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1.1     ! root        1: .\"    This file is automatically generated.  Do not edit!
        !             2: .TH MH\-ALIAS 5 "April 22, 1986" MH [mh.6]
        !             3: .UC 6
        !             4: .SH NAME
        !             5: mh\-alias \- alias file for MH message system
        !             6: .SH SYNOPSIS
        !             7: .in +.5i
        !             8: .ti -.5i
        !             9: any \fIMH\fR command
        !            10: .in -.5i
        !            11: .SH DESCRIPTION
        !            12: This describes both \fIMH\fR personal alias files and
        !            13: the (primary) alias file for mail delivery, the file
        !            14: 
        !            15:        /usr/new/lib/mh/MailAliases
        !            16: 
        !            17: It does \fBnot\fR describe aliases files used by the message transport system.
        !            18: Each line of the alias file has the format:
        !            19: 
        !            20:        alias : address\-group
        !            21: .br
        !            22: or
        !            23: .br
        !            24:        alias ; address\-group
        !            25: .br
        !            26: or
        !            27: .br
        !            28:        < alias\-file
        !            29: .br
        !            30: 
        !            31: where:
        !            32: 
        !            33:        address\-group  :=  address\-list
        !            34: .br
        !            35:                       |   \*(lq<\*(rq file
        !            36: .br
        !            37:                       |   \*(lq=\*(rq UNIX\-group
        !            38: .br
        !            39:                       |   \*(lq+\*(rq UNIX\-group
        !            40: .br
        !            41:                       |   \*(lq*\*(rq
        !            42: 
        !            43: .br
        !            44:        address\-list   :=  address
        !            45: .br
        !            46:                       |   address\-list, address
        !            47: .br
        !            48: 
        !            49: Continuation lines in alias files end with `\\' followed by the newline
        !            50: character.
        !            51: 
        !            52: Alias\-file and file are UNIX file names.
        !            53: UNIX\-group is a group name (or number) from \fI/etc/group\fR.
        !            54: An address is a \*(lqsimple\*(rq Internet\-style address.
        !            55: Througout this file, case is ignored, except for alias\-file names.
        !            56: 
        !            57: If the line starts with a `<', then the file named after the `<' is
        !            58: read for more alias definitions.  The reading is done recursively, so a `<'
        !            59: may occur in the beginning of an alias file with the expected results.
        !            60: 
        !            61: If the address\-group starts with a `<',
        !            62: then the file named after the `<' is read and its contents are added to
        !            63: the address\-list for the alias.
        !            64: 
        !            65: If the address\-group starts with an `=',
        !            66: then the file \fI/etc/group\fR is consulted
        !            67: for the UNIX\-group named after the `='.
        !            68: Each login name occurring as a member of the group is added to the
        !            69: address\-list for the alias.
        !            70: 
        !            71: In contrast, if the address\-group starts with a `+',
        !            72: then the file \fI/etc/group\fR is consulted
        !            73: to determine the group\-id of the UNIX\-group named after the `+'.
        !            74: Each login name occurring in the \fI/etc/passwd\fR file whose group\-id
        !            75: is indicated by this group is added to the address\-list for the alias.
        !            76: 
        !            77: If the address\-group is simply `*',
        !            78: then the file \fI/etc/passwd\fR is consulted
        !            79: and all login names with a userid greater than some magic number
        !            80: (usually 200) are added to the address\-list for the alias.
        !            81: 
        !            82: In match, a trailing * on an alias will match just about anything appropriate.
        !            83: (See example below.)
        !            84: 
        !            85: An approximation of the way aliases are resolved at posting time is
        !            86: (it's not really done this way):
        !            87: 
        !            88: .in +.5i
        !            89: 1) Build a list of all addresses from the message to be
        !            90: delivered, eliminating duplicate addresses.
        !            91: 
        !            92: 2) If this draft originated on the local host,
        !            93: then for those addresses in the message that have no host specified,
        !            94: perform alias resolution.
        !            95: 
        !            96: 3) For each line in the alias file,
        !            97: compare \*(lqalias\*(rq against all of the existing addresses.
        !            98: If a match, remove the matched \*(lqalias\*(rq from the address list,
        !            99: and add each new address in the address\-group to the address list
        !           100: if it is not already on the list.
        !           101: The alias itself is not usually output,
        !           102: rather the address\-group that the alias maps to is output instead.
        !           103: If \*(lqalias\*(rq is terminated with a `;' instead of a `:',
        !           104: then both the \*(lqalias\*(rq and the address are output
        !           105: in the correct format.
        !           106: (This makes replies possible since \fIMH\fR aliases and
        !           107: personal aliases are unknown to the mail transport system.)
