Thanks to the people who responded for their ideas. Where I think we will
go with this is indeed using tools for virtual domains. In particular, if
we can be sure doing so will leave mail to valid addresses untouched,
making an entry to virtusertable sounds like the approach that will have
least impact. I may do a test system to verify.
At 04:19 PM 1/8/02 -0800, Bill Campbell wrote:
>On Tue, Jan 08, 2002 at 04:34:42PM -0600, Stuart Biggerstaff wrote:
> >Is there a straightforward way to have e-mail sent to nonexistent addresses
> >forwarded to root or another account? We would like to be able to collect
> >these to possibly forward to the users.
>
>I don't do sendmail, but did see an /etc/maildomains file on a system I did
>some other work on which provides for mapping mail for multiple domains
>with default addresses if there isn't a match. The file for this is in the
>format:
>
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] some_valid_email_address
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] another_valid_email_address
>example.com an_address_where_anything_else_goes.
>
>I thought this was a pretty neat way to handle virtual domains, and
>implemented this in smail-3.2 using the rewrite driver. This probably
>isn't the best way to handle several thousand primary addresses on a system
>though. It lends itself best to virtual domains with limited numbers of
>users.
We have probably just over a hundred users--but LOTS of mail, and more than
a few really large messages.
>This could be used though if one has a capability similar to smail's
>smart_user variable which will forward unknown local addresses to another
>mail server for handling (or another instance of the server on the same
>machine, but listening on another NIC).
We ideally want undeliverable mail to go to root, or (better) another
single address on the same server.
> >I know we could set up aliases for deleted former users and maybe for
> >incorrect spellings we could anticipate, but that wouldn't get all
> >possibilities.
>
>Deleted or expired are fairly easy to handle by aliasing the address so
>that they get forwarded to a script that returns some useful message.
True, but it means about three years worth of former employees, some of
whom we've probably forgotten. And then there is the issue of senders
guessing e-mail addresses--while the way we assign addresses is probably
not exactly intuitive for some of our colleagues.
>Bill
Stuart Biggerstaff
Linda Hall Library
5109 Cherry
Kansas City, MO 64110
Phone: (816) 926-8748
(800) 662-1545 x748
FAX: (816) 926-8785
URL: www.lindahall.org
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