Reply-O-Matic does not need a configuration file. All it needs are some (or none) parameters to do all it's tricks:

-v

Show version and help text

-h[n]

Define who much of the original message will be on the reply. Possible values for n include:

0 - Nothing of the original message will show on the reply

1 - The headers of the original message will show on the reply (default)

2 - The full original message will show as an attachment on the reply

When -h1 is used, the headers will be send inline on the reply message. -h2 will be a mime attachment.

-f <from>

Set the address that will be used on the From: header of the reply message. Can be on any of the following formats:

-f user@address.com

-f "User Name <user@address.com>"

-f "user@address.com (User Name)"

The last format is not recommended and is provided only for legacy reasons.

Default: postmaster

-b <message body file>

This file defines the content of the reply message. It should be a plain-text file, once the content is always plain/text. If you need to send information on any other format, use the -a parameter.

Default: internal text (Use the code, Luke)

-s <message subject>

Set the subject of the reply message

Default: "Reply-o-Matic auto response"

-S

Prefix the original message's subject with "RE: ", and use it as the reply message subject line.

This parameter takes precedence over -s , and if both are given, the value of -s is only used if there is no subject line on the original message (fallback).

-r <reply-to address>

This address will show up in the Reply-To header of the reply message, and will be used as the destination if someone try to reply the message.

-c <copy response to>

This address will receive a copy of the reply message. The original message sender will not be aware of this copy (blind copy).

You can list more then one address using a comma separated list, in one of the formats bellow:

-c user2@my.com

-c user3@otherdomain.com

-c "user3@otherdomain.com"

-d <deliver-to address>

Sometime, you want the sender to get an auto-reply, but also want to receive the original message, or deliver it to someone else. This is how you do it. It can take the same formats of the -c parameter (comma separated list)

-a <file to attach>

The given file will be delivered as an attachment of the reply message. The whole message will me converted to the multipart/mixed MIME format. Unless otherwise specified with the -t parameter, Reply-O-Matic will try to guess the mime using /etc/rom/mime.types and /etc/mime.types, and checking for the file extension. If the type cannot be determined, application/octet-stream will be used.

Only the first -a parameter will be used. Any other is discarded, and the occurrence will be logged.

-t <attachment mime-type>

This is how you define the mime-type of the attachment delivered with the -a parameter. This parameter will override the auto.

Only the first -t parameter will be used. Any other is discarded, and the occurrence will be logged.

-C [<chroot dir>]

Make ROM run in a chroot environment. SEE

-R [<hours>]

Number of hours to wait before replying to the same originator address. If a value is note given for -R, Reply-O-Matic will wait for 1(one) hour.

Default: Don't wait

The rate limiting data file will be stored on the user homedir as .rom_rates, unless the file /etc/rom/.rates/.uid-XXX (where XXX is the users uid) exists. If both exists (or both don't), the file on the user homedir will be used.

SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS for more details.

Default: /etc/rom

-u <uid>

Select the uid ROM will drop it's privileges to. ROM will never run as root, so if you select 0, it will drop to the default value.

Default: 65534

-g <gid>

Select the gid ROM will drop it's privileges to. ROM will never run with gid 0, so if you select 0, it will drop to the default value.

Default: 65534

-U <uid>

Select the uid ROM will use to run the MTA/MDA (/usr/sbin/sendmail). Selecting 0 will cause the privileges not to be dropped. SEE SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS for more details.

Default: Don't drop

-G <gid>

Select the gid ROM will use to run the MTA/MDA (/usr/sbin/sendmail). Selecting 0 will cause the privileges not to be dropped. SEE SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS for more details.

Default: Don't drop

IMPORTANT:

As of 0.10.1, the last four parameters (-u, -g, -U and -G) will only take effect if the calling user is root (real uid = 0). Otherwise, ROM will drop it's privileges to that of the calling user, INCLUDING when calling the MTA/MDA.

Ignored message will still be delivered if the -d parameter is given.

MDA/MTA

Just add it on the aliases file (or equivalent), in a way it is used as a pipe output (see EXAMPLES bellow).

