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1 .\" This file is automatically generated. Do not edit!
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2 .\" @(#)$Id$
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3 .SC MH-ALIAS 5
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4 .NA
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5 mh-alias \- alias file for MH message system
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6 .SY
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7 any \fIMH\fR command
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8 .DE
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9 This describes both \fIMH\fR personal alias files and
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10 the (primary) alias file for mail delivery, the file
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11
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12 /usr/local/mh/lib/MailAliases
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13
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14 It does \fBnot\fR describe aliases files used by the message transport system.
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15 Each line of the alias file has the format:
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16
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17 alias : address\-group
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18 .br
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19 or
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20 .br
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21 alias ; address\-group
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22 .br
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23 or
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24 .br
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25 < alias\-file
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26 .br
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27 or
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28 .br
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29 ; comment
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30 .br
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31
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32 where:
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33
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34 address\-group := address\-list
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35 .br
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36 | \*(lq<\*(rq file
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37 .br
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38 | \*(lq=\*(rq UNIX\-group
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39 .br
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40 | \*(lq+\*(rq UNIX\-group
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41 .br
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42 | \*(lq*\*(rq
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43
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44 .br
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45 address\-list := address
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46 .br
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47 | address\-list, address
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48 .br
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49
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50 Continuation lines in alias files end with `\\' followed by the newline
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51 character.
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52
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53 Alias\-file and file are UNIX file names.
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54 UNIX\-group is a group name (or number) from \fI/etc/group\fR.
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55 An address is a \*(lqsimple\*(rq Internet\-style address.
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56 Througout this file, case is ignored, except for alias\-file names.
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57
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58 If the line starts with a `<', then the file named after the `<' is
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59 read for more alias definitions. The reading is done recursively, so a `<'
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60 may occur in the beginning of an alias file with the expected results.
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61
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62 If the address\-group starts with a `<',
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63 then the file named after the `<' is read and its contents are added to
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64 the address\-list for the alias.
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65
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66 If the address\-group starts with an `=',
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67 then the file \fI/etc/group\fR is consulted
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68 for the UNIX\-group named after the `='.
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69 Each login name occurring as a member of the group is added to the
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70 address\-list for the alias.
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71
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72 In contrast, if the address\-group starts with a `+',
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73 then the file \fI/etc/group\fR is consulted
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74 to determine the group\-id of the UNIX\-group named after the `+'.
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75 Each login name occurring in the \fI/etc/passwd\fR file whose group\-id
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76 is indicated by this group is added to the address\-list for the alias.
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77
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78 If the address\-group is simply `*',
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79 then the file \fI/etc/passwd\fR is consulted
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80 and all login names with a userid greater than some magic number
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81 (usually 200) are added to the address\-list for the alias.
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82
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83 In match, a trailing * on an alias will match just about anything appropriate.
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84 (See example below.)
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85
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86 An approximation of the way aliases are resolved at posting time is
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87 (it's not really done this way):
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88
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89 .in +.5i
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90 1) Build a list of all addresses from the message to be
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91 delivered, eliminating duplicate addresses.
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92
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93 2) If this draft originated on the local host,
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94 then for those addresses in the message that have no host specified,
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95 perform alias resolution.
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96
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97 3) For each line in the alias file,
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98 compare \*(lqalias\*(rq against all of the existing addresses.
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99 If a match, remove the matched \*(lqalias\*(rq from the address list,
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100 and add each new address in the address\-group to the address list
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101 if it is not already on the list.
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102 The alias itself is not usually output,
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103 rather the address\-group that the alias maps to is output instead.
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104 If \*(lqalias\*(rq is terminated with a `;' instead of a `:',
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105 then both the \*(lqalias\*(rq and the address are output
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106 in the correct format.
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107 (This makes replies possible since \fIMH\fR aliases and
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108 personal aliases are unknown to the mail transport system.)
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109 .in -.5i
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110
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111 Since the alias file is read line by line, forward references
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112 work, but backward references are not recognized, thus, there is
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113 no recursion.
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114
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115 .ne 10
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116 \fBExample:\fR
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117 .nf
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118 .in +.5i
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119 </usr/local/mh/lib/BBoardAliases
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120 sgroup: fred, fear, freida
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121 b-people: Blind List: bill, betty;
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122 fred: frated@UCI
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123 UNIX\-committee: <unix.aliases
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124 staff: =staff
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125 wheels: +wheel
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126 everyone: *
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127 news.*: news
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128 .in -.5i
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129 .fi
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130
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131 The first line says that more aliases should immediately be read from
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132 the file \fI/usr/local/mh/lib/BBoardAliases\fR.
