A: MailBounce currently supports Linux/Intel, Mac OS X, Mac OS X Server, and Solaris. The actual operating systems supported are based on demand. If you are using a Unix-based operating system that is not currently supported (or your specific hardware requires recompilation of the code), please contact Smart Mail Solutions directly, and we'll do our best to support your platform.

Q: What is the "Preferences" file?

A: Like most programs, MailBounce uses a configuration file to define the processing environment when the program is invoked. However, in addition to the "typical" configuration file, MailBounce also has a different file called the "Multi-list Configuration File." To eliminate confusion between the two, the file that Unix users would typically call the "configuration file" (the .cf file) is referred to as the "Preferences file" in MailBounce parlance.

Q: Where can I find the Preferences file and what is its file name?

A: On Unix systems, the default Preferences file is named:

    .mailbounce.cf

A baseline Preferences file is included in the mailbounce/bin directory in all MailBounce distributions. By default, this file must be present in the current working directory when MailBounce is started.

Q: Can I use a different Preferences file name or location?

A: Yes. An alternate Preferences file may be specified as the first parameter on the command line, and MailBounce will use that file as the Preferences file instead of the one in the working directory (if any). If the new file includes a path, MailBounce will open the file at the location specified in the path. For example, if you wish to use a Preferences file named "mailbounce.alternate" that resides in the parent of the current working directory, you would invoke MailBounce with the following command (this example assumes that the MailBounce executable is in your path):

    % mailbounce ../mailbounce.alternate

You may specify more parameters after the Preferences file name (for example, if you want to redirect stdout); MailBounce will simply take the first parameter as the alternate Preferences file name. Note: This means MailBounce will assume that ANY parameter in that position is an alternate Preferences file name -- thus, if you wanted to use the default Preferences file, but wanted to redirect stdout to a file called "outfile", you would have to issue the command as follows:

    % mailbounce .mailbounce.cf >outfile

Note that MailBounce already has the capability to redirect stdout -- the diagnostics file is essentially an exact copy of the stdout stream. Also, note that you can turn off the stdout display entirely, and direct output to only the Diagnostics file.

Q: Does MailBounce return a completion status to the shell?

A: Yes, MailBounce conveys its completion status upon exit via standard exit codes. However, the values that MailBounce uses are somewhat nonstandard, in that they convey more than just "success" and "failure" when the program exits to shell. The exit codes fall into the following three categories:

     code          meaning
     ----          -----------
     0             Success
     1-99          Warning (i.e., non-fatal error encountered)
     100+          Fatal Error

So if you are testing for a fatal error upon exit, you should look for a status of 100 or greater.

Q: Are there any third-party products or scripts for MailBounce?

A: Yes; they are in the mailbounce/etc directory:

"single_list.pl" and "multi_list.pl" are Perl scripts from Smart Mail Solutions, Inc.; they automate many of the housekeeping tasks prior to and after running MailBounce, such as mailing server and BCC files to the proper places. The scripts are self-documented, and will have to be customized to your configuration.

Q: We run a large hosting site. Can MailBounce handle multiple mailing lists?

A: Absolutely. If your site hosts a large number of mailing lists, you will want to look into setting up a multi-list configuration file; details are in the Multi-List Config documentation file. Note that multi-list configurations require a multi-list license. Contact Smart Mail Solutions for details.

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