INC NEWS - >>> ADMIN NOTE <<<

[RW Pickle]

There seems to be some concern that there is something wrong with the list
server. I will try to explain, in simple terms, what it is, what it does,
and why anyone will experience problems as it relates to posting. It is a
machine that has defined parameters. It doesn't look outside these and
make judgement calls. It makes green (as in go) or red (as in stop)
decisions. An all but .1% (and maybe less) of the reasons anyone would
ever have a problem posting is relative to human error. the machine makes
very few mistakes. So it's people problems and not list server problems
that are the root of your concern. Perhaps understanding how the machine
works will aid in solving the issues people seem to be facing.

The List server does three things when it receives an emailed post from
anyone. I'll use the character John Doe as my example. John is a member of
the INC list for this example of how a list server works.

First thing it does when it receives an emailed post is to see who it is
from and check the senders name against the member list.  Because when you
signed up for the list server, you had to enter an email address. This is
how the list server recognizes you. If John registered as
John.Doe at hotmail.com, that is the email address he must use when sending a
post to the list server. If John Doe also has the email address of
John.Doe at aol.com, and sends a post from this address, the list server
doesn't recognize John because this is not the same address of the member,
John Doe. It immediantly throws the email post from the aol address out.
It helps that no two addresses are the same. Like your fingerprint, each
one is different. John may get email regularly at both addresses, but the
list server only knows that John is who he says he is when postings by his
registered member email address; John.Doe at hotmail.com, arrive. John by any
other email address or name is not John to the machine.

The second thing the list server looks at, after recognizing that John is
a member, is to see if there are a number of other email addresses that
John has sent this post. Emails sent to a number of addresses are
considered spam, because that is what spam is, broadcast email. Our list
server likes it when it is the only address to which a post is sent. But
it will allow a post with one additional email address. It does not allow
Bcc (blind carbon copy) addresses at all. So if John sends a post to the
lister server and one other email address, the post flies through
uninterrupted. If John sends a post to several email addresses, even
though John is a member, it sees it as spam and kicks it out. It won't
allow John to spam the members.

If it finds John is a member, and John has not sent the post to a bunch of
other email addresses, it then looks at the size of the email post John
has sent.  Our list server is set to accept a post up to 40KB (40
kilobytes). As a measure of computer memory or storage, a kilobyte (KB) is
approximately a thousand bytes (actually, 2 to the 10th power, or decimal
1,024 bytes). So 40KB would be a little more than 40,000 pieces of
information in an emailed post; or roughly 4,000 words. That's why it's
important to send messages to the list server in simple text. When sent in
html format, the list server reads the html code and adds a byte for every
piece of code it sees. If you know what html code looks like (just select
View/Source from your browsers menu bar to see), then you realize that a
little code adds a great deal of bytes to any message. I have the ability
as administrator to change this to a greater or lesser number, allowing
for larger or smaller posts. 40KB is generally large enough for just about
any diatribe that comes through the service. Only rarely does it kick out
a post due to size. And when it does, it typically is because it is sent
in html format or is sent with multiple emails attached such as in a
forwarded message. So size will throw the email post out as well.

If the list server finds all of the three areas it checks as having no
problems, it immediantly sends out Johns' email post to every member of
the list. This all takes place in far less time than it has taken to read
this far. But if there is a problem at any stage of the checking prior to
sending out the post, the list server kicks out the emailed post and sends
me an email telling me (the list administrator) that there is a post
waiting for me on the list server that needs my attention. When I check my
email, I'll find a message from the list server. Here's a copy of what it
sends me:

As list administrator, your authorization is requested for the
following mailing list posting:

    List:    INC-list at DurhamINC.org
    From:    John Doe
    Subject: Can You Believe It!
    Reason:  Message has implicit destination

At your convenience, visit:

    http://lists.deltaforce.net/mailman/admindb/inc-list

to approve or deny the request.

In this particular message, the server tells me that Johns' emailed post
was kicked out because it was seen as spam. "Implicit destination" refers
to multiple addresses in the Cc field of the emailed post. It didn't check
for size because it was kicked out at step 2 and did not get to step 3. So
it may have been too large as well, the machine will never know until it
is reposted by John. I have no ability to edit any emailed post, so I just
can't fix the problem and send it on through. And since it doesn't know
John Doe from David Harris, it treats everyone the same. That is why
Davids' emailed post was rejected. It was a problem in step 1, 2, or 3.
It's that simple. It wasn't a problem with the list server, it was human
error that created the problem. The list server functioned just as it
should.

So when I have to go to the list server (done via online connections) to
fix the problems that others create, I can do one of four things. I can
hold it for dealing with it later, I can discard it, I can reject it in
which case an email is sent back to the person sending the emailed post
explaining the problem with it, or I can approve it after I have further
examined the issue. This means I have to open every piece of problem email
to determine the problem. I can't fix it, just do one of the 4 things
listed above. Because of the sheer volume at times (because anyone can
send the list server a post, even the same spammers that you get email
from), I have taken the position to reject all problems and try to educate
those who create the problem in the first place. My thoughts are that a
better educated posting membership means less efforts as the
administrator. After all, that's the way it should be, effortless. Some
days, when we have a cross-posting event along with the regular spam, it's
just nuts going to the list server so many times to fix the problems. If
we get under a spam attack (like has happened in the past, where some
spammer is using our posting email address as the return email on their
spam mail), it means as many as 2,000 messages get held for me to look at
and resolve and 2,000 emails I get from the server telling me about the
problems. Just think about getting 2,000 emails a day for a week. It'll
drive you nuts dealing with it. But it seems that education about problem
posting issues is useful although it only seems to work for a while and
then it's the same people who create the problem over again. I educate,
the problem goes away; it reoccurs again and I educate again. It's a
cycle...

About the only time I will approve a held posting is when it relates to
size. If that is the reason for being held, and the size is just a little
bit over, I will send it on through. Otherwise, when someone isn't a
member, or when posts are sent with implicit destinations, I have taken
the position to reject them all, regardless of the sender. You have to
draw the line somewhere and create boundaries in which to operate and
maintain a list server. that is why there is an administrator. He has to
administrate.

So it's not the list server that is the issue, it's the problems the
members (and non-members) create that cause the problems. The machine just
does what it is supposed to do, serve messages to the list members. I
think that most of the list is happy to not be getting a bunch of spam.
Enough of it comes via general email already.

I hope this helps those who seem to think the problem is in the list
server. Human error is the culprit and I haven't figured out a way to fix
that yet. It seems like education is the best way to resolve the human
issues. I have seen those who would regularly make mistakes, learn. And in
learning, they made both of our lives easier and thier posting experience
more enjoyable. That's what it's all about.

RWP
List Administrator