MajorCool

Web-Based Interface for Majordomo Mailing Lists

MajorCool is a web-based interface to manage Majordomo mailing lists. Majordomo is a program that automates the management of Internet mailing lists. Commands are sent to Majordomo via email to handle all aspects of list maintenance. Once a list is set up, virtually all operations can be performed remotely by email, requiring no intervention by the postmaster of the list site.

University faculty/staff are eligible to apply for a Majordomo mailing list. The list must be related to the business of the University (classes or administration). Owners receive an email confirming creation of the mailing list with instructions on initial configuration. The initial password for administering the list is included in the email.

Modifying Your List

  • Open your web browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer or other)
  • Go to the MajorCool Email List Manager
  • Enter your list name and administrative password
  • Select what to modify
    • List Subscribers to manually add/remove subscribers
    • Configuration Options to change other options, e.g. attachment size
    • List Info/Intro File to provide information about the list to new subscribers or anyone requesting information
    NOTE: All interactions with the MajorCool utility send a confirmation password to the list owner(s).

Configuring a New Majordomo List

  • Send an email request for a list to the Help Desk
  • Once approved, you receive an email confirming creation of the list with instructions on initial configuration. The initial password for administering the list is included in the email.
    • Select Configuration Options from the login page
    • Scroll to the bottom of the Basic Keywords page
    • Locate the Change List Password section
    • Enter the initial password in the top box
    • Enter a new password in the lower boxes, which enables the list owner to delegate administrative permissions to non-owners (graduate students, teaching assistants, etc.)
    • Click Submit to complete the password change.
  • A confirmation email is sent to the list owner(s)

Adding List Subscribers

  • Click List Subscribers to display a list of current subscribers.
  • To add a new subscriber, enter a single address per line, using the Last Name/First Name format shown below. The format is critical for Majordomo to correctly parse the subscriber file. You can sort the list by last name.
  • Email addresses must be complete (e.g., username@domain.typ). If you only enter a username, the system defaults to username@unr.edu.

Last First <email@somewhere.edu>

Subscribing to an Open Majordomo List

If a list is created as "Open," subscriptions may be automated. Subscribers must use a "plain text" email client (prefer Webmail on Equinox or Fallon) using the following instructions. Replace "listname" with the name of the actual list.

  • Compose an email message
  • Address it to: majordomo@unr.edu
  • Leave the Subject field empty.
  • Type the following two lines into the message body:
    • subscribe "listname"
    • end
    (Do not include any other text or signature file)

Modifying List Keywords

Click Configuration Options to modify the settings of any of the Keywords from the Basic or All Keywords list. Changes to the Configuration file should be done cautiously. An error in the file could cause list failure. Check with the Help Desk before modifying the configuration file.

Changing Your Attachment Size

  • Click Configuration Options.
  • Select Basic Keywords and scroll down to maxlength
  • The m aximum allowable attachment size should be set to 400000 characters
  • REMEMBER: Each individual email (message and attachment) cannot exceed 5 M; that size is multiplied by the number of recipients. The recommended method of distribution for large files is to post them to a website (public or private) and provide the URL (website address) in the body of the email.

Setting Up An Intro/Info File

Majordomo allows two different information files to be provided for a list. Click List Info File or List Intro File to set up.

  • The info file is sent to anybody who requests information about the list
  • The intro file is sent to anybody who subscribes to the list

You may compose/edit one or both files by selecting the appropriate selection from the MajorCool login screen.Good netiquette requires that all postings be relevant to the topic of this list. Users of the list are bound by the University's computing policies.