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133 Following this, \*(lqfred\*(rq is defined as an alias for
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134 \*(lqfrated@UCI\*(rq,
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135 and \*(lqsgroup\*(rq is defined as an alias for
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136 the three names \*(lqfrated@UCI\*(rq, \*(rqfear\*(rq, and \*(rqfreida\*(rq.
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137 .sp
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138 The alias \*(lqb-people\*(rq is a blind list which includes the
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139 addresses \*(lqbill\*(rq and \*(lqbetty\*(rq; the message
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140 will be delieved to those addresses, but the
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141 message header will show only \*(lqBlind List: ;\*(rq (not the addresses).
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142 .sp
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143 Next, the definition of \*(lqUNIX\-committee\*(rq is given by reading
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144 the file \fIunix.aliases\fR in the users \fIMH\fR directory,
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145 \*(lqstaff\*(rq is defined as all users who are listed as members of
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146 the group \*(lqstaff\*(rq in the \fI/etc/group\fR file,
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147 and \*(lqwheels\*(rq is defined as all users whose group\-id in
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148 \fI/etc/passwd\fR is equivalent to the \*(lqwheel\*(rq group.
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149 .sp
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150 Finally, \*(lqeveryone\*(rq is defined as all users with a user\-id in
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151 \fI/etc/passwd\fR greater than 200,
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152 and all aliases of the form \*(lqnews.<anything>\*(rq are defined
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153 to be \*(lqnews\*(rq.
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154
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155 The key thing to understand about aliasing in \fIMH\fR
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156 is that aliases in \fIMH\fR alias files are expanded into the
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157 headers of messages posted.
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158 This aliasing occurs first,
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159 at posting time,
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160 without the knowledge of the message transport system.
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161 In contrast,
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162 once the message transport system is given a message to deliver
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163 to a list of addresses,
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164 for each address that appears to be local,
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165 a system\-wide alias file is consulted.
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166 These aliases are \fBNOT\fR expanded into the headers of messages delivered.
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167 .Hh
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168 To use aliasing in \fIMH\fR quickly, do the following:
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169
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170 .in +.5i
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171 First, in your \fI\&.mh\(ruprofile\fR,
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172 choose a name for your alias file, say \*(lqaliases\*(rq,
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173 and add the line:
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174
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175 .nf
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176 .in +.5i
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177 Aliasfile: aliases
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178 .\" ali: \-alias aliases
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179 .\" send: \-alias aliases
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180 .\" whom: \-alias ailases
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181 .in -.5i
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182 .fi
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183
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184 Second, create the file \*(lqaliases\*(rq in your \fIMH\fR directory.
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185
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186 Third, start adding aliases to your \*(lqaliases\*(rq file as appropriate.
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187 .in -.5i
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188 .Fi
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189 ^/usr/local/mh/lib/MailAliases~^Primary alias file
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190 .Pr
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191 ^Aliasfile:~^For a default alias file
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192 .Sa
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193 ali(1), send(1), whom(1), group(5), passwd(5), conflict(8), post(8)
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194 .De
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195 None
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196 .Co
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197 None
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198 .Hi
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199 In previous releases of \fIMH\fR,
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200 only a single, system\-wide mh\-alias file was supported.
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201 This led to a number of problems,
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202 since only mail\-system administrators were capable of (un)defining
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203 aliases.
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204 Hence,
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205 the semantics of mh\-alias were extended to support personal alias files.
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206 Users of \fIMH\fR no longer need to bother mail\-system administrators for
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207 keeping information in the system\-wide alias file,
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208 as each \fIMH\fR user can create/modify/remove aliases at will from any
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209 number of personal files.
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210 .Bu
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211 Although the forward-referencing semantics of \fImh\-alias\fR files prevent
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212 recursion, the \*(lq<\ alias\-file\*(rq command may defeat this. Since the
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213 number of file descriptors is finite (and very limited), such infinite
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214 recursion will terminate with a meaningless diagnostic when all the fds are
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215 used up.
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216 .sp
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217 Forward references do not work correctly inside blind lists.
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218 .En
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