0

Background

  • An email relaying issue was resolved.
  • 32 email messages to sponsors had bounced to root.
  • I copied /var/mail/root to /tmp/root.
  • I deleted irrelevant messages from /tmp/root (using mutt).
  • All the bounced messages had the same sender.

Requirements

An efficient way to do the following for all 32 messages:

  1. Extract the original message from the bounce message.
  2. Send the message as the original sender to the original recipients, including the original bcc.
  3. Make the sponsors notice nothing except that there was a delay in delivery.
5
  • You're essentially seeking to have someone write some scripting for you - that's not really a question, any more than it would be for a high school student to ask someone to do their homework. Maybe instead of trying to hide the issue, you be honest with your customers? It's always better.
    – Ackack
    Apr 12, 2021 at 23:07
  • Thanks for the feedback. After years of trying, I still don't get how to properly use this platform. I'm going to post a solution using mutt that does what I asked for, except for handling only one message at a time.
    – badams
    Apr 12, 2021 at 23:28
  • For this "question," one of the decisions I've had trouble with is about where to post: serverfault, Unix & Linux, superuser or stackoverflow. Any suggestion? I may post on all 4.
    – badams
    Apr 12, 2021 at 23:31
  • 1
    Hello @badams and thank you for asking (and your one by one solution definitely helps me!). To answer your hesitation (better late than never): stackoverflow is for programming question (off-topic), superuser for power user (and I would say you're a bit further while administering mailserver and rejected emails), serverfault for administration and Unix&Linux for Unix users. There is an overlap while administering Unix server, and the choice is subjective. The way you wrote your question (specifically pointing mutt) might points to Unix&Linux (the mutt tags got lot more activity there). Mar 1, 2023 at 11:06
  • 1
    It's right to answer your own question (and that's definitely helpful). It is generally not recommended to cross-post the same question on different SE site. Pick a site, wait a bit, if you don't get satisfying answer, ask on another site but link to original question and eventually reword. Regarding the first comment, I would say it's better to write a sentence ("I would like to ...") instead of listing requirements. Feel free to take the tour and to ask questions on meta site (each SE site got one). Mar 1, 2023 at 11:06

1 Answer 1

2
  1. In mutt, start in the message index listing the bounce notification messages of interest.
  2. With the cursor on a bounce notification message, type v to open the Attachment Menu for the bounce notification message.
  3. The Attachment Menu lists all attachments. A description of each attachment is shown. The subject of the original message is its description.
  4. Press j to move the cursor to the attachment identified by its description as the original message. Do not open the attachment.
  5. Press Escape-e to start the resend-message dialog.
  6. The body of the original message opens in the mutt editor.
  7. Press : to open the editor command line.
  8. Press q and Enter to exit message composition.
  9. Press y to resend the message.
  10. Press q to return to the message index.
  11. Use j or other appropriate keys to move the cursor to another bounce notification of interest.
  12. As needed, go back to #2.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .