Sympa Mailing List Server
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New features in Sympa
New Web interface
Approving posts (in Moderation)
Web Archive and Posted Files
Membership management
Controlling access with Scenari
Creating a list
Defining membership
Customising notifications
S/MIME (and other cool features)
Questions!
Sympa Mailing List Server
New features in Sympa
• Self-service list request, creation, management, etc
• Virtual list domains with different rules, interface, etc
• High level of control over posting and subscription rules
• LDAP, SQL and HTTP integration
• S/MIME authentication support
• Shibboleth/LDAP authentication
• Consolidated personal subscription management
• Personalisation (Mail-Merge) support
• Autoprovisioning of lists
Sympa Mailing List Server
Why are we changing?
• Efficiency
o Bringing all list servers together into a common interface
• Roles & Responsibilities project
o Bring faculty list servers into common systems
o Need new features to provide capabilities required
• Improved service
o Self-provisioning capabilities
o Netaccount Integration = simpler membership management
• Stability
o New software under active development and support
Sympa Mailing List Server
New Web Interface
• One login for all your lists
• Shibboleth Integration and single-signon
• Creation and configuration of lists
• Membership management
• Post moderation
• Web archive of list postings
• Vacation controls
• Personal preferences
Sympa Mailing List Server
Approving Postings: All things in Moderation
User
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User makes post
Posting scenario checked
If rejected, notify sender
If accepted, distribute post
If moderated, notify user of
moderation, and notify
editors of arrival of new post
6. Admin can confirm or reject
post by web or by email
7. If rejected, notify sender
8. If accepted, distribute post
Moderator
Sympa Mailing List Server
Moderator notification email
One new message for list sshi052-test from s.shipway@auckland.ac.nz arrived.
1 messages are awaiting moderation.
To view the messages, please click on the following URL: /ticket/
<https://sympa.auckland.ac.nz/sympa/ticket/17053309131637>
To distribute the attached message in list sshi052-test:
<mailto:sympa@sympa.auckland.ac.nz?subject=DISTRIBUTE%20sshi052test%20bf95f771ef3cc4c59ddb1d825ba68054>
Or send a message to sympa@sympa.auckland.ac.nz with the following subject:
DISTRIBUTE sshi052-test bf95f771ef3cc4c59ddb1d825ba68054
To reject it (it will be removed):
<mailto:sympa@sympa.auckland.ac.nz?subject=REJECT%20sshi052test%20bf95f771ef3cc4c59ddb1d825ba68054>
Or send a message to sympa@sympa.auckland.ac.nz with the following subject:
REJECT sshi052-test bf95f771ef3cc4c59ddb1d825ba68054
The messages moderating documentation:
<https://sympa.auckland.ac.nz/sympa/help/admin#moderate>
Sympa Mailing List Server
Membership Management
Posting
User:
• Subscribe, Unsubscribe
• Via email or web
• May require approval
Blacklist
Subscribers
User
Explicit adds
External
Sources
Admin
Exclusions
Deliver!
Admin:
• Add and remove users
• Approve pending
• Set blacklists
Database
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Database:
NetAccount groups
LDAP query
Other lists’ members
External files
SQL query
Sympa Mailing List Server
Web Archives and Posted Files
• Automatic archive expiry
• Restrict archives to members, moderators, or public
• Searchable
• View chronologically or by thread
• Posted files are similar to Web Dropoff
• Restrict posted files to members or public
• Allow members or only moderators to post files
• Currently, only limited disk space is available for files
Sympa Mailing List Server
More Advanced Tasks
• Access control
• List Creation
• List configuration management
Sympa Mailing List Server
Controlling access with Scenari
Specific rules for who can perform a task, and what action
should be taken.
Check:
• How did the person authenticate?
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• List owner?
• List editor/moderator?
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• Location (IP Address)
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• LDAP group membership?
• Database lookup
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• Static list lookup
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• Other list membership status
• List moderator approval
(subscription, posting)
• Email address confirmation
(subscription, posting)
Result:
Permit action
Deny action
Require approval
Require further authentication
Require Certificate
Sympa Mailing List Server
Creating Lists
• Self-service : Request a list online
• Custom virtual domains for groups requiring it
• Choose a Template, or copy an existing list
• Select list name, description
• Make any changes to list configuration
• Request any @auckland.ac.nz aliases (Service Desk)
• Possibly request approval for list creation (Service Desk)
Sympa Mailing List Server
Controlling Membership
Posting
• Who can subscribe?
• Who can unsubscribe?
• List owners can add people
• Link to one or more LDAP
groups (e.g. NetAccount)
• Link to external Database
• Link to external address
list via HTTP
• Include members from
another list
• Can allow unsubscription of
members retrieved from
external sources!
Blacklist
Subscribers
User
Explicit adds
External
Sources
Admin
Exclusions
Deliver!
Database
Sympa Mailing List Server
Customising Notifications
Disposition:
Editor
Sent to editor
Moderated
Ask for
approval
Confirm your
post
AuthKey
Rejected
Rejected
Subscriber
Approved
Add header
and/or footer
Deliver
Sympa Mailing List Server
S/MIME (and other cool features)
S/MIME Signatures
• Only Signed messages will be
accepted on the list
• Protects list from forged
postings on official lists
• Does not work with
Personalisation feature!
• Recipients MUST have S/MIME
capable mail reader
• Can sign or encrypt list
postings before delivery with
List key
• Possibly more trouble than it
is worth!
Personalisation
• All postings are merged with
member data using TT2
templating
• Allows “Dear Sid Bloggs…”
message personalisation
• Can add any other custom
data fields to list membership
• Awkward to automatically
populate custom fields
• Does not work with S/MIME
signatures!
• Was used to create list owner
notification emails
Sympa Mailing List Server
If you want to know more…