Autoresponder
Z1 Mail Autoresponder
1 Introduction
From version 1.98.22 Z1 Mailer includes autorespond functionality.
Autoresponder allows the mail system to generate and send pre-defined replies to people who send email to the system.
Z1 autoresponder gives individual users control over their own auto-respond functionality. It also allows system administrators to control automatic replies when mail is addressed to system-wide aliases or lists.
2 Functionality
When email is received by the system Z1 Mailer determines whether an Auto-Reply text is available for the addressee. If the Auto-Reply text is located a reply message is generated and sent.
Auto-Reply messages may be set-up for following addresses:
- Individual users - under control of users
- Mail Aliases - for individual users or lists - under administrator control
- For all mail - an administrator may create one-for-all Auto-Reply message
Autorespond functionality does not change mail delivery in any way. Where mail is delivered can be controlled by mail aliases and filter settings.
3 Control
3.1 Individual users
| Individual Users Create a file in your home folder \\z1\[username] called AutoReply.txt (Note: file name must be exactly that - including case). NOTE to access your home folder you must be logged on to the workstation you are working from, with the same username and password as on the server. If you are not logged on with your own username then please contact your server administrator. If a file with that name is found in a user's home folder then auto-reply will be generated when email to that user is delivered.The text in theAutoReply.txt file, will be used for the reply. |
3.2 Mail Aliases
If email is addressed to an alias and delivered to individual users, users AutoReply.txt files will be examined and - if needed - auto-reply messages will be generated. However, some aliases refer to more than one user and it is not appropriate for users to send individual replies. In such cases the administrator may set-up an auto-reply message for an alias. If such message is detected, it will be used instead of individual users messages to create auto-reply. If mail is addressed to an alias that represents a list of users or contains remote addresses then only alias auto-reply message is considered. Individual AutoReply.txt files will not be used.
| Example: if you have an alias sales->john,tom, anne and another alias Tom.Jones->tom Tom goes for holidays, leaving an AutoReply.txt to inform people that he is away, then email to sales will be delivered as usual and will not trigger autoreply from Tom but mail addressed to Tom or Tom.Jones will. |
Note, however that what decides is the alias that was actually used in the mail address, the process is not recursive. Therefore - if you also have an alias info->sales then a mail addressed to info will in the example above generate an auto-reply from Tom. This behaviour may be disabled by creating an auto-reply message for info containing the word NOREPLY in the first line.
If an alias auto-reply is generated or disabled with NOREPLY keyword, no individual auto-replies will be considered.
Alias auto-reply messages are stored in /etc/Z1/mailer/AutoReply/ folder. System administrators have access to this folder via \\Z1\z1homes\System or with filemanagers available in Z1 WEB admin tools. In order to create an auto-reply message for an alias create a file [alias].txt in the AutoReply folder (i.e. info.txt for info alias - note that it is case sensitive, must be exactly like the alias). The file should contain simple text that will be used in auto-reply or a word NOREPLY to disable auto-reply for this alias.
3.3 Global Auto-Reply
If no other auto-reply messages are generated, the system looks for a global auto-reply message. This means that even if a global auto-reply message exists it may be superseded by individual users.
To create a global auto-reply message create a file /etc/Z1/mailer/AutoReply.txt and store the text of the message there. System administrators have access to this file via \\Z1\z1homes\System or with filemanagers available in Z1 WEB admin tools.
4 Exclusions
Some exclusions are built into the auto-reply system in order to minimize the number of replies sent to mailing list, junk mail sources etc.
Following conditions will disable auto-reply:
- Detected SPAM or suspected SPAM or virus infected mail
- Mail is ignored or bounced by the Z1 Mail filter
- Mail with Precedence: junk or list or bulk (standard for well behaved mailing lists)
- Mail from DAEMON (system messages)
- Mail to undisclosed or multiple recipients (if one of these words is present in the address)
- Mail to root (or any alias that points to root - like postmaster or MAILER-DAEMON)
- If a header field listed in /etc/Z1/mailer/AutoReply/NoReply.txt file is present in the mail header. (only presence of the field is tested). Administrators may edit this file.
5 Loop protection
A common problem with autoresponders is how to provide protection against a situation where both the sender and the recipient auto-respond, creating an infinite loop. Different systems solve this problem in different ways.
Z1 Mailer autoresponder solution for this is that all responses have a return address z1_mailer, which is a black-hole email address - any mail sent to it will be simply ignored, breaking the potential mail loop.
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