LISTSERV Frequently Asked Questions
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- How do I use LISTSERV? (UI Getting Started Guide)
- How do I set up my list? (UI List Owners Guide)
- How do I set up special lists?
- L-Soft Documentation
- LISTSERV Problems and Solutions
- How big of a message can be posted to my list? What is the size limit (including attachments)?
- Why is there a size restriction for messages posted to my list?
- What happens if a message comes in that is larger than the size limit?
- What should I do if I have a legitimate message, which is larger than the size limit?
- How can I post an attachment in the list archives without sending it to the entire list?
- Why do I need to log off?
- How can I change my LISTSERV password?
- Where do I go to see the web interface for this list?
- How do I find out what lists I'm on?
- Can I send attachments from the web interface?
- Every time I send e-mail to a particular list, it seems to be held for at least 10 minutes. Why?
- Why do individual subscribers to a list sometimes receive another subscriber's vacation messages?
- How are the mail headers determined on messages that I receive?
- Please explain the difference between LISTSERV, SharePoint and TeamShare.
- I want to send from several different email accounts but I don't want to get two copies of each msg.
- How do I change my e-mail address for all lists I am subscribed to?
- Can I restrict who can send (post) to a list?
- I want only list subscribers to be able to post to the list, but I also want to moderate the postings.
- I get an e-mail message every time someone subscribes to my list. How can I stop that?
- Can I set my list to require subscribers to renew their subscriptions on a regular basis?
- I set the Subject-Tag to my listname, but the listname still does not appear on the subject line of the messages.
- How do I change the mail header style for my list?
- How do I ban some e-mail addresses from sending or subscribing to my list?
- How can I set Default-Options for existing subscribers?
- Can I change the size limit on my list?
- How can I "Hold" or "Free" my list?
- How can I completely remove one or both Welcome Messages?
- What is the purpose of the Loopcheck= NoSpam setting?
- How do I restrict my list so that only individuals with a University of Iowa email address can send to it?
- All messages to my list are pre-approved (Send= Editor,Hold,Confirm) and I am getting bombarded with spam. Is it possible to also use the Send= Private option to limit postings to list members only?
- How can I delete unwanted messages from the list archives?
- How can I edit messages that are in the list archives?
- Why do I occasionally receive the following message: "The enclosed message, found in the listname mailbox and shown under the spool ID nnnnnn in the system log, has been identified as a possible delivery error notice for the following reason: "Message/Delivery-Status" body part found in the message body."
Everyone - Size Limit & Attachments
How big of a message can be posted to my list?
What is the size limit (including attachments)?
Sizelim=100k is the default for all new lists. The list owner can change this limit in the list configuration settings.
This limit includes the size of the message itself and all attachments.
Rather than sending large attachments, we encourage you to save attachments on the web and send the URL in the e-mail. ITS provides web space for departments, recognized student organizations, faculty, staff, and students and class web space. For information on obtaining web space on an ITS server send e-mail to its-web@uiowa.edu
Everyone - Size Limit & Attachments
Why is there a size restriction for messages posted to my list?
The limits are in place to help subscribers from having to deal with extremely large messages, which can put them over their disk quotas and cause problems with remote mail access. The size restriction can also keep messages, which contain viruses from being distributed to a list.
Everyone - Size Limit & Attachments
What happens if a message comes in that is larger than the size limit?
The message is rejected by LISTSERV and an error message is sent to the sender.
Below is an example message:
From: "L-Soft list server at University of Iowa (1.8e)" <LISTSERV@LIST.UIOWA.EDU>
Subject: Rejected posting to LISTNAME@LIST.UIOWA.EDUYour message cannot be distributed to the LISTNAME list because it exceeds
the maximum message size of 100k. This limit has been set by the list owner and
does not necessarily apply to the other lists hosted at LIST.UIOWA.EDU. If you
have any questions, please contact the list owner, who can be reached at
LISTNAME-request@LIST.UIOWA.EDU.
