This is the procedure for creating a simple mail list on FreeBSD with Sendmail, that is installed by default. The purpose of a mail list is to create an email address or mail list alias, that distributes the message to each member of a list.

Screenshot of Thunderbird Mail email message to a simple FreeBSD aliases mail list. Each member of the list will receive the message.

Create an email address for the mail list.

If this mail list should be able to reveive email from the internet, then create the email address.

# cd /etc/mail
# nano virtusertable
 superstars
# make

Create a FreeBSD aliases mail list.

Go to FreeBSD’s aliases file for Sendmail. This file assigns an alias to a list of comma seperated users of the system, other mail list aliases or external email adresses.

# cd /etc/mail
# nano aliases
superstars: sirius,canopus,
# make

Test the new mail list.

You are now ready to use the mail list. When an email message is sent to either the internet email address or the mail list alias, then the message is distributed to each of the users on the list. The individual users will not be able to see other recipients of the message nor members of the list.

More about mail lists.

Chapter 29. Electronic Mail in FreeBSD Handbook.

Published by Micski

Micski lives in Copenhagen, which is the capitol city of Denmark, where he's a system administrator of information technology and a semi-professional poker player.