[net.unix-wizards] mail and disk quotas

jwp@sdchema.UUCP (John Pierce) (12/02/84)

In article <6183@brl-tgr.ARPA> God <root%bostonu.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa> writes:

 > 	The mail spool is a particular nuisance as other users can
 > 	force someone over quota by blasting mail at them.
 > 	I haven't had it happen here but I would assume that
 > 	mail starts falling off the floor.

This can be fixed trivially in src/bin/mail.c with setrlimit(2).  The most
difficult part is finding the setrlimit(2) document in your manual.  It is,
of course, on the getrlimit(2) page (like where else did you *expect* it to
be, man?).

				John Pierce, Chemistry, UC San Diego
				{decvax,sdcsvax}!sdchema!jwp

tom@uwai.UUCP (12/04/84)

> 	The mail spool is a particular nuisance as other users can
> 	force someone over quota by blasting mail at them.
> 	I haven't had it happen here but I would assume that
> 	mail starts falling off the floor.

How does this happen?  Don't tell me you put quotas on /usr!!!  People's
stuff queued up in /usr/spool/* shouldn't affect their disk quotas
as long as  you haven't gone and done this questionable thing.

tom
-- 

Tom Christiansen
University of Wisconsin
Computer Science Systems Lab 
...!{allegra,heurikon,ihnp4,seismo,uwm-evax}!uwvax!tom
tom@wisc-ai.arpa

chris@byucsa.UUCP (Chris J. Grevstad) (12/06/84)

	>> 	The mail spool is a particular nuisance as other users can
	>> 	force someone over quota by blasting mail at them.
	>> 	I haven't had it happen here but I would assume that
	>> 	mail starts falling off the floor.
	>
	>How does this happen?  Don't tell me you put quotas on /usr!!!  People's
	>stuff queued up in /usr/spool/* shouldn't affect their disk quotas
	>as long as  you haven't gone and done this questionable thing.

I think putting quotas on /usr is a valid thing to do when when you have users
who archive (and consequently bypass their quotas) by mailing their files to
themselves.
-- 

	Chris Grevstad
	{ihnp4,noao,mcnc,utah-cs}!arizona!byucsa!chris

	Save the Shrimps!

rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (12/08/84)

> > 	The mail spool is a particular nuisance as other users can
> > 	force someone over quota by blasting mail at them.
> > 	I haven't had it happen here but I would assume that
> > 	mail starts falling off the floor.
> 
> How does this happen?  Don't tell me you put quotas on /usr!!!  People's
> stuff queued up in /usr/spool/* shouldn't affect their disk quotas
> as long as  you haven't gone and done this questionable thing.
> 

Wrong--you can't have both.  If you don't put quotas on /usr/spool, it
doesn't take a very clever user to figure out that he can exceed his quota
for file space by sending the big files in mail to himself!
-- 
Dick Dunn	{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd		(303)444-5710 x3086
   ...Are you making this up as you go along?

ron@BRL-TGR.ARPA (12/10/84)

Most mail systems drop the mail into the users home directory.  However
most mail systems are more creative than throwing mail to over quota
users away.  Some just deliver it anyway, some spool it, and some return
it to the sender.  Discarding mail is not nice.

-Ron

root%bostonu.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa (12/20/84)

	
> How does this happen?  Don't tell me you put quotas on /usr!!!  People's
> stuff queued up in /usr/spool/* shouldn't affect their disk quotas
> as long as  you haven't gone and done this questionable thing.
>	Tom Christiansen
	
Tom (et al),

	I was just trying to give some of the permutations to
	consider when setting up a quota system aimed at someone
	who seemed to be at the very early stages of setting this
	up. Why is it not reasonable to set quotas on /usr? It
	may be inconvenient but so would incapacitating a system
	for everybody by someone flooding a disk. If the users
	were completely reasonable/responsible why use the quota
	system at all??? Yes, I do set (*large*) quotas on /usr,
	haven't had a complaint yet.

	[geez, ya try ta help ya get yer head bitten off!]

			-Barry Shein, Boston University