Everyone - Size Limit & Attachments
What should I do if I have a legitimate message, which is larger than the size limit?
If the message content is plain text but was composed in MS Word, the author should copy and paste the message text into a new email message. Do not send plain text as an attachment.
Otherwise, we recommend posting the message content on a departmental web server and send the URL for that web page to the list. This offers several benefits, among them:
- The message content is stored centrally and can be updated without having to resend to the list.
- The problems related to sending large messages (quotas, etc.) are bypassed.
Everyone - Size Limit & Attachments
How can I post an attachment in the list archives without sending it to the entire list?
I would like to post an attachment to the list and then send a message to the subscribers telling them to access the archives to read the attachment. One way to accomplish this is to:
- Ask the List Owner to set "Topics = FILE-ATTACHED"
- Send the attachment in a message with the subject of "FILE-ATTACHED". Since no one is (by default) subscribed to this Topic, no one will receive it and a copy will be available in the archives. Send a second note pointing to the current archive.
Be aware that any messages sent with a subject of "FILE-ATTACHED" will not be sent by this list.
Top of list
How do I contact the list owner?
E-mail addressed to listname-request@list.uiowa.edu will be sent to the list owner, a real person, rather than distributed to the entire list.
How do I contact the LISTSERV site manager?
E-mail addressed to listserv-request@list.uiowa.edu will be sent to the LISTSERV site manager.
Why do I need to log off?
Some of the nice features of a web browser may cause potential security problems for LISTSERV users who use shared computers (e.g., in ITCs, reception areas, dorm rooms, etc.). In order to prevent someone from using your LISTSERV account it is important to always click Log off LISTSERV and close out of the browser window.
How can I change my LISTSERV password?
- Go to LISTSERV Archives at <http://list.uiowa.edu>
- Select Get Password.
- Enter your E-mail Address and Password
- The e-mail address you enter on the web form must match the From: address supplied by your e-mail system, usually firstname-lastname@uiowa.edu. If you are unsure, send yourself an e-mail and check the From: line before filling in this section.
- LISTSERV allows you to set one password for all of your lists. The password can be up to 260 characters in length and contain the characters A-Z 0-9 $#@_-?!|%
This password is unique to LISTSERV, i.e., it is not synched with your e-mail password, your Active Directory password, or your Novell password. - Once you enter the required information, select Register Password.
- You will see the message "For your protection, the password will not be activated just yet (anyone could have completed this form using your e-mail address)."
- To activate your password, simply follow the instructions that have been e-mailed to you.
Please wait until you receive a message from LISTSERV saying "Your new password was registered successfully" before trying to use it with the WWW interface.
- Once your password has been registered, use your browser Back button to return to the Login Required screen. You can now login with or without LISTSERV setting a cookie.
Where do I go to see the web interface for this list?
If you already know the name of a list, the ways to access the web archives are:
- Enter the URL <http://list.uiowa.edu/archives/listname.html>
OR
- Go to UI LISTSERV Documentation <http://cs.its.uiowa.edu/email/listserv/>.
- Select Unlisted Archive Form
- In the Listname: field type in the exact name of list.
- Select Submit
How do I find out what lists I'm on?
- Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
- Click on Subscriber's Corner
List Subscribers - Attachments
Can I send attachments from the web interface?
Yes
Everyone - Email Messages/Other
Every time I send e-mail to a particular list, it seems to be held for at least 10 minutes. Why?
Sometimes this happens because of "SPAM_DELAY". Our LISTSERV is configured to hold "suspicious" mail for 10 minutes. This occurs, for example, when you send e-mail to a "public" list and you are not subscribed to that list.
Everyone - Email Messages/Other
Why do individual subscribers to a list sometimes receive another subscriber's vacation messages?
