[Mailman-Users] Debugging mass invitations using web page interface...

[Mark Sapiro]

On 08/26/2016 05:24 PM, The Mailing List Server Admin wrote:
> 
> I ended up having the same error happen.  Looking at the Mailman logs,
> I can't see any difference before or after my submission.  In the
> HTTPD logs, I see:
> 
>>> [Fri Aug 26 19:59:23 2016] [warn] [client 132.177.215.132] Timeout
>>> waiting for output from CGI script
>>> /usr/local/mailman/cgi-bin/admin, referer:
>>> https://lists.unh.edu/mailman/admin/campus.connection/members/add
> 
>>> [Fri Aug 26 19:59:23 2016] [error] [client 132.177.215.132]
>>> Premature end of script headers: admin, referer:
>>> https://lists.unh.edu/mailman/admin/campus.connection/members/add
> 
> So is there an inherent limit to the number of invites that can be
> submitted via the web form?


The admin CGI is processing the mass subscribe/invite list. While it is
doing this it is not generating any output. If it takes 'too long' the
web server will time out waiting for output from the CGI. That's what's
happening here.

The amount of time is set by apache's TimeOut directive
<http://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/mod/core.html#timeout>


> As a work around, how would I do large invites on behalf of the owner
> from the command line, including the 'extra text' that is allowed via
> the web interface?


You'd need a custom script to do the 'extra text'. I have added an
invite_members script I use at
<https://www.msapiro.net/scripts/invite_members> and
<https://fog.ccsf.edu/~msapiro/scripts/invite_members>. This can send
invitations including the 'extra text'.

-- 
Mark Sapiro <mark at msapiro.net>        The highway is for gamblers,
San Francisco Bay Area, California    better use your sense - B. Dylan