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• Why is LISTSERV saying I'm not authorized to make changes to my list?
• I'm getting "user not found" messages, but the problem address isn't on my list
• How do I get a summary of all the lists for which I'm an owner?
• How do I change my owner address on the list?
• I don't like the command-confirm process. Can I change that?
• How do I register a personal password with LISTSERV?
• I forgot my personal password. What do I do?
• How do I add/delete members when my list is password-protected?

Why is LISTSERV saying I'm not authorized to make changes to my list?

You've changed your e-mail address -- that is, the computer address where you send/receive e-mail. LISTSERV is saying that your new address doesn't match the owner address on record for your list.

For example, many K-Staters don't realize that their e-mail addresses change when they switch from using e-mail on the central computer system to using e-mail on a college/department server. Thus, an address of demo@ksu.edu is completely different from an address of demo@deptname.ksu.edu.

To request your owner address be changed, send e-mail to the LISTSERV counselor at listhelp@ksu.edu and provide:

1. the name of your list
2. your new e-mail address
3. a campus phone number where you can be reached

If you want to update your owner address yourself, see How do I change my owner address on the list? in this section.

I'm getting "user not found" error messages related to my list, but the address causing the problem isn't on my list. What do I do?

This occurs when someone subscribes to a list and sets their e-mail address to forward to another address... and either THAT address changes or is deleted at the other site. (For example, say ksucat@ksu.edu joins your list and then sets the mailbox to forward to catperson@aol.com. If the person leaves the AOL network or the AOL address changes, you'll get a message saying "catperson@aol.com is unknown" whenever mail is sent to your list.)

What to do
First, see if you can match the name associated with the address to one on your list. If so, delete the related address on your list.

Check L-Soft's List Owner's Manual on the web. The section "Finding users who do not appear in the list" gives more tips on locating the cause of the problem.

Another option is to ignore the bounced messages. After 4 consecutive days or 100 messages, whichever occurs first, LISTSERV will automatically delete the related address on your list that is causing the problem. This new feature in version 1.8c helps save list owners from hassles with problem addresses.

As a last resort, forward the error message to listhelp@ksu.edu. The LISTSERV counselor will help track down the offending address so it can be removed from your list.

How do I get a summary of all the lists for which I'm an owner?

As yet, there's no way to get a record of all the lists for which you're either a regular owner or a quiet owner. The only way is if you've kept track of your lists yourself.

However, you can get a record of just the K-State lists you own if you're subscribed to those lists. The process is:

    1. Send e-mail to:   listserv@ksu.edu
    2. In the message text, put this command:   query  *

LISTSERV sends e-mail with a list of the groups to which you're subscribed, along with the subscriber options you've chosen for each list.

How do I change my owner address on the list?

1. Log on to your central Unix account (which is your @ksu.edu address).
2. Send e-mail to listserv@ksu.edu with this command in the text to get the list header (where "listname" is the 3-15 character list ID):

      GET listname (HEADER
   

3. LISTSERV will send e-mail asking for confirmation on your command.
4. Reply to the confirmation message, making sure to:
   • type "OK" in the text (without quotes)
   • delete all other text in the reply message
   • delete any signature lines
5. LISTSERV will e-mail the list header info to you, along with a PUT line at the top.
6. Cut-and-paste the PUT line and the header lines into a reply message and send it to listserv@ksu.edu.
   • In the "PW=xxxxxxxx" command, replace the X's with your personal password you defined to LISTSERV. (See How do I register a password for my list?
   • Make the changes you want in the owner address.
   • Be sure to delete your signature lines.
   • If you have quiet owners for your list, update those lines to meet the required new format:

        *  Owner= owner@internet.address
        *  Owner= quiet:
        *  Owner= quietowner1@internet.address
        *  Owner= quietowner2@internet.address
     

7. LISTSERV will send e-mail saying the list header has been successfully updated.

For more details on using the GET and PUT commands, see the section Retrieving and editing the list in the L-Soft Owner's Manual online.

I don't like the command-confirm process. Can I change that?

Yes, you can. There are two ways to add security on K-State lists:

• By using the command-confirmation process -- This is the current setting on most K-State lists. Owners must verify/confirm each command they send to listserv@ksu.edu.

• By registering a personal password with LISTSERV -- Owners set a personal password, and then use it whenever they add/delete members or send list changes to listserv@ksu.edu.

1. Register a personal password with LISTSERV.
   (See How do I register a personal password with LISTSERV? in this section.)
2. Send e-mail to the LISTSERV counselor at listhelp@ksu.edu to request your list be changed. Be sure to specify:
   • the name of your list
   • that you want your list changed from command-confirmation to password-protected

The LISTSERV counselor will make the change as requested, and notify you within 48 hours that your list has been changed. From then on, you must use your password whenever you add/delete a member or make changes in your list's settings.

For more information about personal passwords, see the Personal Passwords section in the LISTSERV Owner's Manual on the web.

How do I register a personal password with LISTSERV?

1. Send e-mail to listserv@ksu.edu to specify a personal password. In the message text, delete all other text and signature lines and use this command:

                       PW  ADD  yourpassword
   

   where "yourpassword" is the password you've chosen. Do NOT use your log-on password!

2. LISTSERV will send a message back asking for confirmation (with an authorization code or "magic cookie" in the Subject line). You should reply to the message, following these steps:
   • type "OK" in the text (without quotes; either uppercase or lowercase is acceptable)
   • delete all other text and any signature lines
3. LISTSERV will send a message back saying your password has been registered successfully.

This process gives LISTSERV a way to identify you as someone authorized to update your list, as opposed to requiring you to confirm your e-mail address when you send commands.

I forgot my personal password. What do I do?

Change your password by sending e-mail to listserv@ksu.edu with this command in the message text:

                         PW  CHANGE  newpassword

LISTSERV will send a response requesting an "OK" confirmation from you. Reply to that message and type "OK" (without quote marks) in your message. You'll then receive a note from LISTSERV saying your password has been updated.

How do I add/delete members when my list is password-protected?

Send e-mail to listserv@ksu.edu with the add/delete commands in this format:

   ADD listname user1@address Firstname Lastname PW=mypassword
   DEL listname user2@address PW=mypassword

where "mypassword" is your personal password.

The above format would add one member and delete one from your list. If you need to change a member's address, you should delete them as usual and then add them as a new member with a new address.

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Kansas State University
January 7, 2001