Only the list owner should receive a subscriber's vacation messages. However, if the subscriber's vacation program is not configured properly, the vacation message may be sent to the other list subscribers. Diagnosing a misconfigured vacation program can be very involved. The subscriber whose vacation program is causing the problem should be notified and the subscriber should discuss the problem with support staff who maintain the vacation program he/she is using.
Everyone - Email Messages/Other
How are the mail headers determined on messages that I receive?
The default setting for mail headers of incoming postings is SUBJecthdr for new lists. This setting causes the listname to appear as a subject tag on the subject line. For example,
Subject: [LISTNAME] This is your subject line
This setting also modifies the To: and Cc: headers so that only the listname address shows on the incoming To: header.
For example, if the message is sent with:
To: listname@list.uiowa.edu, non-subscriber1@uiowa.edu
cc: non-subscriber2@uiowa.edu
The message is received with:
To: listname@list.uiowa.edu
Displaying full headers will show any other recipients in the Comments: header. If you want to receive messages so that the original To: and Cc: addresses are preserved, you can use the IETFhdr option. Note, however, that using the IETFhdr mail header option does not allow use of the subject tag and will ignore the Reply-To setting for the list.
To change the mail header option to IETFhdr via the web interface:
- Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
- Click on Subscriber's Corner
- Select Settings for the list you wish to change from the List Names you are subscribed to.
- Update the option for Mail Header Style to sendmail-style [IETFhdr].
To change the mail header option to IETFhdr via e-mail:
- Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu
- Put the following in the body of the message:
set listname IETFhdr
Everyone - Email Messages/Other
Please explain the difference between LISTSERV, SharePoint and TeamShare
LISTSERV provides a method for electronic discussions and announcements to selected individuals via e-mail. SharePoint Portal Server and SharePoint Team Services are a set of two new technologies from Microsoft that were developed to facilitate information sharing with organizations and over the Internet. Team Services provides small groups or teams the means to work together on documents and communicate on project status. SharePoint Portal Server serves multiple or large groups (institutions or organizations) and allows for sharing documents and information across the entire organization. The SharePoint technologies are only available to individuals inside the team or organization and requires authenticating to a server. LISTSERV can be used both by individuals inside and outside the University.
Everyone - Email Messages/Other
I want to send from several different email accounts but I don't want to get two copies of each msg.
Subscribe to the list twice and set one of the userids to "nomail."
Everyone - Email Messages/Other
How do I change my e-mail address for all lists I am subscribed to?
From your current account ("From:" field should display the e-mail address you are currently subscribed under), send a message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu, with the following text in the message field:
change * newemailaddress
For example, if you are currently subscribed as "jdoe@gmail.com" and are moving to Hawkmail, use your UI standard e-mail address (alias) "john-doe@uiowa.edu" as your "newemailaddress" (e.g., change * john-doe@uiowa.edu).
How the Change Process Works:
A message is sent from Listserv to your "old" address, asking you to click on a link to confirm the request. Then a confirmation request is generated from each list and sent to your "new" address. You need to click on the link in each message to actually change the address. Finally, a message is sent from each list to your "new" address, to let you know that your address has been changed.
List Owners - List Configuration
Can I restrict who can send (post) to a list?
LISTSERV has several list security options.
See Lists for Special Purposes and How to Decrease Spam LISTSERV.
List Owners - List Configuration
I want only list subscribers to be able to post to the list, but I also want to moderate the postings.
See How do I set up a Private Moderated LIst?
List Owners - List Configuration
I get an e-mail message every time someone subscribes to my list. How can I stop that?
Set the list header settings to:
Notify=no
Or set the Quiet: option for some of the list owners in the Owner= header setting, for example:
Owner=firstname1-lastname1@uiowa.edu,Quiet:,firstname2-lastname2@uiowa.edu
See the List Keyword Reference for LISTSERV for more information.
List Owners - List Configuration
Can I set my list to require subscribers to renew their subscriptions on a regular basis?
