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LISTSERV Command Reference Card:
General User Commands

To execute a command, send an e-mail to the listserver (example: LISTSERV@oracle.wizards.com). Put the command(s) in the body of the message. Omit any signature files you may have, because the listserver will try to interpret the file as commands.

Commands are listed in alphabetical order, with the minimum acceptable abbreviation in capital letters. Angle brackets are used to indicate optional parameters. All commands which return a file accept an optional 'F=fformat' keyword (without the quotes) that lets you select the format in which you want the file sent; the default format is normally appropriate in all cases. Some esoteric, historical, or seldom-used commands and options have been omitted.

Command Parameters Description
List Subscription commands
SUBscribe listname <full_name> Subscribe to a list, or change your name if already subscribed
SIGNOFF listname Remove yourself from the specified list
* Remove yourself from all lists on that server
* NETWIDE Remove yourself from all lists on the network
SET listname options Alter your subscription options:

    ACK/NOACK/MSGack

Acknowledgements from postings

    CONCEAL/NOCONCEAL

Hide yourself from REVIEW

    Files/NOFiles

Toggle the receipt of non-mail files from the list

    Mail/NOMail

Toggle receipt of mail

    DIGests/NODIGests
    INDex/NOINDex

Ask for digests or message indexes rather than getting messages as they are posted

    REPro/NOREPro

Copy of your own postings?

    TOPICS: ALL
            <+/->topicname

Select topics you are subscribed to (add / remove one or replace entire list)
Options for mail headers of incoming postings (choose one):

    FULLhdr or FULL822

"Full" mail headers

    IETFhdr

Internet-style headers

    SHORThdr or SHORT822

Short (default) headers

    DUALhdr

Dual headers, useful with PC or Mac mail programs
CONFIRM listname1 <listname2 <...>> Confirm your subscription (when LISTSERV requests it)
Other list-related commands
INDex listname Sends a directory of available archive files for the list, if postings are archived
Lists <option> Send a list of lists as follows:

    (no option)

Local lists only, one line per list

    Detailed

Local lists, full information returned in a file

    Global

All known lists, one line per list, sent as a (large!) file

    Global /xyz

Only those whose name or title contains 'xyz'

    SUMmary <host>

Membership summary for all lists on specified host

    SUMmary ALL

For all hosts (long output, send request via mail)

    SUMmary TOTAL

Just the total for all hosts
Query listname Query your subscription options for the specified list (use the SET command to change them)
* Query all lists that you are subscribed to on that server
REGister full_name Tell your name to LISTSERV, so that you don't have to specify it on subsequent SUBSCRIBEs
OFF Make LISTSERV forget your name
REView listname <options> Get information about a list

    BY sort_field

Sort the list in a certain order:

      Country

by country of origin

      Name

by name (last, first)

      NODEid

by hostname/nodeid

      Userid

by userid

    BY (field1 field2)

You can specify more than one sort field if enclosed in parentheses

    Countries

Same as BY COUNTRY

    LOCal

Don't forward request to peers

    Msg

Send reply via interactive messages (BITNET users only)

    NOHeader

Don't send list header

    Short

Don't list subscribers
SCAN listname text Scan a list's membership for a name or address
STats listname <options> Get statistics about a list

    LOCal

Don't forward to peers
Informational commands
Help Obtain a list of commands
Info <topic> Order a LISTSERV manual, or get a list of available manuals (if no topic was specified)
<listname> Get information about a list
Query File fn ft <filelist> <options> Get date/time of last update of a file, and GET/PUT file access code
FLags Get additional technical data (useful when reporting problems to experts)
RELEASE Find out who maintains the server and the version of the software and network data files
SHOW <function> Display information as follows:

    ALIAS node1 <node2 <...>>

BITNET nodeid to Internet hostname mapping

    BITEARN (VM only)

Statistics about the BITEARN NODES file

    DISTribute

Statistics about DISTRIBUTE

    DPATHs host1 <host2 <...>>

DISTRIBUTE path from that server to specified host(s)

    DPATHs *

Full DISTRIBUTE path tree

    FIXes (VM only)

List of fixes installed on the server (non-VM see LICENSE)

    HARDWare or HW

Hardware information

    LICense

License/capacity information and software build date

    LINKs node1 <node2 <...>>

Network links at the BITNET node(s) in question

    NADs node1 <node2 <...>>

Addresses LISTSERV recognizes as node administrators

    NETwork (VM only)

