[comp.mail.sendmail] Source Code For Berkeley Mail?

usa@portia.Stanford.EDU (Nan Wu) (09/22/90)

I am posting this for a friend who cannot send mails because the system
manager doesn't want people to read messages and thus has disabled the
Berkeley "mail" program.  However, the sendmail daemon is still running.
His question is:  can he get the source code for the "mail" program so
that he can at least send out messages through sendmail daemon?  The
machine he is on is a Dec-station 3100 running Ultrix.  He'll appreciate
any pointers.  Please e-mail to this account.  Thanks!

rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) (09/22/90)

In article <1990Sep21.171510.3817@portia.Stanford.EDU> usa@portia.Stanford.EDU (Nan Wu) writes:
>I am posting this for a friend who cannot send mails because the system
>manager doesn't want people to read messages and thus has disabled the
>Berkeley "mail" program.  However, the sendmail daemon is still running.
>His question is:  can he get the source code for the "mail" program so
>that he can at least send out messages through sendmail daemon?  The
>machine he is on is a Dec-station 3100 running Ultrix.  He'll appreciate
>any pointers.  Please e-mail to this account.  Thanks!

	1.  Are you asking us to tell you how to bypass security and
	    do an and run around the system manager?  No way.  Asking
	    is ethically questionable.

	2.  It the manager wants to restrict users, he has two choices:

	    (a) Pull the plug.
	    (b) Start using a different operating system.  Unix wasn't
		designed for these restrictions.  For example if the
		Berkeley "mail" program you are referring to is
		/usr/ucb/Mail, all it does is provide a tolerably friendly
		front end to do things you could perfectly well do with
		a text editor.
-- 
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
  Neil W. Rickert, Computer Science               <rickert@cs.niu.edu>
  Northern Illinois Univ.
  DeKalb, IL 60115.                                  +1-815-753-6940

jgd@rsiatl.UUCP (John G. DeArmond) (09/22/90)

rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) writes:

>	1.  Are you asking us to tell you how to bypass security and
>	    do an and run around the system manager?  No way.  Asking
>	    is ethically questionable.

There's always one of these on the net, isn't there?  A cop wannabe. *sigh*

>In article <1990Sep21.171510.3817@portia.Stanford.EDU> usa@portia.Stanford.EDU (Nan Wu) writes:
>I am posting this for a friend who cannot send mails because the system
>manager doesn't want people to read messages and thus has disabled the
>Berkeley "mail" program.  However, the sendmail daemon is still running.
>His question is:  can he get the source code for the "mail" program so
>that he can at least send out messages through sendmail daemon?  The
>machine he is on is a Dec-station 3100 running Ultrix.  He'll appreciate
>any pointers.  Please e-mail to this account.  Thanks!

I'll give you a straight answer because not only do I realize that
security by obscurity is no security at all but also because I realize
that many sysadms are not in the chain of command and end up being pricks
just to show that  they can. 

I looked through my archives and found at least half a dozen mail agents.
From BSD, there is ucb mail and the sendmail daemon.  Then there are 
ELM, MUSH, and ACS among others. These are available from UUNET and/or
the BSD distribution.  If you or your friend looks on UUNET, prowl 
around ~ftp/bsd-sources/src/Mail or thereabouts.  If all else fails,
contact me by email and we can arrange a media exchange.

John
-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC  | We can no more blame our loss of freedom on congress
Radiation Systems, Inc. | than we can prostitution on pimps.  Both simply
Atlanta, Ga             | provide broker services for their customers.
{emory,uunet}!rsiatl!jgd|  - Dr. W Williams |                **I am the NRA**