LISTSERV User Guide and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Table of Contents

What is a LISTSERV?

LISTSERV® is a system that makes it possible to create, manage, and control electronic mailing lists on the UTK network or on the Internet. At UTK, the software used for managing lists is from L-Soft International, Inc.

How do you set up a LISTSERV?

Submit a LISTSERV Creation Request.

Who is eligible to set up a LISTSERV?

University faculty and staff are eligible to set up a LISTSERV. 

Does it cost anything to use a LISTSERV?

LISTSERV is free to use.

How do I access the LISTSERV Management Interface?

To be able to see the list management interface, you will need to be set as an owner of the List. Once you are a LISTSERV owner, you can log into the List Management Interface with your LISTSERV username and password at https://listserv.utk.edu to manage your list.

How do I register a LISTSERV password for my email address?

In order to join/leave lists, save your personal preferences, and manage lists, you will need to register a LISTSERV password. This password is separate from your NetID/AD account and will only be used for the LISTSERV interface. To register your LISTSERV password, go to https://listserv.utk.edu and click on the “Get a New Password” link above the login prompt. Enter your email address and enter and verify your new password. You will then have to confirm the password change via a confirmation email sent to the email address provided.

I have forgotten my LISTSERV password, how to I request a new one?

Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and click on the appropriate link for your primary role for Listserv.  Then, click on the “get a new LISTSERV password” link above the login prompt. Enter your email address and enter and verify your new password. You will then have to confirm the password change via an email sent to the email address provided.

How do I subscribe to a LISTSERV?

  1. Go to http://listserv.utk.edu.
  2. Click on UTK Listserv Archives.
  3. Choose the desired LISTSERV.
  4. Click Subscribe or Unsubscribe.
  5. You will be prompted to enter your name and email address and click Join.
  6. You will receive an email to confirm your subscription.

OR 

You can also subscribe (join) via e-mail:

  1. Address an e-mail message to listserv@listserv.utk.edu; the Subject does not matter.
  2. Put the following in the body of the message:
    subscribe listname yourfirstname yourlastname
  3. A confirmation message will be sent to your e-mail address asking you to confirm your subscription request. Confirm your subscription request by clicking on the first link in the body of the message.

How do I unsubscribe from a LISTSERV?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu.
  2. Click on Subscriber’s Corner.
  3. Choose the desired LISTSERV.
  4. Click Subscribe or Unsubscribe.
  5. You will be prompted to enter your name and email address and click Leave.
  6. You will receive an email to confirm your unsubscription.

OR 

You can also  unsubscribe (sign-off) via e-mail:

  1. Address an e-mail message to listserv@listserv.utk.edu; the Subject does not matter.
  2. Put the following in the body of the message:
    signoff listname
  3. A confirmation message will be sent to your e-mail address asking you to confirm your subscription request. Confirm your subscription request by clicking on the first link in the body of the message.

How do I unsubscribe from multiple lists?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu.
  2. Click on Subscriber’s Corner.
  3. Log in with your LISTSERV username and password.
  4. You will see all lists that you are subscribed to, check the lists that you would like to unsubscribe from. If you would like to unsubscribe from all of your lists, choose the Check All function at the top of your lists.
  5. Choose Unsubscribe from the drop-down menu at the bottom of your lists.
  6. Click Submit.

How do I post to a LISTSERV?

To post to a LISTSERV, simply send an email to 

listname@listserv.utk.edu

where “Listname” is the name of the LISTSERV you would like to post to. The body of the email should contain the content you would like to post. Depending on the LISTSERV and/or your individual settings for that LISTSERV, you may have to confirm your post via a confirmation email or wait on approval from a list moderator.

What are the size limits for LISTSERV messages? 

In regards to LISTSERV, there are limits at different levels of a message. LISTSERV has a line limit of 100,000, which is variable size-wise depending on what you are sending. For example, sending large/high-resolution pictures will require more lines and could cause the message to go over the size limits. OIT recommends using compressed images when sending out standard mail. PDF files offer some compression so images could be included in a PDF attachment to help prevent messages from going over size limits. 

It is best to keep messages under 15MB when sending them out to external systems as everyone has different message size limits. 

How do I change my personal settings for a list using the LISTSERV web interface?

To change your personal settings for a LISTSERV:

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu.
  2. Click on Subscriber’s Corner.
  3. Log in with your LISTSERV username and password.
  4. You will see all lists that you are subscribed to. If not, click on the Subscriber’s Corner link at the top of the screen.
  5. Click the Settings link for the desired LISTSERV to view the Change Settings screen.
  6. Select your desired changes. If you are unsure which option is which, select the Help question mark next to each entry for an explanation.
  7. When you have finished, click Update Options at the bottom of the screen.

How do I add a single user to my LISTSERV?

