[Mailman-Users] Postfix help

[Nathan A. McQuillen]

Hey all.

Seems I've stepped into the middle of some sort of sniping match -- I assume
it's all right to ask a simple question?

I've been attempting to set up Mailman with Postfix, and things are not
going well. Typical gid problems, and alias issues.

Is there, anywhere on the entire Web, a FAQ or HOWTO about doing this? I do
not have a README.Mailman file in my installation directory, and via Google,
I can only seem to find cryptic references to the existence of such a file
in list archives, not the actual text.

I am downloading the 2.1b sources, but I don't know as I'll be able to run
2.1 without a massive system overhaul.

If there's anyone out there willing to walk me through this installation,
I'd be eternally grateful, and I will, I SWEAR, write up a
Postfix-Mailman-newbie-HOWTO, if only for the assistance of others working
with me on this project.

Here are my needs:

1. Determining the *real* necessary GID for the --with-mail-gid flag. I get
one GID reported by Postfix in the maillog error message, and another
entirely when I run the Python query code reported elsewhere. They're one
digit off, incidentally... I have read that Postfix does not need the
Mailman wrapper, but have found no coherent instructions on how to disable
it without hand-editing the aliases file with every list added.

2. Installing so that new lists are automatically aliased. I am the only
person who will be working on this system who even knows how to log into the
server. It would be very nice not to have to edit the alias file and run
newaliases by hand with every list modification.

3. Adding lists via the Web. Is the Webmin Mailman module usable? Any tips?

4. Any other tips on making adding and administering lists as simple and
transparent as possible. It is bright but technically illiterate folks who
will be doing most of the administration, and the easier I can make it for
them, the less frustration everyone will feel.

Speaking of frustration, this whole system feels like a house of cards -- I
build it up to the point where it seems like it will work, then suddenly get
a GID error, or alias error, or something, and I'm back to make clean.

I would RTFM, but in this case, it seems like TANFM. Please help.


- Nathan McQuillen
  Erstwhile System Administrator
  prodane.org