list of lists" on the Internet. The Default-Options=Repro parameter will send the posting to the originator assuring that it was posted to the list. The Notebook parameter is setup to save monthly notebooks or "logs" of past email to the list for later retrieval only by the list participants. With Review=Private, only the subscribers can see who is on the list. Send=Private restricts email posting only to the list subscribers. Subscription=Open allows anyone to subscribe to the list, yet with the other restrictions in place, the list owner can publish this information only to those who need to subscribe and then those people can subscribe on their own. This could be changed to Subscription=Owner, but then the list owner will be required to add and delete subscribers.

The Announcement List:

An announcement list allows you to operate a list in which the owner posts announcements to the list subscribers. List subscribers are not able to post to the list. Information Technology operates such a list, known as ITALERT-L, and makes periodic postings regarding system or network maintenance activities. This could be setup as either public or private depending on who you wish to receive announcements.

PUT SALUKIGAMES-L LIST PW=XXXXXXXX
*
* Announcements are made to this list as to the
* time and place of Saluki sporting events.
*
* Confidential=Yes
* Default-Options=Repro
* Notebook=Yes,/home/listserv/home,Monthly,Private
* Review=Owner
* Send=Owner
* Subscription=Owner
*
* Owner= TheDawg@siu.edu (Saluki T. Dawg)
*

In the above list called SALUKIGAMES-L, the owner is staff member Saluki T. Dawg. It is Confidential, meaning that it is a private list and will not be published on the "list of lists" on the Internet. The Default-Options=Repro parameter will send the posting to the originator assuring that it was posted to the list. The Notebook parameter is setup to save monthly notebooks or "logs" of past email to the list for later retrieval only by the list subscribers. With Review=Owner, only the owner can see who is on the list. Send=Owner restricts email posting only to the list owner, essentially making it an announcement list. And, Subscription=Owner allows only the list owner to subscribe people to the list. This could be changed to Subscription=Open if the owner wishes that anyone interested in the announcements be allowed to subscribe to the list.

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How to Establish a List:

To establish your own list, choose from one of the examples above and follow these instructions:

Copy and paste the example list into an email addressed to ADAM@SIU.EDU. This the email address of Adam Floro, the Listserv Administrator for SIUC. He will be setting up your list.

Choose a name for your list. The name may contain letters, numbers, or dashes (-), but must begin with a letter. SIUC's standard is that the list name end with "-L" to distinguish it from a person's email address. The list name can be as long as you want, but long list names can be difficult to use. Use dashes (-) to separate the parts of a long list name (e.g., My-Long-List-Name-L). In the example that you choose above, substitute the example list name with your chosen list name.

Provide an appropriate description for your list.

If you wish to change any of the list parameters provided, follow these guidelines published in the List Keyword

Reference for LISTSERV version 1.8d: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8d/owner/appendb.html

Make sure your name and email address are correct on the Owner parameter.

Email your completed list header to the Listserv Administrator at ADAM@SIU.EDU. You will receive an email confirmation once your list is established and ready for use. This process can take anywhere from a day to a few days.

An asterisk (*) in column one of each line is required, except for the initial PUT command.

Do not supply a password on the PUT command on the first line. Only specify a list name.

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Using Your Newly Created List:

Let's say you just established a list called MYLIST-L. The first thing to do is get everyone subscribed to the list.

How a Subscriber Joins and Leaves a List:

If you have set Subscription=Open, then you have allowed others to subscribe to your list. To subscribe to the list, a person sends email to:

LISTSERV@SIU.EDU

The subject line can be ignored when communicating with LISTSERV.

The text of the email should contain the following command:

SUB MYLIST-L firstname lastname

For example:

To: listserv@siu.edu
From: John Smith <johnsmith@siu.edu>
Subj:
--------------------------------
SUB MYLIST-L John Smith

After sending the above note, the person subscribing will receive a subscription confirmation and will be added to the list. If the list owner wishes to receive postings from his/her list, then the list owner should send a SUB command to listserv to subscribe. The list owner does not automatically receive postings unless subscribed to his/her list.

If someone wishes to leave the list later, they send another email to LISTSERV@SIU.EDU and send the command:

UNSUB MYLIST-L

The person will receive a removal confirmation and will be unsubscribed from the list.

How a List Owner Adds and Deletes Subscribers:

For lists setup with Subscription=Owner, or if the owner wishes to subscribe someone to the list, the list owner must address email to LISTSERV@SIU.EDU and send the command:

ADD MYLIST-L JOHNSMITH@SIU.EDU John Smith

As list owner, you use the ADD command rather than the SUB command to manually subscribe people to your list. You can use several ADD commands, one per line, in an email to LISTSERV in order to add several people in one batch.

Note that the ADD command includes the subscriber's email address, while the SUB command does not. This is because the SUB command is sent from the subscriber, therefore the email address is taken from the email note that is sent to LISTSERV from the subscriber. On an ADD command the list owner is sending the note to LISTSERV, therefore the subscriber's email address is needed on the ADD command.

To manually unsubscribe people from your list, send email to LISTSERV@SIU.EDU and send the command:

DEL MYLIST-L JOHNSMITH@SIU.EDU

Notice that the person's name is required on the ADD command but only the person's email address is needed on the DEL command.

Using the QUIET option:

Another way to add or delete a subscriber is to precede these commands with 'QUIET ' as follows:

QUIET ADD MYLIST-L JOHNSMITH@SIU.EDU John Smith
QUIET DEL MYLIST-L JOHNSMITH@SIU.EDU

Using this command format, the subscription notification sent by LISTSERV to the subscriber will not be sent. The QUIET parameter is useful for deleting a 'bad' email address so that the deletion notification normally sent by LISTSERV to the subscriber will not cause a 'bounced email' error message. Also, the QUIET parameter is useful for adding bulk email addresses to a new list so that a list can be setup 'behind the scenes'.

