root / pykota / branches / 1.26_fixes / docs / pkmail.sgml @ 3494

<!-- $Id$ -->

<chapter>
  <title>Control PyKota by email with pkmail</title>
  <para>Last modified on $Date$</para>
  
  <para>
    <command>pkmail</command> is an email gateway which allows you to control
    <application>PyKota</application> using email messages.
  </para>  
  
  <para>
    For now, this command can't do more than print quota reports, but more
    powerful functionnalities are planned for a future release.
  </para>
  
  <sect1>
    <title>Installation</title>
    <para>
      Contrary to other commands included with <application>PyKota</application>,
      <command>pkmail</command> is not meant to be used from the command line,
      but instead launched from your mail server when particular messages are
      received.
    </para>
    
    <para>
      In order to achieve this, the easiest way is to define a special
      email alias. Every message received on this address will cause your webserver to automatically
      launch <command>pkmail</command>, passing the message's content on <command>pkmail</command>'s standard input.
    </para>
    
    <para>
      The name of the email alias is completely free, let's call it <literal>pykotacmd</literal> for example.
      Now edit <filename>/etc/aliases</filename> with your favorite text editor and enter the following :
<screen>      
pykotacmd :     "|/usr/bin/pkmail"
</screen>
    </para>
    
    <para>
      Finally, tell your mail server that new aliases are available. To do so, at the command prompt just
      type :
<screen>      
$ newaliases
</screen>      
    </para>
    
    <para>
      But to be useful, <command>pkmail</command> must be able to read <application>PyKota</application>'s
      <filename>pykotadmin.conf</filename> configuration file. A simple way to do so is to put the system
      user your mail server runs aliases commands as into the <literal>pykota</literal> system group, then
      restart your mail server software.
      <tip>
        <title>Tip</title>
        <para>
          Depending on the software you use as the mail server, additional work may be needed. For example
          <application>Exim</application> doesn't by default initialize all the groups when launching a
          command from the <filename>/etc/aliases</filename> database. Please refer to your mail server's
          documentation for details.
        </para>
      </tip>  
    </para>
  </sect1>  
  
  <sect1>
    <title>Usage</title>
    <para>
      Now that <command>pkmail</command> is installed, we can use it by sending email messages to the address
      <literal>pykotacmd@yourmailserver.example.com</literal>. This command will then process your request,
      and send the result back to you by email.
    </para>
    
    <para>
      For now, <command>pkmail</command> only accepts commands in the <literal>Subject:</literal> field
      of the email message you send to it.
    </para>
    
    <para>
      <command>pkmail</command> is still in a pretty experimental state, and only recognizes a single command :
      <command>report</command>
    </para>
    
    <para>
      The <command>report</command> takes an username as its only optional argument. So for example to
      receive a print quota report for user <literal>jerome</literal>, you'll just have to send
      an email message with <literal>report jerome</literal> in the subject.
    </para>
  </sect1>  
  
  <sect1>
    <title>Reference</title>
    <para>
      <cmdsynopsis>
        <command>pkmail</command>
        <group choice="opt"><arg>-v</arg><arg>--version</arg></group>
        <group choice="opt"><arg>-h</arg><arg>--help</arg></group>
      </cmdsynopsis>
    </para>
  </sect1>
</chapter>