[Mailman-Users] Using with a database and *without* a webserver

[Brad Knowles]

On Jun 29, 2012, at 1:29 PM, Geoff Shang wrote:

> First, databases.  We'd prefer to use PostgreSQL but I've not managed to find any code for doing this.  We can use MySQL instead.  I found a guide at http://loeki.tv/log/archives/81-Setting-up-Mailman-to-store-members-in-a-MySQL-database.html which references files at http://trac.rezo.net/trac/rezo/browser/Mailman/MySQLMemberAdaptor
> 
> Is this the best approach/patch to use?  Do people doing this use something else?

So far as I know, there's no official way to use an SQL database with Mailman 2, although there is the MemberAdaptor that you found which is believed to work with MySQL.  If you'd like to modify the code to work with PostgreSQL instead, that would be great!

Mailman 3 is intended to be the version that will officially integrate with other database technologies through standard Python interface, but it's still in early beta right now.

> As for the web stuff, are there things we need the web interface for or can we do everything via the command line?  I'm thinking we probably need the web UI for some things but don't recall exactly what.

Mailman was not designed to be used exclusively from the command line.  There are lots of admin functions that can't be done, or can't be easily done, without access to a web server.  Of course, that web server could always be locked away and accessible only to the admins, but then you kind of defeat the purpose of a lot of the Mailman self-provisioning functionality.

--
Brad Knowles <brad at shub-internet.org>
LinkedIn Profile: <http://tinyurl.com/y8kpxu>