This FAQ is to help explain the submission control feature within the Sophocles Mail Manager .

What is Submission control for ?

Submission control is a List Maintainer feature that allows control over who is allow to send a mail message to a mailing list.

What are the three settings for Submission control?

1. Open . This has no restrictions on who can post to the list or who can view the archive. A potential problem with this setting is that a list can receive unwanted email. This is thus no longer the default setting for our lists.
2. Restricted to Subscribers Only (DEFAULT). This is restricted to the subscribers only. Since you may have subscribers who post from multiple email addresses or special posters, also see the note below on defining additional permitted senders
3. Closed to named senders of a Controlling List . This is restricted to a list of named senders. The list of named senders is set by selecting a Controlling List (see below).

How do I set the Submission Control for a list ?

Submission control can either be set when a list is created, or when updating a list.

What is a controlling list for a Closed List?

A controlling list is a mailing list whose subscriber list is used as the list of allowable posters to a Closed List. A controlling list must be either an Open or Restricted list. If you are creating a new list to use as a controlling list, then the naming convention is to add a suffix of "-posters" to the listname to be controlled.

Can a Controlling list for a Closed List or a Restricted to Subscribers only list have embedded lists?

Yes, they can. When permuting the set of permitted senders Sophocles handles addresses for subscribers on embedded lists automatically. Its recommended that if lists are embedded they are at the first level and listed explicitly at that level rather than relying on lists embedded within an embedded list.

Can I add additional permitted sender email addresses to a Closed or Restricted List?

Yes, for a list that is closed or restricted you can define additional email addresses that are allowed to send to the list. These email addresses will not receive the email. This feature is a tool for permitting an existing subscriber who sends email to the list from a number of email addresses other than the subscribed email address, or for adding other special cases. Additional permitted sender addresses can be defined when a list is created or updated. The show subscribers screen allows the list of additional permitted senders to be managed. See the Additional Permitted Sender FAQ for more explanation.

I restricted a list and received a Diagnostic alert about a sender not on the accept list, what should I do?

You may need to add an additional permitted sender address as noted above. Also see the Diagnostic Alerts FAQ.

26 Apr 2005