vacation (C)

NAME

     vacation - E-mail auto-responder

SYNOPSIS

     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

DESCRIPTION

     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 ``all-
     man''.

     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(SLIB).
          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 to reply to mailing list mes-
          sages which may result in removing you from the list.

     -l   List the content of the vacation database file  includ-
          ing  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 vaca-
          tion 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 data-
          base 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(ADMN)
     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 insensi-
     tive) 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  main-
     tained  as  a  dbm(S)  database  in the file .vacation.db or
     .vacation.{dir,pag} in your home directory.

     Vacation expects a file .vacation.msg, in your  home  direc-
     tory,  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

FILES

     ~/.vacation.{dir,pag}
                       default database file for dbm(NS)

     ~/.vacation.msg   default message to send

SEE ALSO

sendmail(ADMN),
syslog(S)

HISTORY

     The vacation command appeared in 4.3BSD.