vacation(1)

NAME
       vacation - E-mail auto-responder

SYNOPSIS
       vacation  [-a  alias] [-C cffile] [-d] [-f database] [-i] [-I] [-l] [-m
       message] [-r interval] [-s address] [-t time] [-U] [-x] [-z] login

DESCRIPTION
       Vacation returns a message, ~/.vacation.msg by default, to  the  sender
       informing  them that you are currently not reading your mail.  The mes-
       sage is only sent to each  sender  once  per  reply  interval  (see  -r
       below).   The  intended  use  is in a .forward file.  For example, your
       .forward 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:

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

       -C cfpath
              Specify pathname  of  the  sendmail  configuration  file.   This
              option  is  ignored if -U is specified.  This option defaults to
              the   standard   sendmail   configuration   file,   located   at
              /etc/mail/sendmail.cf on most systems.

       -d     Send  error/debug  messages to stderr instead of syslog.  Other-
              wise, fatal errors, such  as  calling  vacation  with  incorrect
              arguments, or with non-existent logins, are logged in the system
              log file, using syslog(8).  This should only be used on the com-
              mand line, not in your .forward file.

       -f filename
              Use  filename  as name of the database instead of ~/.vacation.db
              or ~/.vacation.{dir,pag}.  Unless the filename starts with /  it
              is relative to ~.

       -i     Initialize  the  vacation  database  files.   It  should be used
              before you modify your .forward file.  This should only be  used
              on the command line, not in your .forward file.

       -I     Same  as  -i (for backwards compatibility).  This should only be
              used on the command line, not in your .forward file.

       -l     List the content of the vacation  database  file  including  the
              address  and  the  associated  time of the last auto-response to
              that address.  This should only be used on the command line, not
              in your .forward file.

       -m filename
              Use  filename as name of the file containing the message to send
              instead of ~/.vacation.msg.  Unless the filename starts  with  /
              it is relative to ~.

       -r interval
              Set  the  reply  interval  to interval days.  The default is one
              week.  An interval of ``0'' or ``infinite'' (actually, any  non-
              numeric  character) will never send more than one reply.  The -r
              option should only be used when the vacation  database  is  ini-
              tialized (see -i above).

       -s address
              Use  address  instead  of the incoming message sender address on
              the From line as the recipient for the vacation message.

       -t time
              Ignored, available only for compatibility  with  Sun's  vacation
              program.

       -U     Do not attempt to lookup login in the password file.  The -f and
              -m options must be used to specify the database and message file
              since  there  is  no home directory for the default settings for
              these options.

       -x     Reads an exclusion list  from  stdin  (one  address  per  line).
              Mails  coming from an address in this exclusion list won't get a
              reply by vacation.  It is possible to exclude  complete  domains
              by  specifying  ``@domain''  as  element  of the exclusion list.
              This should only be used on the command line, not in your  .for-
              ward file.

       -z     Set  the sender of the vacation message to ``<>'' instead of the
              user.  This probably violates the RFCs since  vacation  messages
              are  not  required  by  a  standards-track  RFC  to  have a null
              reverse-path.

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

       No message will be sent unless login (or an alias supplied using the -a
       option)  is  part of either the ``To:'' or ``Cc:'' headers of the mail.
       No  messages  from   ``???-REQUEST'',   ``???-RELAY'',   ``???-OWNER'',
       ``OWNER-???'',  ``Postmaster'',  ``UUCP'', ``MAILER'', or ``MAILER-DAE-
       MON'' will be replied to (where these strings are case insensitive) 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 a db(3) or dbm(3) database in the file
       .vacation.db or .vacation.{dir,pag} in your home directory.

       Vacation expects a file .vacation.msg, in your home directory, contain-
       ing  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

FILES
       ~/.vacation.db    default database file for db(3)

       ~/.vacation.{dir,pag}
                         default database file for dbm(3)

       ~/.vacation.msg   default message to send

SEE ALSO
       sendmail(8), syslog(8)

HISTORY
       The vacation command appeared in 4.3BSD.