checkerr(8)
NAME
checkerr - check for serious errors encountered by smail
SYNOPSIS
/usr/lib/smail/checkerr
DESCRIPTION
Checkerr reads through the spool area used by smail(8) and looks for
serious processing errors detected by smail. Whenever new errors are
detected, a summary is mailed to ``Postmaster,'' which is assumed to be
an address for the user who is responsible for maintaining the smail
software and configuration. In addition to this, a number of cleanup
operations are performed.
Checkerr should be run periodically from cron(8). Once per day should be
sufficient. Make certain that checkerr is executed under a user and
group ID that can write to the directories in the smail spool areas.
The checkerr detects message spool files under the smail error directory.
If any files have appeared since the last time checkerr was executed, a
summary is mailed to the Postmaster. A quick check is made to determine
if mail to ``Postmaster'' will actually succeed. If not, the error
summary is left in the file .checkerror in the error directory.
The error summary mailed to the Postmaster will include any logged
information pertaining to the failed messages. The per-message
transaction log, the smail transaction log and the panic log are all used
as sources of this information.
FILES
/usr/lib/smail/config
The main smail configuration file. A second smail
configuration file can also be specified in config.
/usr/sbin/smail The default executable used for attempting to deliver
error summaries to the postmaster.
/usr/spool/smail/log/logfile
The default name for the transaction log file. This
can be changed in the smail config file.
/usr/spool/smail/log/OLD /logfile.0
Archived version of the transaction log file. The
directory "/usr/spool/smail/log/OLD" is changed to be
under the directory where the logfile resides, and thus
can be changed in the smail config file.
/usr/spool/smail/log/OLD /logfile.1.Z
Previous compressed archive version of the transaction
log file. The directory "/usr/spool/smail/log/OLD" is
changed to be under the directory where the logfile
resides, and thus can be changed in the smail config
file.
/usr/spool/smail/log/paniclog
The default name for the panic log file. This can be
changed in the smail config file.
/usr/spool/smail/log/OLD /paniclog.0
Archive for the panic log file. This can be changed in
the smail config file.
/usr/spool/smail/log/OLD /paniclog.1.Z
Previous compressed archive for the panic log file.
This can be changed in the smail config file.
/usr/spool/smail The default list of one or more colon separated smail
spool directory trees. Delivery is attempted at
intervals from each of these trees. In addition,
errors in spooling new messages to trees earlier in the
list will result in attempts to spool to trees later in
the list.
The directories listed below are an example of the contents under each of
these trees:
/usr/spool/smail/input
The directory into which incoming messages are spooled.
Each file in this directory has a unique 14 character
name derived from the message ID used internally by the
smail program. Delivery is attempted at intervals for
each of these files.
/usr/spool/smail/lock
A directory containing lock files. On systems which do
not have an efficient file locking primative, files are
created under this directory to prevent simultaneous
processing of messages by concurrant invocations of the
smail program.
/usr/spool/smail/msglog
A directory containing per-message transaction logs.
Smail maintains these logfiles to keep track of which
recipients have received a particular mail message, and
what errors have so far been found while delivering.
These files are removed automatically by smail
processing of a message has completed.
/usr/spool/smail/error
If a mail messages fails for a reason that requires
attendance by the site administrator, it is moved into
this directory to prevent smail from continuing to
attempt delivery.
SEE ALSO
cron(8), smail(5) and smail(8).
COPYRIGHT
Copyright(C)1987, 1988 Ronald S. Karr and Landon Curt Noll
Copyright(C)1992 Ronald S. Karr
See a file COPYING, distributed with the source code, or type smail -bc
for distribution rights and restrictions associated with this software.