[TriLUG] Re: Mailman messages to -owner and -admin being treated as bounces in version 2.1.5

[Jeff Groves]

Jeff Groves wrote:

> I recently, unexpectedly and, painfully upgraded my Mailman from 
> version 1.0.13 (I think.. can't remember for sure) to version 2.1.5 
> when I upgraded Red Hat 7.1 to Fedora Core 2.
>
> I have got all of the quirks worked out except now all messages to the 
> -owner and -admin accounts now are all treated as bounce messages.  Is 
> this by design (I've seen some reference to the -admin addresses being 
> deprecate) or did I break something?
>
> Here is an example of the type of entries that I have in my 
> /etc/mail/aliases file for each of my listservs that I administer:
>
> ## reunion mailing list
> reunion:              "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman post reunion"
> reunion-admin:        "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman admin reunion"
> reunion-bounces:      "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman bounces reunion"
> reunion-confirm:      "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman confirm reunion"
> reunion-join:         "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman join reunion"
> reunion-leave:        "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman leave reunion"
> reunion-owner:        "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman owner reunion"
> reunion-request:      "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman request reunion"
> reunion-subscribe:    "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman subscribe reunion"
> reunion-unsubscribe:  "|/var/mailman/mail/mailman unsubscribe reunion"
>
>
> Most notably, the messages that are generated to tell me when I need 
> to moderate the listserv are they themselves treated as bounced 
> messages and are handled by the default mailman listserv bounce handler.
>
> This upgrade from Red Hat 7.1 to Fedora Core 2 has been an adventure.  
> Glad that I took it, but I'm sure that I've a few more gray hairs as a 
> result.
>
> Jeff G.
>
>
I finally figured-out what was causing this bounce situation.  In the 
version of Mailman that I was using before I upgraded to 2.1.5, the 
"-owner" and "-admin" suffixed email addresses were synonymous and I had 
made entries in my /etc/mail/virtusertable file that reinforced that 
situation.

In 2.1.5, the two suffixed email addresses are no longer synonymous.  
The "-admin" is deprecated and generates a bounce while the "-owner" is 
translated to the administrators and moderators of the list by Mailman 
and retransmitted.

The entries in my /etc/mail/virtusertable were translating my listserv 
email addresses with "-owner" to "-admin" and causing the bounce situation.

Jeff G.

-- 
Law of Procrastination:
        Procrastination avoids boredom; one never has
        the feeling that there is nothing important to do.