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Computing & Statistics Lab

Attention Geri Users:

     For those of you who use the geri system for your email, either
interactively (eg. pine, mail) or as your pop or imap server, there are
two scripts that you can use to enable the vacation program on the geri 
system to handle your email if you are going to be out of the office for a 
while.

     Before leaving for an extended absence, use your pc's F-Secure ssh   
program, or any another ssh program, to log on to geri.duke.edu and    
enter the command 'on_vac'. If you do not already have a .vacation.msg   
file, a template will be copied to your login directory for you. The only
thing you will need to do manually will be to modify this file.

     The .vacation.msg file contains the message you wish to send 
indicating that you are out of the office. The 'on_vac' script will give 
you the opportunity to customize it using the a simple text editor called 
'pico'. Do NOT change the first two lines of the template.

     When you return, again log onto the geri system and enter the command
'at_home'. It's a good idea to turn the vacation program on and off before 
you leave to make sure it works as you expect. Arrange to have someone 
send you email when it's on and again after you turn it off.

     The vacation program will keep track of to whom it has replied and 
will send your automatic vacation message to each unique email address 
only once. 

     To learn more about what these scripts do for you read
http://www.cs.duke.edu/csl/faqs/vacation.php, but do not follow their 
instructions. Just let the geri script do it for you.

     To learn more about the vacation program, you can read about it with 
the UNIX command 'man vacation' or on the web at 
http://docs.sun.com/db/doc/816-3318/6m9jv8b0c?a=view.

     If you have any questions or problems with these scripts, send email 
to irv at geri.duke.edu.
  
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