Yes, this can be done using the Renewal header setting. You can also have LISTSERV probe for bad e-mail addresses.
See the List Keyword Reference for LISTSERV for more information.
List Owners - List Configuration
I set the Subject-Tag to the listname, but the listname still does not appear on the subject line of the messages.
"Setting this keyword does not automatically reset users to the SUBJecthdr option. This must be done manually for existing users and may be specified by default for new subscribers by use of Default-Options=SUBJecthdr in the list header settings." - List Owner's Manual
See the List Keyword Reference for LISTSERV for more information.
List Owners - List Configuration
How do I change the mail header style for my list?
The list header setting of Default-Options=SUBJecthdr is the default setting for new lists. See the List Subscribers FAQ How are the mail headers determined on messages that I receive? for details on mail header defaults and options.
To change the mail header style for your list, you will need to change the default mail header option for both new and current subscribers:
- To change the mail header style for your existing subscribers to the IETF-style:
- Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu (or select List Management | LISTSERV Command
from the web interface) - Put the following command in the body of the message:
quiet set listname IETFhdr for *
- Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu (or select List Management | LISTSERV Command
- To change the list header setting to Default-Options=IETFhdr for all new subscribers, using the web interface:
- Select List Management > List Configuration > Manual List Configuration
- Change Default-Options= Repro,SUBJecthdr to Default-Options= Repro,IETFhdr
- Click Submit to update the header configuration.
List Owners - List Configuration
How do I ban some e-mail addresses from sending or subscribing to my list?
This can be done using the "Filter" list keyword in the list header. In the list headers set:
Filter = Also,e-mail-address-to-filter
where: e-mail-address-to-filter is the address to be banned.
See the List Keyword Reference for LISTSERV for more information.
List Owners - List Configuration
How can I set Default-Options for existing subscribers?
The Default-Options header keyword setting does not affect existing subscribers. If you want existing subscribers to have these same settings, you must update them manually using the Set listname options for *@* command. For example, to set each subscriber to receive a copy of his/her own posting (repro) and put the listname in the subject of the message (subjecthdr):
- From the web interface, go to List Management > LISTSERV Command
- Enter the following command:
set listname Repro SUBJecthdr for *@*
Or
- Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu
- Put the following command in the body of the message:
set listname Repro SUBJecthdr for *@*
See the List Keyword Reference for LISTSERV for more information.
Everyone - Size Limit & Attachments
Can I change the size limit on my list?
Sizelim=100k is the default for all new lists. The list owner can change this limit in the list configuration settings.
This limit includes the size of the message itself and all attachments.
Rather than sending large attachments, we encourage you to save attachments on the web and send the URL in the e-mail. ITS provides web space for departments, recognized student organizations, faculty, staff, and students and class web space. For information on obtaining web space on an ITS server send e-mail to its-web@uiowa.edu
How can I "Hold" or "Free" my list?
Under List Management select LISTSERV Command. Under Useful Commands select Free listname or Hold listname.
How can I completely remove one or both Welcome Messages?
The "owner-supplied" welcome message can easily be removed.
- Login In to LISTSERV <http://list.uowa.edu.
- Select List Management> List Configuration > LIst Configuration Tasks
- Select the Mail Templates tab.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
The LISTSERV administrative welcome message is more difficult to clear. See Section 9. Creating and Editing LISTSERV's Mail and Web Templated of the List Owner's Manual for detailed information about LISTSERV templates. You will need to add the ".QQ" command to cancel the message(s) by adding it to the Signup1 and Add1 templates. Note: Signup1 is the note sent to self subscribers and Add1 is the note sent when the listowner subscribes a person.
What is the purpose of the Loopcheck= NoSpam?
A list owner who sends to multiple lists may wish to add the Loopcheck = NoSpam setting to their LISTSERV configuration file to prevent themselves from being identified as a possible spammer. We would only recommend adding this setting to moderated lists, where the moderator can then prevent spam messages from being sent to the entire list.
