1MSGCHK(1) [nmh-1.3] MSGCHK(1)
2
6 msgchk - check for messages
7
9 msgchk [-date | -nodate] [-notify all/mail/nomail ] [-nonotify
10 all/mail/nomail ] [-host hostname] [-user username] [-apop |
11 -noapop] [-kpop] [-sasl] [-saslmech mechanism] [-snoop] [users
12 [-version] [-help]
13
15 The msgchk program checks all known mail drops for mail waiting for
16 you. For those drops which have mail for you, msgchk will indicate if
17 it believes that you have seen the mail in question before.
18 The -notify type switch indicates under what circumstances msgchk
20 should produce a message. The default is -notify all which says that
21 msgchk should always report the status of the users maildrop. Other
22 values for `type' include `mail' which says that msgchk should report
23 the status of waiting mail; and, `nomail' which says that msgchk should
24 report the status of empty maildrops. The -nonotify type switch has
25 the inverted sense, so -nonotify all directs msgchk to never report the
26 status of maildrops. This is useful if the user wishes to check
27 msgchk's exit status. A non-zero exit status indicates that mail was
28 not waiting for at least one of the indicated users.
29 If msgchk produces output, then the -date switch directs msgchk to
31 print out the last date mail was read, if this can be determined.
32 Using POP
35 msgchk will normally check all the local mail drops, but if the option
36 “pophost:” is set in the mts configuration file “mts.conf”, or if the
37 -host hostname switch is given, msgchk will query this POP service host
38 as to the status of mail waiting.
39 The default is for msgchk to assume that your account name on the POP
41 server is the same as your current username. To specify a different
42 username, use the `-user username' switch.
43 When using POP, you will normally need to type the password for your
45 account on the POP server, in order to retrieve your messages. It is
46 possible to automate this process by creating a “.netrc” file contain‐
47 ing your login account information for this POP server. For each POP
48 server, this file should have a line of the following form. Replace
49 the words mypopserver, mylogin, and mypassword with your own account
50 information.
51 machine mypopserver login mylogin password mypassword
53 This “.netrc” file should be owned and readable only by you.
55 For debugging purposes, there is also a switch -snoop, which will allow
57 you to watch the POP transaction take place between you and the POP
58 server.
59 If nmh has been compiled with APOP support, the -apop switch will cause
61 msgchk to use APOP rather than standard POP3 authentication. Under
62 APOP, a unique string (generally of the format <pid.timestamp@host‐
63 name>) is announced by the POP server. Rather than `USER user', `PASS
64 password', msgchk sends `APOP user digest', where digest is the MD5
65 hash of the unique string followed by a `secret' shared by client and
66 server, essentially equivalent to the user's password (though an APOP-
67 enabled POP3 server could have separate APOP and plain POP3 passwords
68 for a single user). -noapop disables APOP in cases where it'd other‐
69 wise be used.
70 If nmh has been compiled with KPOP support, the -kpop switch will allow
72 msgchk to use Kerberized POP rather than standard POP3 on a given invo‐
73 cation. If POPSERVICE was also #defined to "kpop", msgchk will be
74 hardwired to always use KPOP.
75 If nmh has been compiled with SASL support, the -sasl switch will
77 enable the use of SASL authentication. Depending on the SASL mechanism
78 used, this may require an additional password prompt from the user (but
79 the “.netrc” file can be used to store this password). The -saslmech
80 switch can be used to select a particular SASL mechanism.
81 If SASL authentication is successful, inc will attempt to negotiate a
83 security layer for session encryption. Encrypted traffic is labelled
84 with `(encrypted)' and `(decrypted)' when viewing the POP transaction
85 with the -snoop switch.
86
89 $HOME/.mh_profile The user profile
90 /etc/nmh/mts.conf nmh mts configuration file
91 /var/mail/$USER Location of mail drop
92
95 None
96
99 inc(1)
100
103 `user' defaults to the current user
104 `-date'
105 `-notify all'
106
109 None
110MH.6.8 1 June 2008 MSGCHK(1)