Email Aliases

System-wide aliases are typically stored in /etc/aliases. However, in most xhier-managed systems on campus, you cannot simply edit those files. Instead, you will need to update the appropriate data file in the appropriate xhier package that controls those aliases. If in doubt, the simplest thing may be to send email to the appropriate accounts administration staff (accounts@cs for CS mail aliases and accounts@math for Math aliases). Note: effective June 2012, CSCF staff should create an ST request and assign it to the probable owner (or their manager, if not obvious), rather than using accounts email.

Updating CS (not CSCF) mail aliases

These are typically handled as sponsored aliases in the accounts files. Here is a sample sponsored alias:

$ cat Giesbrecht
...
====
# 2010/06/04 (lfolland) RT#72597
MailAlias: jo60jsc
Host: cs-general.cs.private
AssignTo:  mwg@cs.uwaterloo.ca,daniel@math.carleton.ca
...

2015-05-07: Some steps now need to be done by hand, see: https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/cscf/internal/infrastructure/setups/services/email/how-to-create-new-sponsored-aliases.shtml

Updating CSCF aliases:

CSCF aliases are handled in (at least) three ways:

• cscf-specific or cscf-admin files
• sponsored accounts
• ~cs-adm/controls files (deprecated)

If you're updating an existing alias and it isn't found by running: grep $ALIASNAME /software/cscf-{specific,admin}/export/aliases, you can assume it's sponsored.

cscf-specific or cscf-admin aliases

• as root on what ever host is the xhier admin master for mx-104.cs.uwaterloo.ca: ( Note: Although these aliases are maintained on the xhier admin master, they will become available on all systems that CSCF administrates )
• cs-xh-admin# cd /.software/admin/cscf-specific/export
  • cs-xh-admin# co -l aliases
  • ... make changes
  • cs-xh-admin# ci -u aliases - make notes on why the changes are being made.
  • cs-xh-admin# xh-install cscf-specific

{/fsys1/.software/arch/xhier/maintenance/xh-install if you don't have it in your path)

• • if that doesn't work, try: xh-distribute -h mx-104.cs.uwaterloo.ca cscf-specific
  • or read the instructions at: https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/cscf/internal/infrastructure/setups/services/email/how-to-create-new-cs.uwaterloo.ca-mail-aliases.shtml

• if you just want the email alias available on the master CSCF admin host, use "cscf-admin" everywhere "cscf-specific" is used above.

Sponsored CSCF aliases

1) determine if it is a CSCF-sponsored alias controlled by the accounts system: grep $ALIASNAME /software/accounts-master/data/sponsors/CSCF/*

1a) if there are matching lines, then it is sponsored. Note which sponsor file is used (eg., taskgroups for all of the tg- aliases).

1b) if it isn't there, perhaps do a ffind aliases | grep '/aliases$' | xargs grep $ALIASNAME. Detailed further instructions are outside the scope of this guide; please see CF.Accounts or check with accounts@cs for help.

2) if it is in the sponsors directory, check out the relevant sponsor file and make the update.

3) run cscf:/software/accounts-master/maintenance/sponsor_resources, following the warnings described in the sponsor data accounts documentation.

3a) verify that your change has been incorporated into /software/accounts-master/data/resources/alias/cscf.cs

4) Now follow standard xhier pratices to get the updated accounts master data to mx100.

~cs-adm/controls aliases

These have all been moved to the IST mailman server, known by the preferred name of lists.uwaterloo.ca. More information is at MailManCSlists.

Setting up new aliases

Mailman mailing list

Rather than creating a mail alias for a group of names, you may wish to consider setting up a Mailman mailing list on IST's mailman server. This allows for list management, archiving, web-based reading, etc. See MailManCSlists in this Twiki for further notes or IST's Mailman Documentation

CS (not CSCF) mail aliases

See EmailAliases#Updating_CS_not_CSCF_mail_aliase above.

cscf-specific aliases

Desired result: an alias address something@cscf.uwaterloo.ca

1) ssh xhier.cs

2) sudo -s

3) Add your changes via:

• • cs-xh-admin# cd /.software/admin/cscf-specific/export
  • cs-xh-admin# co -l aliases
  • vim aliases <-- find the appropriate location in alphabetical order; add, for example, the line: cs-rsg-something: foo, bar
  • cs-xh-admin# ci -u aliases <-- make notes on why the changes are being made.
  • cs-xh-admin# xh-install cscf-specific
  • xh-distribute -h mx100.cs.uwaterloo.ca cscf-specific