List Owners - List Configuration
How do I restrict my list so that only individuals with a University of Iowa email address can send to it?
It is possible to use the wildcard symbol to limit postings to @uiowa.edu addresses. The following option in the list header configuration will limit postings to the list owner and anyone with a @uiowa.edu address:
Send= Owner,*@uiowa.edu
List Owners - List Configuration
All messages to my list are pre-approved (Send= Editor,Hold,Confirm) and I am getting bombarded with spam. Is it possible to also use the Send= Private option to limit postings to list members only?
We recommend you set your list to:
Send = Editor,Hold,Confim,All
This will require the spammer to confirm that they sent the message. See How to Decrease Spam to LISTSERV for details on using these settings.
How can I delete unwanted messages from the list archives?
- Log In to LISTSERV <http://list.uiowa.edu>
- Select LIst Management > List Dashboard.
- If you own more than one list, select the correct list, in the Select List: field.
- Click th Update button.
- The listname should appear in the right part of the screen listname Home.
- Click listname Home to go to the list archives page.
- Select the appropriate month.
- Find the message you wish delete.
- Click the Delete button
to the right of that message.
How can I edit messages that are in the list archives?
In order to delete unwanted messages from a monthly archive, it requires editing the notebook log file. This may be required for the deletion of messages that are inappropriate or contain a virus attachment. Retrieving the archive file requires using an e-mail client that is not using the quoted-printable format such as Eudora (Do not use Outlook). Launch Eudora and choose Tools | Options | Composing Mail and deselect 'May use quoted-printable', click OK, then proceed with Step 1 below. If you do not have the Eudora client, please submit your request to its-email@uiowa.edu.
Edit the notebook log using the following steps:
- If editing the current month list archive,
Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu
Put the following commands in the body of the message:
Q listname with DIGEST FOR *@*
HOLD listname
For Example, with a listserv of UI-TEST@list.uiowa.edu, the body would look like this:
Q UI-TEST with DIGEST FOR *@*
HOLD UI-TEST
A reply "Output" e-mail will be sent telling you if there are any subscribers set with the DIGEST option. If any subscriber is using the Digest format then set 'Digest= No' after editing the archive file (this deletes the existing digest and prevents problems with the digest and archives getting out of sync).
You may need to confirm the HOLD command by clicking on a link in an email message reply from LISTSERV.
- To edit the list archive you will need to GET the archive file,
Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu
Put the following command in the body of the message:
GET listname LOGYYMM (where YYMM corresponds to the two-digit year and month of the archive to be edited, E.G. 0705 for May 2007)
A reply message from LISTSERV: File "listname LOGYYMM" has been mailed to you under separate cover.
- Save a backup copy of the original archive file before editing.
- Edit the archive file using your email editor or a plain text editor (do not use MS Word). The archive file consists of multiple posts. Each post is separated from each other by a line of exactly 73 equal signs. The line of equal signs must be followed immediately by the mail headers such as "Date:","From:", and "Subject:". Delete an unwanted message beginning with the line of equal signs and all lines up to the start of the next message.
- To replace the edited archive back on the server,
Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu
Put the following command in the body of the message followed immediately by the edited archive. DO NOT leave a blank line after the PUT command or the entire archive will be deleted.
PUT listname LOGYYMM PW=xxxxxxxx (where YYMM corresponds to the two-digit year and month of the archive being edited, E.G. 0705 for May 2007 and PW= is your LISTSERV list management password)
<insert edited archive file here>
Reply message from LISTSERV: File "listname LOGYYMM" has been successfully stored.
- Use the FREE listname command to allow posting to resume.
See Editing list archives for more information.
How can I split an e-mail command into two or more lines?
Insert a "// " string before the command text, followed by a space, and a comma at the end of each line of the command, with a space before the comma. For example:
// QUIET ADD MYLIST someone.with.a.real.long.userid.that.wraps@hishost.com ,
His Name
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