Index

Mail Filtering

  1. Overview
  2. Setting Up
  3. Usage
    1. Postmaster
    2. Record of Sent Mail
    3. Guest Mail Restrictions
    4. Mail Aliases

Overview

Mail Filtering is a key part of OAT's functionality. It provides the basis for a wide range of mail-handling extras.

Mail Filtering works by intercepting mail items sent by users on the BBS before they reach the TeleFinder Mail Server. At this point the mail items can be modified as required to implement the additions.

Setting Up

In order to provide the Mail Filtering support, OAT must prevent mail server from seeing mail items appearing in the 'Mail Server' dropbox until OAT has dealt with them.

OAT does this by masquerading as User Manager and informing Mail Server that the 'Mail Server' spool folder is actually a different folder-'Mail Server (Filtered)'.

Step One

So, the first thing to do is to go into Mail Server and select OAT as the User Manager. Mail Server won't usually see OAT as a valid TeleFinder User Manager, so you must hold down option to allow you to select other types of application.

Once you have selected OAT as Mail Server's User Manager, you should restart Mail Server itself.

Step Two

Once Mail Server has been configured to talk to OAT, you must enable Mail Filtering on OAT's side. In order to do this, simply choose 'Enabled' from the Mail Filtering submenu on the Online Assistance menu in OAT.

Once these two steps have been taken you are ready to use the features of Mail Filtering.

Usage

Mail Filtering is the basis for a number of OAT's best features:

Postmaster

Any mail arriving at your site without a valid address will be diverted to a user called 'Postmaster'. You must create the postmaster user before using this feature.

To begin using the postmaster, simply check the menu item on the Mail Filtering sub-menu under the Local Assistance menu. You must set up Mail Filtering before using this feature.

Record of Sent Mail

All mail sent from your BBS account will be copied to the 'Sent Mail Items' folder inside your mailbox.

To begin using Sent Mail Items, simply check the menu item on the Mail Filtering sub-menu under the Local Assistance menu. You must set up Mail Filtering before using this feature.

Guest Mail Restrictions

The 'guest' BBS user will only be allowed to send mail to the 'sysop' user. Mail sent to any other location will be placed in a folder called 'Unauthorised mail from Guest' in the Mail Server folder.

To begin using Sent Mail Items, simply check the menu item on the Mail Filtering sub-menu under the Local Assistance menu. You must set up Mail Filtering before using this feature.

Mail Aliases

A feature that many TeleFinder users and sysops would like is the ability for one user to be able to have more than one email address. This is provided by the Mail Aliases feature of OAT.

When a someone sends mail to a mail alias, the mail is redirected to the real user's account. For example, if someone sends mail to jp@highlander.net.uk, it will be sent on to me at jonathan_paisley@highlander.net.uk.

It is also possible to instruct OAT to readdress outgoing mail.

Please see the full instructions on setting up Mail Aliases.

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