vacation - E-mail auto-responder
vacation [-a alias] [-C cffile]
[-d] [-f database] [-i] [-I] [-j]
[-l] [-m message] [-R returnaddr]
[-r interval] [-s address] [-t
time] [-U] [-x] [-z] login
Vacation returns a message, ~/.vacation.msg by
default, to the sender informing them that you are currently not reading
your mail. The message is only sent to each sender once per reply interval
(see -r below). The intended use is in a .forward file. For
example, your .forward file might have:
- \eric, "|/usr/bin/vacation -a allman eric"
which would send messages to you (assuming your login name was
eric) and reply to any messages for ``eric'' or ``allman''.
Available options:
- -a alias
- Handle messages for alias in the same manner as those received for
the user's login name.
- -C cfpath
- Specify pathname of the sendmail configuration file. This option is
ignored if -U is specified. This option defaults to the standard
sendmail configuration file, located at /etc/mail/sendmail.cf on most
systems.
- -d
- Send error/debug messages to stderr instead of syslog. Otherwise, fatal
errors, such as calling vacation with incorrect arguments, or with
non-existent logins, are logged in the system log file, using
syslog(8). This should only be used on the command line, not in your
.forward file.
- -f filename
- Use filename as name of the database instead of
~/.vacation.db or ~/.vacation.{dir,pag}. Unless the
filename starts with / it is relative to ~.
- -i
- Initialize the vacation database files. It should be used before you
modify your .forward file. This should only be used on the command
line, not in your .forward file.
- -I
- Same as -i (for backwards compatibility). This should only be used
on the command line, not in your .forward file.
- -j
- Respond to the message regardless of whether the login is listed as a
recipient for the message. Do not use this flag unless you are sure of the
consequences. For example, this will cause vacation to reply to
mailing list messages which may result in removing you from the list.
- -l
- List the content of the vacation database file including the address and
the associated time of the last auto-response to that address. This should
only be used on the command line, not in your .forward file.
- -m filename
- Use filename as name of the file containing the message to send
instead of ~/.vacation.msg. Unless the filename starts with
/ it is relative to ~.
- -R returnaddr
- Set the reply envelope sender address
- -r interval
- Set the reply interval to interval days. The default is one week.
An interval of ``0'' or ``infinite'' (actually, any non-numeric character)
will never send more than one reply. The -r option should only be
used when the vacation database is initialized (see -i above).
- -s address
- Use address instead of the incoming message sender address on the
From line as the recipient for the vacation message.
- -t time
- Ignored, available only for compatibility with Sun's vacation
program.
- -U
- Do not attempt to lookup login in the password file. The -f and -m
options must be used to specify the database and message file since there
is no home directory for the default settings for these options.
- -x
- Reads an exclusion list from stdin (one address per line). Mails coming
from an address in this exclusion list won't get a reply by
vacation. It is possible to exclude complete domains by specifying
``@domain'' as element of the exclusion list. This should only be used on
the command line, not in your .forward file.
- -z
- Set the sender of the vacation message to ``<>'' instead of the
user. This probably violates the RFCs since vacation messages are not
required by a standards-track RFC to have a null reverse-path.
Vacation reads the first line from the standard input for a
UNIX ``From'' line to determine the sender. Sendmail(8) includes this
``From'' line automatically.
No message will be sent unless login (or an alias
supplied using the -a option) is part of either the ``To:'' or
``Cc:'' headers of the mail. No messages from ``???-REQUEST'',
``???-RELAY'', ``???-OWNER'', ``OWNER-???'', ``Postmaster'', ``UUCP'',
``MAILER'', or ``MAILER-DAEMON'' will be replied to (where these strings are
case insensitive) nor is a notification sent if a ``Precedence: bulk'' or
``Precedence: junk'' line is included in the mail headers. The people who
have sent you messages are maintained as a db(3) or dbm(3) database in the
file .vacation.db or .vacation.{dir,pag} in your home
directory.
Vacation expects a file .vacation.msg, in your home
directory, containing a message to be sent back to each sender. It should be
an entire message (including headers). For example, it might contain:
-
From: eric@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Eric Allman)
Subject: I am on vacation
Delivered-By-The-Graces-Of: The Vacation program
Precedence: bulk
I am on vacation until July 22. If you have something urgent,
please contact Keith Bostic <bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU>.
--eric
- ~/.vacation.db
- default database file for db(3)
- ~/.vacation.{dir,pag}
- default database file for dbm(3)
- ~/.vacation.msg
- default message to send
The vacation command appeared in 4.3BSD.