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.
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.
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 :
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 :
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 :
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.
