newbie: procmail question /var/mail

[Alex de Kruijff]

On Sat, Jun 21, 2003 at 11:06:55AM -0800, admin wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Okay I have read some tutorial sites on procmail but want to make sure I have
> some things clear here before I move everybody plus some things I dont quite
> understand are happening and I cant find relevant infromation.  
> 
> /var/mail is filling up quickly.   I am attmepting to migrate /var/mail/<user>
> files to a new scheme that places the DEFAULT local delivery to something like
> $HOME/Mailbox .
> 

Hi, 

I use an alternative you migth find usefull.

I use the /var/mail directory for the mail that is waiting to be fetched.
Users that read there mail localy have a .forward file in there home dir.
The users who have a .forward file also have a .procmailrc file. This 
causes the mail not to be send to /var/mail but to one of there own 
directories (usaly in /home). The users who don't read there mail localy
use pop or imap to fetch it. They have a quota on the /var filesystem. 
I can as root use the /var/mail system to resend mails by moveing there 
mailboxes from /home to /var/mail, but they have to use fetchmail or 
getmail to do this. This way the can rerun there mail though there 
procmail filters. I don't have the feature included in sendmail.

I hope this is helpfull. Contact me if you like this alternative and i 
will send you come config files if needed.

Alex