4.4BSD/usr/share/man/cat1/vacation.0

VACATION(1)                  BSD Reference Manual                  VACATION(1)

NNAAMMEE
     vvaaccaattiioonn - return ``I am not here'' indication

SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
     vvaaccaattiioonn --ii [--rr _i_n_t_e_r_v_a_l]
     vvaaccaattiioonn [--aa _a_l_i_a_s] _l_o_g_i_n

DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
     VVaaccaattiioonn returns a message to the sender of a message telling them that
     you are currently not reading your mail.  The intended use is in a
     _._f_o_r_w_a_r_d file.  For example, your _._f_o_r_w_a_r_d file might have:

           \eric, "|/usr/bin/vacation -a allman eric"
     which would send messages to you (assuming your login name was eric) and
     reply to any messages for ``eric'' or ``allman''.

     Available options:

     --aa _a_l_i_a_s
             Handle messages for _a_l_i_a_s in the same manner as those received
             for the user's login name.

     --ii      Initialize the vacation database files.  It should be used before
             you modify your _._f_o_r_w_a_r_d file.

     --rr      Set the reply interval to _i_n_t_e_r_v_a_l days.  The default is one
             week.  An interval of ``0'' means that a reply is sent to each
             message, and an interval of ``infinite'' (actually, any non-
             numeric character) will never send more than one reply.  It
             should be noted that intervals of ``0'' are quite dangerous, as
             it allows mailers to get into ``I am on vacation'' loops.

     No message will be sent unless _l_o_g_i_n (or an _a_l_i_a_s supplied using the --aa
     option) is part of either the ``To:'' or ``Cc:'' headers of the mail.  No
     messages from ``???-REQUEST'', ``Postmaster'', ``UUCP'', ``MAILER'', or
     ``MAILER-DAEMON'' will be replied to (where these strings are case insen-
     sitive) nor is a notification sent if a ``Precedence: bulk'' or
     ``Precedence: junk'' line is included in the mail headers.  The people
     who have sent you messages are maintained as an ndbm(3) database in the
     file _._v_a_c_a_t_i_o_n_._d_b in your home directory.

     VVaaccaattiioonn expects a file _._v_a_c_a_t_i_o_n_._m_s_g, in your home directory, containing
     a message to be sent back to each sender.  It should be an entire message
     (including headers).  For example, it might contain:

           From: eric@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Eric Allman)
           Subject: I am on vacation
           Delivered-By-The-Graces-Of: The Vacation program
           Precedence: bulk

           I am on vacation until July 22.  If you have something urgent,
           please contact Keith Bostic <bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU>.
           --eric

     VVaaccaattiioonn reads the first line from the standard input for a UNIX ``From''
     line to determine the sender.  Sendmail(8) includes this ``From'' line
     automatically.

     Fatal errors, such as calling vvaaccaattiioonn with incorrect arguments, or with
     non-existent _l_o_g_i_n_s, are logged in the system log file, using syslog(8).

FFIILLEESS


     ~/.vacation.db   database file
     ~/.vacation.msg  message to send

SSEEEE AALLSSOO
     sendmail(8),  syslog(8)

HHIISSTTOORRYY
     The vvaaccaattiioonn command appeared in 4.3BSD.

4.3 Berkeley Distribution        June 16, 1993                               2