FAQs: Campus List Server Mailing Lists

How do I subscribe to a campus list server mailing list?
How do I unsubscribe to a campus list server mailing list?
How do I log onto the campus list server web interface?
How do I set up a list on the campus list server?
How can I find out what email commands are available on the new Sympa list server?
What if my email address 'uNID@utah.edu' and uNID password don't work to log onto the list server?
Do I have to use my 'uNID@utah.edu' email address?
Why can't I unsubscribe from a specific list? I didn't get an error, but I wasn't unsubscribed.
As list owner, I get messages from subscribers that I must approve before being posted to the list. Why?
How do I set up the list so subscribers reply just to a message's sender and not to the whole list?
Why do I keep getting an error when I try to send an attachment to an email list?

How do I subscribe to a campus list server Mailing list?

Follow these steps to subscribe to a campus mailing list on the campus Sympa list server (after July 1st, 2005).

Send an email message to sympa@lists.utah.edu. The subject line should be subscribe LISTNAME YOURNAME where YOURNAME is your first and last name.
For example, maintainers of DNS (data or servers) for the U of U can subscribe to the IPAlloc list by sending an email message to sympa@lists.utah.edu. The subject line would be
subscribe ipalloc John Doe
The email address from which the message was sent will then be subscribed, and you will receive a confirmation email.

The Office of Information Technology uses the program Sympa to manage its mailing lists. For more information, see http://www.sympa.org or contact the list administrator at listmaster@lists.utah.edu.

how do i unsubscribe to a mailing list?

Follow these steps to unsubscribe from a campus mailing list.

Send an email message to sympa@lists.utah.edu. The subject line should be unsubscribe LISTNAME YOURNAME where YOURNAME is your first and last name.
You need to send the email message using the same email address you used to subscribe to the mailing list.

The University uses the program Sympa to manage its mailing lists. For more information, see http://www.sympa.org or contact the list administrator at listmaster@lists.utah.edu.

How do I log onto the campus list server web interface?

If you have an @utah.edu email address, you can use that email address and your uNID password. If you don't have an @utah.edu email address, you can use another email account (e.g., @dept.utah.edu, @hotmail.com, or @gmail.com) and create a password. This needs to be a valid email account, since you will be managing your list through this account.

How do I set up a list on Sympa?

Logon to the campus list server web interface at http://www.lists.utah.edu
Create a new list by clicking on the "Create List" link in the top menu.
Complete the list request form. The name that you choose will be the first part of that list's email address (listname@lists.utah.edu). If you are migrating an existing list, it will make the transition easier if you use the same list name. See the How to Migrate a List webpage for more information, including tips for picking a list name.

How can I find out what email commands are available on the server?

Send email to sympa@lists.utah.edu with "HELP" in either the subject or the body of the message. The server will mail you a message describing the commands available.

What should I do if my 'uNID@utah.edu' address & password don't work?

First, make sure that you are using the correct password. If you are sure that your uNID and password are correct (i.e., you can use them successfully to log into other services), this could indicate a problem with our user directory. Please call the Campus Help Desk at 1-4000 option 1 and open a trouble ticket.

Do I have to use my 'uNID@utah.edu' email address?

No. You can subscribe with another email address if you wish. It is not necessary to use an @utah.edu address; any valid email address will work. You will need to create a password to go with this account.

Why can't I unsubscribe from a specific list? I didn't get an error, but I wasn't unsubscribed.

It is likely that you are subscribed from a dynamic datasource (a database or LDAP directory). Contact the Listmaster at listmaster@lists.utah.edu to have the problem researched.

as list owner, I get messages from subscribers that I must approve before they are posted to the list. Why?

Whenever Sympa sees a message posted from a non-subscribed email address, that message gets 'moderated', and the list owner must approve the message before it is sent to the list. If a subscriber has multiple email addresses but only one is subscribed, this will happen when they send a message from the non-subscribed email address. It is possible to have multiple addresses representing the same person in a Sympa mailing list. So that the subscriber doesn't receive multiple copies of list messages, the list owner should set all but one of the addresses to "no mail".

To set an address to "no mail", log into the Sympa web interface, and click "List Admin" or "Review". From List Admin, click "Subscribers" to see a list of subscriber addresses. "Review" will take you right to this same list. Click on the address you want to modify. Here you can modify the address, or set other options. From the drop down list, select "no mail" and "Update". You can see this option in the "Reception" column of the subscriber list. Now the subscriber can post to the list--unmoderated--by sending email from any address, and will only receive one copy of any list message.

How do I set up the list so subscribers reply just to a message's sender and not to the whole list?

To configure a list to "reply to sender", log into the campus list server web interface, and click through the following:

List admin -> Edit List Config -> Sending/reception setup

In the "Reply address (reply_to_header)" section, set these options:

value: Sender
other email adress: (leave this blank)
respect of existing header field: respect

Now subscribers will reply just to a message's sender, not the entire list.

Why do I keep getting an error when I try to send an attachment to an email list?

The default attachment size through the campus list server is 5MB. Lists that are archived on the campus list server are restricted to the default size. Lists that are not archived can have larger attachment sizes, up to 50MB.

For More

Product and Service Information

Campus Sympa List Server Information

Campus List Server Web Interface