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VACATION(1)
NAME
  vacation - E-mail auto-responder

SYNOPSIS
  vacation [-a alias] [-C cffile] [-d] [-f database] [-i] [-I] [-j] [-l] [-m
  message] [-R returnaddr] [-r interval] [-s address] [-t time] [-U] [-x]
  [-z] login

DESCRIPTION
  Vacation returns a message, ~/.vacation.msg by default, to the sender
  informing them that you are currently not reading your mail.	The message
  is only sent to each sender once per reply interval (see -r below).  The
  intended use is in a .forward file.  For example, your .forward file might
  have:

       \eric, "|/usr/bin/vacation -a allman eric"

  which would send messages to you (assuming your login name was eric) and
  reply to any messages for ``eric'' or ``allman''.

  Available options:

  -a alias
       Handle messages for alias in the same manner as those received for the
       user's login name.

  -C cfpath
       Specify pathname of the sendmail configuration file.  This option is
       ignored if -U is specified.  This option defaults to the standard
       sendmail configuration file, located at /etc/mail/sendmail.cf on most
       systems.

  -d   Send error/debug messages to stderr instead of syslog.  Otherwise,
       fatal errors, such as calling vacation with incorrect arguments, or
       with non-existent logins, are logged in the system log file, using
       syslog(8).  This should only be used on the command line, not in your
       .forward file.

  -f filename
       Use filename as name of the database instead of ~/.vacation.db or
       ~/.vacation.{dir,pag}.  Unless the filename starts with / it is
       relative to ~.

  -i   Initialize the vacation database files.	It should be used before you
       modify your .forward file.  This should only be used on the command
       line, not in your .forward file.

  -I   Same as -i (for backwards compatibility).  This should only be used on
       the command line, not in your .forward file.

  -j   Respond to the message regardless of whether the login is listed as a
       recipient for the message.  Do not use this flag unless you are sure
       of the consequences.  For example, this will cause to reply to mailing
       list messages which may result in removing you from the list.

  -l   List the content of the vacation database file including the address
       and the associated time of the last auto-response to that address.
       This should only be used on the command line, not in your .forward
       file.

  -m filename
       Use filename as name of the file containing the message to send
       instead of ~/.vacation.msg.  Unless the filename starts with / it is
       relative to ~.

  -R returnaddr
       Set the reply envelope sender address

  -r interval
       Set the reply interval to interval days.	 The default is one week.  An
       interval of ``0'' or ``infinite'' (actually, any non-numeric
       character) will never send more than one reply.	The -r option should
       only be used when the vacation database is initialized (see -i above).

  -s address
       Use address instead of the incoming message sender address on the From
       line as the recipient for the vacation message.

  -t time
       Ignored, available only for compatibility with Sun's vacation program.

  -U   Do not attempt to lookup login in the password file.  The -f and -m
       options must be used to specify the database and message file since
       there is no home directory for the default settings for these options.

  -x   Reads an exclusion list from stdin (one address per line).  Mails
       coming from an address in this exclusion list won't get a reply by
       vacation.  It is possible to exclude complete domains by specifying
       ``@domain'' as element of the exclusion list.  This should only be
       used on the command line, not in your .forward file.

  -z   Set the sender of the vacation message to ``<>'' instead of the user.
       This probably violates the RFCs since vacation messages are not
       required by a standards-track RFC to have a null reverse-path.

  Vacation reads the first line from the standard input for a UNIX ``From''
  line to determine the sender.	 Sendmail(8) includes this ``From'' line
  automatically.

  No message will be sent unless login (or an alias supplied using the -a
  option) is part of either the ``To:'' or ``Cc:'' headers of the mail.	 No
  messages from ``???-REQUEST'', ``???-RELAY'', ``???-OWNER'', ``OWNER-???'',
  ``Postmaster'', ``UUCP'', ``MAILER'', or ``MAILER-DAEMON'' will be replied
  to (where these strings are case insensitive) nor is a notification sent if
  a ``Precedence: bulk'' or ``Precedence: junk'' line is included in the mail
  headers.  The people who have sent you messages are maintained as a db(3)
  or dbm(3) database in the file .vacation.db or .vacation.{dir,pag} in your
  home directory.

  Vacation expects a file .vacation.msg, in your home directory, containing a
  message to be sent back to each sender.  It should be an entire message
  (including headers).	For example, it might contain:

       From: eric@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Eric Allman)
       Subject: I am on vacation
       Delivered-By-The-Graces-Of: The Vacation program
       Precedence: bulk

       I am on vacation until July 22.	If you have something urgent,
       please contact Keith Bostic <bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU>.
       --eric

FILES
  ~/.vacation.db    default database file for db(3)

  ~/.vacation.{dir,pag}
		    default database file for dbm(3)

  ~/.vacation.msg   default message to send

SEE ALSO
  sendmail(8), syslog(8)

HISTORY
  The vacation command appeared in 4.3BSD.

Index for Section 1

Alphabetical listing for V

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