vacation(1)

NAME
     vacation - return ``I am not here'' mail indication

SYNOPSIS
     Initializing the database:

     vacation -i [ -r interval ]

     Replying to mail:

     vacation [ -a alias ] userid

DESCRIPTION
     Vacation automatically returns a message to anyone who sends you mail.
     Typically, this message informs the sender that you are not available to
     read your mail.

   Initializing the Database
     When called with the -i flag, vacation initializes the ndbm(3B) database
     files .vacation.pag and .vacation.dir in your home directory.  If a
     vacation database already exists, vacation will delete the old one and
     create a new (empty) one.  vacation uses this database to keep track of
     the people to whom it has sent messages and at what times such messages
     were sent.  vacation requires this information to implement the reply
     interval function described below.

     The -r flag causes vacation to set the reply interval to interval days.
     The reply interval is the time the system will wait before sending a
     duplicate notification message to the same user.  For example, if the
     reply interval is set to 3 days, then no matter how frequently a given
     user sends you mail, he will be sent a notification message at most once
     every 3 days.  This feature reduces unnecessary mail traffic for the
     system and undue irritation for those who send you mail.

     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.

     The default interval is seven days.

     Caveat: An interval of ``0'' is quite dangerous as it allows mailers to
     get into ``I am on vacation'' loops.

   Replying to Mail
     When called without the -i flag, vacation sends an automatic reply
     message.  vacation will expect to see an incoming mail message on
     standard input.  Once the message has been collected, vacation will send
     an automatic reply to the sender of the incoming mail message provided
     that all of the following are true:

     1. userid (or an alias supplied using the -a option) is part of either
        the ``To:'' or ``Cc:'' headers of the mail.

     2. No automatic reply has been sent to the sender within the configured
        interval days. (See the -i and -r flags above.)

     3. The sender of the incoming message is not ``???-REQUEST'',
        ``Postmaster'', ``UUCP'', ``MAILER'', or ``MAILER-DAEMON'' (where case
        doesn't matter).

     4. No ``Precedence: bulk'' or ``Precedence: junk'' line is included in
        headers of the incoming mail message.

     The automatic reply message will be read from the .vacation.msg file in
     the home directory associated with userid. This file should contain the
     complete mail message (including headers) which will be sent back to the
     sender.  If it does not include a ``Subject:'' line, vacation will
     construct one using the ``Subject:'' line from the incoming message.

     Vacation reads the first line from the standard input for a UNIX-style
     ``From'' line to determine the address of the sender.  sendmail(1M)
     includes this ``From'' line automatically.  Note that if the incoming
     message contains a ``Reply-To:'' message header, vacation will send its
     reply message to the address listed there instead of to the address from
     the ``From'' line.

EXAMPLE
     To configure vacation so that it will automatically return a message to
     each person who sends you mail, you will need to take the following
     steps:

     1. Create a .vacation.msg file in your home directory containing the
        message that you want vacation to return to each sender.  It should be
        a complete message (including headers).  If your name was ``John
        Brown,'' your userid was ``john'' and your host name was
        ``mymachine.company.com'', you might create a .vacation.msg file
        containing:

          From: john@mymachine.company.com (John Brown)
          Precedence: bulk

          I am on vacation until Aug. 1st.  In my absence, please refer
          all urgent business to Jane Smith.  Her e-mail address is
          jane@hermachine.company.com.

               -- John Brown


     2. Initialize the vacation database in your home directory by invoking
        vacation with the -i flag and, optionally, the -r flag.
     3. Create a .forward file in your home directory that tells sendmail(1M)
        to pass incoming mail to the vacation program.  Again, if your name
        was ``John Brown'' and your userid was ``john,'' your .forward file
        might have:

          \john, "|/usr/sbin/vacation john"


        This will cause sendmail(1M) to send one copy of the incoming message
        to your regular mailbox (so you can read it when you get back) and one
        copy of the message to the vacation program.  Note that the vacation
        program is called such that it will reply to any messages for
        ``john.''

DIAGNOSTICS
     Fatal errors, such as calling vacation with incorrect arguments, or with
     non-existent userids, are logged in the system log file, using
     syslog(3B).

FILES
     ~/.vacation.dir    database file
     ~/.vacation.msg    message to send
     ~/.vacation.pag    database file

SEE ALSO
     ndbm(3B), sendmail(1M), syslog(3B).