Setting up a Vacation Message

To configure your unix mail so that a vacation message will automatically be sent back to anyone who mails you, follow these instructions. If you do not receive your mail on the unix host that you set this up on, the vacation message will not work. If you use the EECS imap server, you can set up a vacation message via the Account Information link on the imap server web page and log in.

1. Create a file in your unix home directory called .vacation.msg containing the message you want sent. (Note: there is a period at the beginning of that file name. It's .vacation.msg, not vacation.msg.) This message should start with From: and Subject: lines. Here's an example:

   
   From: janp@EECS.berkeley.edu (Jan Pardoe)
   Subject: I am on vacation
   Delivered-By-The-Graces-Of: The Vacation program
   Precedence: bulk
   
   I will be out from Wednesday 8/31 through Tuesday 9/6.
   If you have a problem that needs handling before I get
   back, talk to Rob, Korda, Caryn, or Mike, as appropriate,
   or send mail to root.  No mail will be forwarded from my
   account.  I will answer mail as I am able on Wednesday
   9/7, when I return.  If you send me mail about a
   problem and it subsequently gets fixed, please send
   me another message so I know that I don't have to worry
   about it.
   
   Jan
   
   

2. Run the command vacation -I (This may be vacation -i on some systems.) This will create 2 files: .vacation.pag and .vacation.dir

3. Now create a file called .forward and in it put the following:

   \loginname, "|/usr/ucb/vacation loginname"
   

   where loginname is your user name. (E.g., \janp, "|/usr/ucb/vacation janp") Note: the path may differ on your machine. Use the which vacation command to find out where vacation is. If you already have a .forward file, add a comma after the current contents and then the "|/usr/ucb/vacation ... " command. All of this should be on one line.

4. Make sure the .forward file and the .vacation.msg file are readable by all:

                chmod 644 .forward
                chmod 644 .vacation.msg

   Make sure the files used by the vacation program have correct permissions also:

                chmod 600 .vacation.pag
                chmod 600 .vacation.dir

The last thing you should do is check to make sure it works by sending yourself an email message. You should receive both your vacation message and the email test message in your mail.

After you return from vacation make sure you remove the

        ,"|/usr/ucb/vacation ... "

part of your .forward file. (If this is all that's in your .foward file, you can just remove the file.) You can leave the .vacation.* files for the future.