        !           108: .in -.5i
        !           109: 
        !           110: Since the alias file is read line by line, forward references
        !           111: work, but backward references are not recognized, thus, there is
        !           112: no recursion.
        !           113: 
        !           114: \fBExample:\fR
        !           115: .nf
        !           116: .in +.5i
        !           117: </usr/new/lib/mh/BBoardAliases
        !           118: sgroup: fred, fear, freida
        !           119: fred: frated@UCI
        !           120: UNIX\-committee: <unix.aliases
        !           121: staff: =staff
        !           122: wheels: +wheel
        !           123: everyone: *
        !           124: news.*: news
        !           125: .in -.5i
        !           126: .fi
        !           127: 
        !           128: The first line says that more aliases should immediately be read from
        !           129: the file \fI/usr/new/lib/mh/BBoardAliases\fR.
        !           130: Following this, \*(lqfred\*(rq is defined as an alias for
        !           131: \*(lqfrated@UCI\*(rq,
        !           132: and \*(lqsgroup\*(rq is defined as an alias for 
        !           133: the three names \*(lqfrated@UCI\*(rq, \*(rqfear\*(rq, and \*(rqfreida\*(rq.
        !           134: Next, the definition of \*(lqUNIX\-committee\*(rq is given by reading
        !           135: the file \fIunix.aliases\fR in the users \fIMH\fR directory,
        !           136: \*(lqstaff\*(rq is defined as all users who are listed as members of
        !           137: the group \*(lqstaff\*(rq in the \fI/etc/group\fR file,
        !           138: and \*(lqwheels\*(rq is defined as all users whose group\-id in
        !           139: \fI/etc/passwd\fR is equivalent to the \*(lqwheel\*(rq group.
        !           140: Finally, \*(lqeveryone\*(rq is defined as all users with a user\-id in
        !           141: \fI/etc/passwd\fR greater than 200,
        !           142: and all aliases of the form \*(lqnews.<anything>\*(rq are defined
        !           143: to be \*(lqnews\*(rq.
        !           144: 
        !           145: The key thing to understand about aliasing in \fIMH\fR
        !           146: is that aliases in \fIMH\fR alias files are expanded into the
        !           147: headers of messages posted.
        !           148: This aliasing occurs first,
        !           149: at posting time,
        !           150: without the knowledge of the message transport system.
        !           151: In contrast,
        !           152: once the message transport system is given a message to deliver
        !           153: to a list of addresses,
        !           154: for each address that appears to be local,
        !           155: a system\-wide alias file is consulted.
        !           156: These aliases are \fBNOT\fR expanded into the headers of messages delivered.
        !           157: .Hh
        !           158: To use aliasing in \fIMH\fR quickly, do the following:
        !           159: 
        !           160: .in +.5i
        !           161: First, in your \fI\&.mh\(ruprofile\fR,
        !           162: choose a name for your primary alias file, say \*(lqaliases\*(rq,
        !           163: and add three lines:
        !           164: 
        !           165: .nf
        !           166: .in +.5i
        !           167: ali: \-alias aliases
        !           168: send: \-alias aliases
        !           169: whom: \-alias ailases
        !           170: .in -.5i
        !           171: .fi
        !           172: 
        !           173: Second, create the file \*(lqaliases\*(rq in your \fIMH\fR directory.
        !           174: 
        !           175: Third, start adding aliases to your \*(lqaliases\*(rq file as appropriate.
        !           176: .in -.5i
        !           177: .Fi
        !           178: ^/usr/new/lib/mh/MailAliases~^Primary alias file
        !           179: .Pr
        !           180: None
        !           181: .Sa
        !           182: ali(1), send(1), whom(1), group(5), passwd(5), conflict(8), post(8)
        !           183: .De
        !           184: None
        !           185: .Co
        !           186: None
        !           187: .Hi
        !           188: In previous releases of \fIMH\fR,
        !           189: only a single, system\-wide mh\-alias file was supported.
        !           190: This led to a number of problems,
        !           191: since only mail\-system administrators were capable of (un)defining
        !           192: aliases.
        !           193: Hence,
        !           194: the semantics of mh\-alias were extended to support personal alias files.
        !           195: Users of \fIMH\fR no longer need to bother mail\-system administrators for
        !           196: keeping information in the system\-wide alias file,
        !           197: as each \fIMH\fR user can create/modify/remove aliases at will from any
        !           198: number of personal files.
        !           199: .Bu
        !           200: Although the forward\-referencing semantics of \fImh\-alias\fR files prevent
        !           201: recursion, the \*(lq<\ alias\-file\*(rq command may defeat this.  Since the
        !           202: number of file descriptors is finite (and very limited), such infinite
        !           203: recursion will terminate with a meaningless diagnostic when all the fds are
        !           204: used up.
        !           205: .En

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