System setup

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- > |  | ### System setup You will need to be root to perform the steps in this section. Before installing the Mailman software, you need to prepare your system by adding certain users and groups. Add a new user called `mailman`. Typically this is added to your `/etc/passwd` file. If username `mailman` is already in use, choose something else unique and see the `--with-ownername` flag below. Add a new group called `mailman`. Typically this is added to your `/etc/group` file. The Mailman files will be installed under the `mailman` group, with the set-group-id bit. This is so both the web based and mail based programs will have the proper write permissions. If groupname `mailman` is already in use, choose something else unique and see the `--with-ownergroup` below. Create an installation directory (called `$prefix` in the documentation that follows). All of the Mailman files will be installed under `$prefix`. Run `configure --help` for ways to split the installation up based on read-only vs. read/write files. The default directory for installing is `/home/mailman`, but some sites do things like mount `/home` with the nosuid option. This will break Mailman, which relies on setgid programs for its security. If this describes your environment, simply install Mailman in a location that allows setgid programs. Make sure this directory is set to group `mailman` (or whatever you're going to specify as `--with-ownergroup`) and has the setgid bit set (but see the README.BSD file in the source distribution if you're on a BSD system). You probably also want to guarantee that this directory is readable and executable by everyone. For example, these shell commands will accomplish this:
  >     % cd $prefix
  >     % chgrp mailman .
  >     % chmod a+rx,g+ws .
You are now ready to configure and install the Mailman software.