System setup

You will need to be root to perform the steps in this section.

Before installing the Mailman software, you need to prepare your system by adding certain users and groups.

• Add a new user called mailman. Typically this is added to your /etc/passwd file. If username mailman is already in use, choose something else unique and see the --with-ownername flag below.

• Add a new group called mailman. Typically this is added to your /etc/group file. The Mailman files will be installed under the mailman group, with the set-group-id bit. This is so both the web based and mail based programs will have the proper write permissions. If groupname mailman is already in use, choose something else unique and see the --with-ownergroup below.

• Create an installation directory (called $prefix in the documentation that follows). All of the Mailman files will be installed under $prefix. Run configure --help for ways to split the installation up based on read-only vs. read/write files.

  The default directory for installing is /home/mailman, but some sites do things like mount /home with the nosuid option. This will break Mailman, which relies on setgid programs for its security. If this describes your environment, simply install Mailman in a location that allows setgid programs.

  Make sure this directory is set to group mailman (or whatever you're going to specify as --with-ownergroup) and has the setgid bit set (but see the README.BSD file in the source distribution if you're on a BSD system). You probably also want to guarantee that this directory is readable and executable by everyone. For example, these shell commands will accomplish this:

  % cd $prefix
  % chgrp mailman .
  % chmod a+rx,g+ws .
  

  You are now ready to configure and install the Mailman software.