Local Delivery Agent It will depend on the local delivery agent your system uses. In the EXAMPLES section bellow we show it on procmail and the .forward file.

info: |/usr/sbin/rom

info2: |/usr/sbin/rom -S -b /etc/rom/auto_reply_text

info3: |/usr/sbin/rom -s 'Information Requested follows' -a /etc/rom/info.pdf

support: |/usr/sbin/rom -S -d cli_sup@my.com -b /etc/rom/information_received.txt -h2

On the .forward file:

|/usr/sbin/rom -s Vacation Notice -b /home/user/vacation.txt -d

|/usr/sbin/rom -s The information you request -b /home/user/info,txt -a /home/user/data.dat -h0

On the .procmailrc file:

:0 * Subject: REQ: |/usr/sbin/rom -s Requested information follow -b /home/user/powerinfo.txt -h0

Reply-O-Matic now can run in a chroot environment, using the -C parameter. Remember programs must have euid 0 to run chroot, so make sure you make Reply-O-Matic suid root.

When running on a chroot environment, Reply-O-Matic expects to find the mime.types file on the base dir of the chroot environment. So, if you are using the default chroot dir (/etc/rom/), make sure you copy your system mime.types file to /etc/rom/mime.types.

One further notice is that Reply-O-Matic will drop it's privileged as soon as possible, either to the values specified with -u and -g, or it's default values (65534 for both). If you set any of these values (-u and -g) to 0, Reply-O-Matic will reset it to 65534, refusing to run as root.

-G and -U specify the uid and gid the MTA/MDA will run as. The value 0 for -G or -U means not to drop the privilege (default). This is because many times you will want to run the MTA/MDA as root, so it will trust the user sending the e-mail. Reply-O-Matic will run the MTA/MDA as root if no value or 0 is given to -U, and it's setuid root.

As of 0.10.0, Reply-O-Matic can be set to paranoid mode (recommended). See the PARANOID MODE section bellow for more details.

One important point to notice is that Reply-O-Matic will not reply to messages with the Precedence header field set to "bulk" or "list". This is important so we don't send replies to mailing lists, or to other Reply-O-Matic instances. It will still deliver the message if -d is used.

It's common knowledge that the author of this software hates the create configuration files parsers. So, Reply-O-Matic uses a very dirty trick to implement the Paranoid Mode.

Paranoid Mode is configured using the file /etc/rom/paranoid. But instead of the content of the file, Reply-O-Matic will check the file ownership to configure itself.

The owner of the file (uid) will have unrestricted access to all functionalities. The group of the file (gid) is used for bitwise configuration. Just add the values of the flags, and set the group of the file to this value:

1

Force chroot to ROM's default chroot directory (/etc/rom)

2

Don't allow the setting of the user (-u and -U). ROM will use it's defaults.

4

Don't allow the setting of the group (-g and -G). ROM will use it's defaults.

8

Don't allow attachments (-a).

If you set the group to 0 , the paranoid mode will be deactivated. The root user (uid=0) will always have full functionality access, no matter if the paranoid file exists, and it's owner.

The recommended ownership for /etc/rom/paranoid is mail.15 (or mail.255, if you are really paranoid, and want to activate paranoid modes that does not exist yet). Group 15 means CHROOT + LOCKUID + LOCKGID + NOATTACH (1 + 2 + 4 + 8).

Reply-O-Matic was tested with sendmail , exim , postfix and qmail ; our primary development platform was using exim.

/usr/sbin/sendmail

Used for mail delivery

/dev/urandom

Used to create random MIME delimiters

/etc/mime.types, /etc/rom/mime.types

Used to do mime-type auto-detection

/mime.types

Used to do mime-type auto-detectin on a chrooted environment (the base directory of the chroot dir)

/etc/rom/paranoid

Paranoid mode configuration

/etc/rom/.rates/*

Directory to store reply rate limiting data (must be 1777) This is legacy stuff. See bellow

$HOME/.rom_rates

File used to store reply rate limiting data (takes precedence over /etc/rom/.rates/.uid-XXX (where XXX is the users uid)

$HOME/.rom_ignores

File with a list of addresses and/or domains to ignore (don't reply to)