[Mailman-Users] Wondering how long to send messages

[Brad Knowles]

At 7:35 AM -0700 2004-08-28, John W. Baxter wrote:

>  Does the code open the list once, obtain the addresses it needs (the
>  non-digest, not-no-mail, not duplicate filtered, etc) and then do its thing
>  without regard to the list object on disk, or does it keep peeking into the
>  object on disk while it's emitting messages.

	IMO, making changes like this while Mailman is still processing 
the message is unsafe and a very bad idea.  At the very least, I 
think you should make sure that Mailman has completed all of its 
processing and all copies of the message have been handed off to the 
MTA, even if the MTA hasn't completed its own processing.

	But then, if those extra milliseconds matter and you want to 
greatly increase the risk of blowing off your foot with a 
hair-trigger large explosive device, you could always modify the code 
so as to allow you to do that.  Of course, you couldn't expect to get 
much support here for any of your local modifications of that sort, 
but then if you're willing to make these kinds of modifications for 
these kinds of reasons, you probably don't care about community 
support anyway.

>  If the code keeps peeking at the list object on disk, then what matters is
>  how long it takes to get the message to the SMTP server to which we submit
>  the messages.  That time can be read from the smtp log, and provides an
>  upper bound.  I doubt one needs to wait that long.  It's longer if Mailman
>  is VERPing.

	If you single-thread all deliveries to the list (so that one 
completes before the next one is allowed to start), then it's a 
relatively simple matter of watching the log files to see when it 
should be safe to make the changes.


	Regardless of how you do it and how safe or unsafe you make this 
process, this sort of thing will probably require some code changes, 
and then you're back to the community support problem again.

-- 
Brad Knowles, <brad at stop.mail-abuse.org>

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania
     Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755

   SAGE member since 1995.  See <http://www.sage.org/> for more info.