Statistics about the NJE network

    NODEntry node1 <node2 <...>>

BITEARN NODES entry for the specified node(s)

    NODEntry node1 /abc*/xyz

Just the':xyz' tag and all tags whose name starts with 'abc'

    PATHs snode node1 <node2<...>>

BITNET path between 'snode' and the specified node(s)

    POINTs <ALL | list1 list2 ...>

Graduated license point information for planning

    STATs

Usage statistics (default option)

    VERSion

Same as RELEASE command

    (no function)

Same as SHOW STATS
Commands related to file server functions
AFD <function> Automatic File Distribution:

    ADD fn ft <filelist <prolog>>

Add file or generic entry to your AFD list

    DELete fn ft <filelist>

Delete file(s) from your AFD list (wildcards are supported)

    List

Displays your AFD list

    For node administrators:
    FOR user ADD/DEL/LIST etc.

Perform requested function on behalf of a user you have control over (wildcards are supported for DEL and LIST)
FUI File Update Information: same syntax as AFD, except that FUI ADD accepts no 'prolog text'
GET fn ft <filelist> <options> Order the specified file or package

    PROLOGtext xxxx

Specify a 'prolog text' to be inserted on top of the file
GIVE fn ft <filelist> <TO> user Sends a file to someone else
INDex <filelist> Same as GET xxxx FILELIST (default is LISTSERV FILELIST)
PW <function> Define/change a "personal password" for protecting AFD/FUI subscriptions, authenticating PUT commands, and so on

    ADD firstpw

Define a password for the first time

    CHange newpw <PW=oldpw>

Change password

    RESET

Reset (delete) password
SENDme Same as GET
Other (advanced) commands
DATAbase <function> Access LISTSERV database:

    Search dd=ddname <ECHO=NO>

Perform database search (see INFO DATABASE for more information on this)

    List

Get a list of databases available on that server

    REFRESH dbname

Refresh database index, if suitably priveleged
DBase Same as DATABASE
DISTribute <type> <source> <dest> <options> Distribute a file or a mail message to a list of users (see INFO DIST for more details on the syntax)

    Type:
    MAIL

Data is a mail message

    FILE

Data is a file

    RFC822

Data is a mail , and recipients are defined by the RFC822 'To:' / 'cc:' fields

    Source:
    DD=ddname

Name of DDname holding the data to distribute (default: 'DD=DATA')

    Dest:
    <TO> user1 <user2 <...>>

List of recipients

    <TO> DD=ddname

One recipient per line

    Options for the general user:
    ACK=NOne/MAIL/MSG

Acknowledgement level (default: ACK=NONE)

    CANON=YES

'TO' list in 'canonical' form (uid1 host1 uid2 host2 ...)

    DEBUG=YES

Do not actually perform the distribution; returns debug path information

    INFORM=MAIL

Send file delivery message to recipients via mail

    TRACE=YES

Same as DEBUG=YES, but file is actually distributed

    Options requiring priveleges:
    FROM=user

File originator

    FROM=DD=ddname

One line: 'address name'
FOR user command Execute a command on behalf of another user (for node administrators)
SERVE user Restore service to a disabled user
THANKs Check the server is alive
UDD Access the User Directory Database (there are 18 functions and many sub-functions, so the syntax is not given here)
Syntax of parameters
filelist 1 to 8 characters from the following set: A-Z, 0-9, $#@+-_:
fformat Netdata, Card, Disk, Punch, LPunch, UUencode, XXencode, VMSdump, MIME/text, MIME/Appl, Mail
fn same syntax as 'filelist'
ft same syntax as 'filelist'
full_name firstname <middleinitial> surname (*not* your e-mail address)
host Internet hostname
listname name of an existing list
node BITNET nodeid or Internet hostname of a BITNET machine which has taken care of supplying a ':internet.' tag in its BITEARN NODES entry
pw A password with characters from the set: A-Z, 0-9, $#@_-?!|%
user Any valid Internet address not longer than 80 characters; if omitted, the 'hostname' part defaults to that of the command originator


Excerpted from the LISTSERV(tm) System Reference Library, release 1.8b
LISTSERV and L-SOFT are registered trademarks of L-Soft International, Inc.

Created on: January 29, 1998
Last updated on: August 1, 1998
Created by: Scott Dickie <codeslinger@mail.com>