On   Mon,   3   Jul   1995   09:20:27  EDT   "LTC   BRUCE   BACHUS,   DA"
<[log in to unmask]> said:
 
>1. While doing some testing, I managed to get "suspended" from the list.
>Not good,  since I'm a co-owner.  Luckily, I had already  set up another
>subscription  on another  machine. From  the other  machine, I  used the
>"SERVE" command to unsuspend me, but evidentally it didn't work.
 
In principle  you can use the  SERVE command from any  account to restore
your access. I would  need more information to be able  to say more about
this.
 
>  a. ACK setting on Listprocessor will send the senders note back to the
>sender, while LISTSERV  only says that it was delivered  to the list. Is
>there a similar setting with LISTSERV?
 
REPRO sends you a copy of  your posts, ACK sends a short acknowledgement.
It's unfortunate that ListProc used an incompatible naming convention.
 
>  b. Its unclear how digests work. In Listprocessor, one can use the SET
>command  for digests.  In Majordomo,  one  can subscribe  to the  digest
>sublist.  How   does  this  work   with  LISTSERV  --  sorry,   but  the
>documentation I've seen is rather cryptic :-(, but I guess its something
>that one must get used to.
 
You use the SET listname DIGEST  command. I think the version of LISTSERV
that the Pentagon originally purchased years ago doesn't support digests,
and  I think  that is  the version  currently running  on the  production
userid. So, you  may have to wait  until the new version  is installed on
the production userid.
 
>  c. With  summer here, how do  "postpone" notes to subscribers  so that
>they  remain subscribed,  but simply  do  not received  mail during  the
>postponement  period? This  is helpful  so that  those using  the REVIEW
>command are still able to "see" the subscribers.
 
SET listname NOMAIL
 
>  d. How do  you set up the  archive database? When I  did INFO DATABASE
>the returned message indicated that this was not available.
 
It's done automatically. If INFO DATABASE doesn't work it means a file is
missing from the server.
 
>  e. Is there a way for me  to edit the entire subscription list so that
>I can go in and not only add and delete subscribers, but can also modify
>such things as  individual subscriber settings (eg the  results of SET).
>For example, if I have 10 people  who I want to set certain options for,
>in Listprocessor, I  would GET the subscriber list, edit  it, and PUT it
>back. Can I do this with LISTSERV?
 
You probably can, but  it's best to use the SET commands.  You can send a
batch of 10 SET commands in a single message, you can even use wildcards.
The larger the  list, the more unwieldy the GET+PUT  approach is going to
be.
 
>Q:  Anyone  have  any  experience  with  using  LISTSERV's  strategy  of
>assigning subscribers to sub-domains as a way to enhance efficiency?
 
This  is done  automatically if  you connect  your server  to the  "open"
LISTSERV network. In closed environments it isn't normally attempted, for
security  reasons, although  you  can create  definition  files for  your
internal/closed network  and in that  case if you have  multiple LISTSERV
nodes you will be able to use DISTRIBUTE.
 
>Q: Suppose the  name of the list  is ABC. New subscribers  are told they
>can  issue a  INDEX  ABC command  which  will then  return  to them  ABC
>FILELIST. As they look at the  ABC FILELIST, they will see ABC NOTEBOOK.
>If they subsequently GET ABC NOTEBOOK, they will be for quite a surprise
>since, although  we have only begun  to test, then ABC  NOTEBOOK file is
>becoming a large file (by email reader standards). This is almost as bad
>as a mail bomb! Any thoughts?
 
Most people set up their lists  for monthly archiving. You then get files
called  ABC LOGyymm.  If the  monthly files  are too  large, you  can use
weekly logs instead.
 
>Q: The  list manager  (guy who  maintains all the  lists) told  me about
>using some  JCL streams  at the  beginning and end  of any  requests for
>services. Question: Is this a standard practice? It seems a bit unweidly
>for the  novice subscribers to  have to include "mystery  code" embedded
>within their notes.
 
You don't have to use it unless you are using a mail product that inserts
"garbage"  at the  top  (typically a  letterhead-like  header). In  these
cases, other  list managers  are usually  totally incapable  of accepting
requests  from the  user because  they stop  at the  syntax error  in the
header. This is the only case where you HAVE to use the JCL.
 
>Q: On issueing  certain commands, I get a returned  message asking me to
>include the command  AD PW (or something to that  affect) before I issue
>my request. Since I'm a co-owner, why are they asking me for a password?
>I tried including the pw=the_list_password  but LISTSERV insisted that I
>go back and ADD PW, why?
 
I would  need to  know what command  was used. At  any rate,  the version
currently  used in  production is  from 1992,  and things  may well  have
changed since then.
 
You can  get updated documentation  either by FTP from  FTP.LSOFT.COM, CD
DOCUMENTS,  or by  sending your  INFO commands  to a  server running  the
current version, for instance [log in to unmask] In particular, there
is now a 95-page list owner's guide.
 
If you  have big  plans for your  service, one of  your main  concerns is
probably  scalability.  LISTSERV runs  on  machines  that support  up  to
1,000,000 LISTSERV  deliveries a  day. It  is used to  run lists  of over
77,000  subscribers. One  site runs  about 700-800  lists on  one machine
(it's  a  closed   corporate  server  so  it  doesn't  show   up  on  the
academic/Internet top  20s). You may  want to gather similar  figures for
the other MLMs and  talk to list owners who run lists  on the larger free
MLM installations.  List owners usually  prefer the system their  list is
running  on, so  if they  tell you  something negative  about it  you can
safely assume that it is a true statement :-)
 
  Eric