Adding Subscribers in Bulk:

To add several subscribers at one time, the list owner sends email to LISTSERV@SIU.EDU and then specifies each ADD command, one per line, for each subscriber the list owner wishes to add. For example:

To: listserv@siu.edu
From: Edgar Poe <EdgarPoe@siu.edu>
Subj:
--------------------------------
QUIET ADD MYLIST-L JOHNSMITH@SIU.EDU John Smith
QUIET ADD MYLIST-L JANEJONES@SIU.EDU Jane Jones

Deleting all Subscribers:

At the beginning of a new semester, many instructors who are list owners desire to delete all subscribers from their lists in order to prepare the list for adding new subscribers. The following set of commands sent to LISTSERV@SIU.EDU will accomplish this. All subscribers are deleted and the list owner, Edgar Poe, is re-subscribed:

To: listserv@siu.edu
From: Edgar Poe <EdgarPoe@siu.edu>
Subj:
--------------------------------
QUIET DEL MYLIST-L *@*.*
QUIET ADD MYLIST-L EdgarPoe@siu.edu Edgar Poe

Sending Email to the List:

Before communicating to the list, everyone, including the list owner, must be subscribed to the list. List discussion is then achieved by sending email to the list's email address. For example:

MYLIST-L@SIU.EDU

The email should have a proper subject and contain text appropriate for the list. For example:

To: mylist-l@siu.edu
From: John Doe <johndoe@siu.edu>
Subj: First Posting
--------------------------------
This is my first posting to the list.

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Useful LISTSERV Commands:

As a list owner or subscriber, there are several list commands that are useful that will help you use LISTSERV more effectively. These commands are sent to LISTSERV@SIU.EDU, not to the list address. Here are some example commands:

REV listname (e.g., REV MYLIST-L)

This will allow you to review the list header and subscribers of a list.

QUERY listname (e.g., QUERY MYLIST-L)

This displays your list subscription settings. These settings can be changed with the SET command.

SET listname option (e.g., SET MYLIST-L ACK)

There are several options that can be set for a list. SET listname ACK will cause LISTSERV to send an acknowledgement to you when you post to a list. SET listname NOMAIL will prevent postings being sent to you while you are away. When you return SET listname MAIL to resume receiving postings again. SET listname DIGEST to receive all postings in one daily email.

INDEX listname (e.g., INDEX MYLIST-L)

This will return a list of notebooks or "logs" that contain past discussions for a list. All lists are setup to keep monthly logs. For example, one of the logs might be called MYLIST-L LOG0204 which contains discussions occurring in April, 2002.

GET listname LOGyymm (e.g., GET MYLIST-L LOG0204)

To retrieve a log file after reviewing the list of available log files using the INDEX command.

SCAN listname string (e.g., SCAN MYLIST-L DOE)

At times, list owners need to determine if someone is subscribed to their list, especially if there is bounced mail repeatedly coming from that address. A quick way find a subscriber is through the SCAN command. Any subscriber's names or email addresses containing the search string are sent back to the list owner in an email.

List subscribers can also use this command.

SEARCH listname keyword (e.g., SEARCH MYLIST-L software)

There are times when you want to find past messages sent to a list containing a specific keyword. In the above example, a search summary is returned of all posts sent to MYLIST-L containing the keyword 'software'.

GETPOST listname nnnnnn (e.g., GETPOST MYLIST-L 125)

You can retrieve a specific posting listed in the search results of the SEARCH command by sending a GETPOST command. In the above example, posting number 125 of the MYLIST-L list is sent.

HELP

Displays a summary of most commonly used commands.

INFO

Returns a list of documentation files that can be retrieved from Listserv by sending back additional INFO commands. An example is the 'Command reference card' information file which can be retrieved by sending Listserv the command: INFO REFCARD

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LISTSERV Documentation:

There are several documents available on the web that can help you learn about LISTSERV. First, there are the locally written documents for using LISTSERV at SIUC. These are:

Using LISTSERV at SIUC (this document)

http://www.infotech.siu.edu/mfsys/howto/listserv.htm

Updating LISTSERV List Headers

http://www.infotech.siu.edu/mfsys/howto/listsrv2.htm

The web site LSOFT.COM contains important information on listserv from LSOFT, the creators of LISTSERV. Some important web pages are:

LISTSERV Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.lsoft.com/info/default.asp?item=faq

LISTSERV Manuals

http://www.lsoft.com/info/default.asp?item=manuals

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Information Technology Policies on LISTSERV Lists:

Potential list owners wishing to establish a list must be an SIUC faculty, staff member, graduate student teaching a class, or a student running an RSO list. Other student-owned lists may only be established through the consent of a faculty or staff sponsor and must be related to research being conducted by the student related to their academic program.

Every list must have an owner with an SIU.EDU email address who is responsible for:

1. Checking at least every few days (daily for large lists) for bounced mail, and fixing or removing invalid e-mail addresses.
2. Maintaining related files (such as the list header with list options).
3. Maintaining log file archives should they be desired for more than one year.

Lists unused for more than two years will be taken down.

Log files older than one year will be deleted.

List names must be unique and must end with a -L (e.g., MYLIST-L).

Information Technology reserves the right to request that the proposed name of a list be changed if it conflicts with system naming conventions.

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