VACATION(1)VACATION(1)NAMEvacation - E-mail auto-responder
SYNOPSISvacation [-a alias] [-C cffile] [-d] [-f database] [-i] [-I] [-l] [-m
message] [-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 mes-
sage 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 ``allman''.
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. Other-
wise, fatal errors, such as calling vacation with incorrect
arguments, or with non-existent logins, are logged in the system
log file, using syslog(8). This should only be used on the com-
mand 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.
-l List the content of the vacation database file including 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 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 ini-
tialized (see -i above).
-s address
Use address instead of the incoming message sender address on
the From line as the recipient for the vacation 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 database 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 .for-
ward 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(8) 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-DAE-
MON'' will be replied to (where these strings are case insensitive) 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 maintained as a db(3) or dbm(3) database in the file
.vacation.db or .vacation.{dir,pag} in your home directory.
Vacation expects a file .vacation.msg, in your home directory, contain-
ing 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.db default database file for db(3)
~/.vacation.{dir,pag}
default database file for dbm(3)
~/.vacation.msg default message to send
SEE ALSOsendmail(8), syslog(8)HISTORY
The vacation command appeared in 4.3BSD.
$Date: 2006/03/24 14:36:06 $ VACATION(1)
