Release 1.5n will provide the  following facilities to help preventing traffic
and/or intensive CPU consumption during "prime time":
 
- A new system variable, PRIMETIME, has  been defined to let each installation
  decide what their "prime time" is.
 
- A  new list  header  keyword, "Prime=",  has been  defined.  The default  is
  'Prime=YES', meaning the list may  operate during prime time. 'Prime=NO' may
  be specified  to prevent the  list from operating during  the installation's
  PRIMETIME; see later  on for a description  of the effect this  will have on
  DISTRIBUTEd list. Finally, 'Prime="primespec"'  (note the double quotes) may
  be specified  to enforce a particular  "prime time" definition for  the list
  (see  below for  a  definition of  'primespec'). In  that  latter case,  the
  installation's PRIMETIME sysvar  is ignored. Mail and  files received during
  the list's prime  time are held temporarily, without  any notification being
  sent to the originator. It is assumed that subscribers are aware of the fact
  that the list does  not operate 24h, and do not wish to  be reminded of this
  everytime they post something.
 
primespec = any number of 'dayspec', separated by semicolons
 
dayspec = <ddd1-ddd2:> timespec1 <timespec2 <...>>
           MON-SUN:
 
timespec = hh1:mm1-hh2:mm2
           -                   (meaning 'never')
 
ddd = MON TUE etc
 
Examples:
 
  'MON-FRI: 09:00-17:00; SAT-SUN: -' (This is the default SYSVAR)
  'MON-FRI: 08:00-12:00 13:30-18:30; SAT-SUN: 09:00-17:00'
 
- A new  JOB card  keyword, "Prime=",  has also been  defined. Its  syntax and
  default value  are the  same as for  the list-header keyword.  A job  with a
  "Prime" keyword  not equal to 'YES'  will be automatically held  if received
  during the appropriate  period. "Prime=NO" will cause a short  message to be
  sent  to the  job originator,  whereas  "Prime=QUIETNO" will  not, nor  will
  'Prime="hh1:mm1-hh2:mm2"'.  Note that  if the  physical spool  file contains
  more than one job, the "Prime=" keyword of the first one will take effect on
  all the jobs; if another "Prime=" keyword is encountered on a subsequent JOB
  card, it will be ignored with a warning message.
 
- DISTRIBUTE and DIST2  have been modified to preserve the  value of the job's
  "Prime=" keyword (if any) during the  distribution. That is, if you submit a
  DISTRIBUTE job with  "Prime=NO", all the inter-server  jobs generated during
  the distribution will  also have "Prime=NO" (well to be  exact, it's changed
  to "Prime=QUIETNO" for obvious reasons). Since the PRIMETIME definitions may
  vary from one  node to the other, and since  explicit prime time definitions
  are expressed in local time which  is obviously not the same everywhere, the
  job may  take over  24h to be  distributed if there  are recipients  on both
  continents. However, no load will have been generated on any node during the
  periods of time where this load is undesired.
 
- A DISTRIBUTEd  list generates  DIST jobs  with a  "Prime=" JOB  card keyword
  equal to the list-header  keyword. That is, even if the  list is not peered,
  the prime  time specification will  be respected all  over the world.  For a
  regular  list, the  prime  time  specification will  be  inspected when  the
  various peers explode the file.
 
- SIGNOFF and DELETE  unconditionally create a DIST2 job  with "Prime=NO" when
  the  NETWIDE  option  is  used.   The  actual  deletion  job  also  contains
  "Prime=NO".
 
Note that  there is no compatibility  problem, since LISTSERV will  ignore JOB
card  keywords that  it doesn't  know.  The changes  to the  list headers  can
therefore be made NOW.
 
  Eric