NA-NET Files

The NA-NET programs and files are in the directory /usr/local/na-net. The NA-NET main program is in /usr/local/na-net/na-net. The NA-NET program gets the location of all files from a config file that is passed to NA-NET on the UNIX command line when NA-NET is called by sendmail to deliver mail. The config file is in /usr/local/na-net/config. It contains the following:

----------------------------------------------------------------
libdir=/usr/local/na-net/lib
workdir=/var/spool/na-net
prefix=na
helpfile=/usr/local/na-net/help.txt
human=na-net@netlib2.cs.utk.edu
mail_domain=na-net.ornl.gov
errlog1=na.errlog1@na-net.ornl.gov
errlog2=na.errlog2@na-net.ornl.gov
master_file=/usr/local/na-net/nanet_names.master
digest_file=/var/spool/na-net/digest
logfile=/var/log/na-net/na-net.log
digest_ack_file=/usr/local/na-net/digest-ack.txt
delivery_error_file_1=/var/log/na-net/misc-delivery-errors.log
delivery_error_file_2=/var/log/na-net/delivery-errors.log
white_pages_file=/usr/local/na-net/whitepages.database
----------------------------------------------------------------

The purpose of these entries is as follows:

libdir - location of subsidiary programs to be called by NA-NET. (currently unused)

workdir - a scratch directory for NA-NET to write temp files, etc.

prefix - This is the prefix that NA-NET will accept at the beginning of addresses. NA-NET will remove it from the local part of a recipient address before processing.

The prefix is used to distinguish NA-NET addresses from ordinary local addresses on systems where the NA-NET system shares a mail domain with local users.

Normally the prefix doesn't change. However, you could run multiple NA-NET domains with different prefixes, simply by prefixes, simply by having sendmail call NA-NET with a different config-file for each prefix.

helpfile - location of the text file sent in response to a message addressed to help

human - Internet email address (not an NA-NET address) of a human being. This is used for mail to any of the following:

na.net@na-net.ornl.gov

na-net@na-net.ornl.gov

nanet@na-net.ornl.gov

postmaster@na-net.ornl.gov

It is also used as a reply address on responses to help, join, change, remove, sendlist, whois, join-wp, change-wp, and remove-wp commands, and digest submissions. (But not as the reply address on digests sent to subscribers!)

mail_domain - Internet mail domain for NA-NET addresses. This is used in error messages and also so that NA-NET will recognize addresses such as user%na-net.ornl.gov@na-net.ornl.gov which shouldn't occur, but do.

errlog1 - This address is used for the return address on most responses to NA-NET commands. If a response bounces, the message will get sent back to this address. Normally errlog1 is set up to feed back into into errlog1@na-net.ornl.gov, so that we can save the returned message. Unfortunately, if one of these response messages bounces, we can't do much about it; but the logs are sometimes useful to help answer questions or diagnose problems with someone's mail system. (See delivery_error_file_1, below).

errlog2 - This should be an Internet email address. NA-NET will use this address as the envelope return-address on all outgoing na-digests. Normally this will point back to .errlog2@, which allows NA-NET to process and log bounced mail messages. (Unlike messages sent in response to commands, we can use the bounced digests to let us know whose addresses are no longer valid.) (See delivery_error_file_2, below).

master_file - location of the NA-NET subscriber database. See ``File Formats'' below.

digest_file - This is where incoming digest articles are stored. Each article is separated from the others by a line of the form ``From sender date''. Two blank lines are added before the ``From'' line and after each message.

logfile - This is a log of messages sent to NA-NET. Each line is of the form:

date time sender recipient status-code status text...

digest_ack_file - This file contains a message that is sent to people who send mail to the na.digest.

delivery_error_file_1 - This is where bounced messages in response to NA-NET responses get filed.

delivery_error_file_2 - This is where bounced digests get filed.

white_pages_file - location of the NA-NET Whitepages Database.