Homepage Resume Linux GUI Maple MAILBOX GSM Warez Travels HP 48 Radio Friends

MAILBOX for OpenVMS

Home Page Features Download FAQ License
Screenshots Installation Report bugs Changelog
 

Requirements, Installation and Configuration > Requirements
> Installation
> Configuration

> Requirements

OpenVMS (VAX or Alpha) version 6.0 or greater
TCP/IP stack

MAILBOX has been tested on the following configurations : OpenVMS VAX and Alpha, versions 7.1, 7.1-2, 7.2-1, with Compaq TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS 4.2 and 5.0.


> Installation instructions

Download MAILBOX 0.7 from the Download page.

Unzip MLB007.ZIP

$ MC UNZIP MLB007.ZIP

Note that this step requires that the UNZIP utility is installed on your system. The UNZIP is utility is free software available from COMPAQ Freeware CD, or from the Web at the OpenVMS home page.

Use VMSINSTAL to install MAILBOX

$ @SYS$UPDATE:VMSINSTAL MLB007 dir_name

where dir_name is the directory where MLB007.A resides.

If VMSINSTAL returns an error (eg. invalid backup save set format), you may need to use the RESET_BACKUP.COM DCL command procedure in order to restore the MLB007.A backup save set properties :

$ @RESET_BACKUP MLB007.A

Edit your system startup procedure

Add the following line :

$ @SYS$STARTUP:MLB_STARTUP.COM

to either the SYSTARTUP procedure, or the SYSMAN STARTUP base.

Launch MAILBOX

Full-screen version : $ MLB_CMD /Interactive

Command-line version : $ MLB_CMD

The actual name of the command depends on the MLB_CMD_SYNTAX.CLD file. You may edit this file at your convenience.

You may need to load the .CLD file using the following command :
$ SET COMMAND MLB_CMD_SYNTAX.CLD

You can launch the full-screen version of MAILBOX without using the .CLD file, by entering :
$ MC MLB_MAIN

Or define a symbol to help the users launch MAILBOX.

Upgrade instructions

The MAILBOX.EXE executable is not used anymore. You may remove it safely. The MC MAILBOX command does not start MAILBOX anymore.


> Configuration

Note that MAILBOX is up and running after it has been installed. The following steps are not mandatory.

Many steps involve defining logical names. You may want to add the required definitions to the SYS$STARTUP:MLB_STARTUP.COM file.

Choosing the default language

MAILBOX supports changing the user interface language on the fly. Users may select their preferred language using the Settings menu item.

By default, the user interface uses English as long as the user has not set his or her preferences.

The default language may be defined using the MLB_DEFAULT_LANG logical name :

  • set MLB_DEFAULT_LANG to 0 for French

  • set MLB_DEFAULT_LANG to 1 for English (default)

Other languages may be provided easily ; please report to the FAQ.

Selecting the editor

MAILBOX calls an editor of your choice to enable users writing their messages.

By default, MAILBOX calls EVE/TPU, the standard OpenVMS editor. This editor is easy to use, however some key combinations might be tricky. Some users do not find their way out - F10 is not obvious.

You may override the default behavior and have MAILBOX use the editor of your choice by setting the logical name MLB_EDITOR to a valid DCL command that calls your editor. Note the following restrictions :

  • the command should start with a dollar sign

  • the command should have one "%s" placeholder for the name of the file that will be manipulated by the editor.

Examples :

$ DEFINE MLB_EDITOR "$ LSE %s"
$ DEFINE MLB_EDITOR "$ pico -s %s"

Note that the ability to select the editor is considered as experimental. If you encounter a bug, please submit a report.

Blocking dangerous attachments

MAILBOX gives the ability to define a list of dangerous attachments that should be blocked. Attachments may be selected upon their MIME type (eg. APPLICATION/X-ZIP-COMPRESSED) and/or their extension (eg. .DOC).

When a user tries to extract a blocked attachment, a warning message is displayed and the request is aborted.

Controlling attachments is a two-step process.

Step 1 : Create a configuration file

The configuration file is a plain text file that can have any name and may be stored in any place.

The following is an a sample configuration file ; the syntax is self-explanatory.

! MAILBOX 0.7 for OpenVMS
! MLB_MIME_RULES.DAT Sample file
! Specify the extensions and mime types to block.
!
! Syntax :
! REJECT EXTENSION extension
! REJECT MIME_TYPE mime_type

REJECT MIME_TYPE application/msword

REJECT EXTENSION EXE
REJECT EXTENSION COM
REJECT EXTENSION VBS
REJECT EXTENSION JS
REJECT EXTENSION SCR
REJECT EXTENSION DOC
REJECT EXTENSION XLS
REJECT EXTENSION PPT

Step 2 : Define the logical name MLB_MIME_RULES

Define MLB_MIME_RULES as the full path to your configuration file.

Example :
$ DEFINE MLB_MIME_RULES "DISK$SYSTEM:[CONF]MLB_MIME_RULES.DAT"

To disable attachment filtering, deassign MLB_MIME_RULES. By default, no attachment is blocked.

Forcing the use of SMTP

Forcing the use of SMTP prevents any message to be sent by VMSMail within MAILBOX.

Set MLB_FORCE_SMTP to either "true" or "TRUE".

If this logical name is not set or has any other value, the default behavior occurs : MAILBOX selects the best transport protocol to use depending on the message to send.

  • Simple messages are transported by VMSMail, as messages sent with the OpenVMS MAIL utility.

  • Complex messages with BCC recipients and/or attachments are sent using the SMTP protocol.

Defining the SMTP server DNS and port

Two logical names may be used to set the SMTP server that is used by MAILBOX.

By default, MAILBOX uses localhost on port 25. These settings should be acceptable in most cases, but may be overridden using the following names :

  • MLB_SMTP_SERVER_DNS : SMTP server DNS (eg. "mail.mycorp.com")

  • MLB_SMTP_SERVER_PORT : SMTP server port (eg. 1025)

Note that setting one of these names does not interfere with your TCP/IP stack configuration. Moreover, MAILBOX only uses SMTP if a message has BCC recipients or attachments. Otherwise, messages are transported by VMSMail. Should VMSMail need to use SMTP, these symbols have no effect.

These logical names may be placed in system or process tables. The process table has precedence over the system table. Therefore, systems administrators may define common settings, while users may set their own configuration.


© Copyright Patrick LE QUÉRÉ 2001 - Last updated on 02/07/01