To add a single user to your list:

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu
  2. Click on List Management Interface link
  3. Log in with your LISTSERV username and password
  4. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose Subscriber Management.
  5. Choose the desired list and click Update.
  6. Under the Add New Subscriber section, type in the email address of the user you would like to add. You may also include their name afterward by adding a space, then the user's first and last name.
    (Example: juser@utk.edu Joe User)
  7. Select whether or not you would like the user to receive an email notification and click Add.

How do I remove a single user from my LISTSERV?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu
  2. Click on List Management Interface link
  3. Log in with your LISTSERV username and password
  4. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose Subscriber Management.
  5. Choose the desired list and click Update.
  6. Under the Examine or Delete Subscription section, type in a portion of the user’s name or email address that you would like to remove and click Search.
  7. You should see the subscription entry for the user you would like to remove. Click the Delete button at the bottom of the screen.

How do I bulk add/remove users for my LISTSERV?

Note:  It is highly recommended that you send yourself a list of the current users as a backup before processing any bulk list operation.  To do this, see How do I view everyone subscribed to my LISTSERV?   To bulk add/delete users from your list, you will need to have an MS-DOS text file containing at least the email addresses of the users you want to add, but you may include the name as well.

The file must be formatted as seen below:

1 Email First & Last Name2 Email First & Last Name Etc…Example: juser@utk.edu  Joe User jstudent@utk.edu  John Student  jstaff@utk.edu  Jane Staff

If you have an Excel file containing the names and emails of users you would like to add, you will need to copy the email and names columns to a new document in the following order:

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Email

First Name (or Full Name)

 Last Name

When you are finished, choose File->Save As… and select MS-DOS text file as the File Type. It may appear in Excel as Text (MS-DOS) (*.txt). (Should this option not work, please copy and paste the information into Notepad and save the file.  You may then use the Notepad file when processing the bulk add/delete operation.). Once you have your file, you are ready to process your bulk add/delete operation.

To do this:

  1. Go to http://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose Subscriber Management.
  4. Click the Bulk Operations tab.
  5. Click the Browse button to select your MS-DOS text file.
  6. Select the Add or Remove function you would like to perform for the users in your input lists.
  7. Click Import.

How do I unsubscribe a user from all of the LISTSERVs that I own?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu
  2. Click on List Management Interface link
  3. Log in with your LISTSERV username and password
  4. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose Subscriber Management.
  5. Choose the desired list and click Update.
  6. Under the Examine or Delete Subscription section, type in a portion of the user’s name or email address that you would like to remove and click Search.
  7. You should see the subscription entry for the user you would like to remove. Click the Delete from All Lists button at the bottom of the screen.

How do I view everyone subscribed to my LISTSERV?

  1. Go to http://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose Subscriber Management.
  4. At the bottom of the page, there is a section entitled Review List Members. Click In Browser to view your subscribers in a web browser window. Click By Email to send yourself a list of subscribers. It is highly recommended that you periodically send yourself an email with your subscriber list in case of an error with adding or bulk processing members from your list.

How do I update the description for my LISTSERV?

  1. Go to http://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Insert a short 4-5 line description for your list in the List Description field.
  6. Click Submit in the lower-right bottom of the page.

How do I restrict attachments for my LISTSERV?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the Access Control tab.
  6. Under the Attachments section, you can opt to turn attachments on and off, set the allowed types of attachments, and set filtering for attachments. If you turn on filtering, messages sent with disallowed attachments will just have the attachments removed. Otherwise, the user will get a rejection notice for a bad attachment.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

How do I specify who can view the names/addresses of those subscribed to my list?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the Access Control tab.
  6. Under the Review section, specify which type of user can see the list of subscribed users.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

Public vs. Private LISTSERVs

When a LISTSERV is public, it is listed in the email list at https://listserv.utk.edu. Public users can freely access the LISTSERV's page and subscription options.

Private LISTSERVs are used for internal lists that aren't available via the public website. Use private LISTSERVs when you want to set up your own subscription to the list.

How do I change what type of addresses can send to my list?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the Access Control tab.
  6. Under the Send section, specify the type of user eligible to send to the list. For example, the Private option only enables subscribed users to post to the list.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

How do I change subscription access for my list?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the Subscription tab.
  6. Under the Subscription= section, you can specify how subscription is set for your list. Selecting Owner will require owner approval to be added to the list. Choosing Open will allow open subscription.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page when you are finished.

How do I specify when my LISTSERV can automatically remove a subscriber due to sending errors?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2.  Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the Error Handling tab.
  6. From here, you can choose whether or not to enable auto-delete for users that are having problems sending to the list. You can specify how many errors that occur or days with errors users can have before they are automatically removed. For more information on each setting for the Auto-Delete option, choose the Help question mark next to each setting item.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

How do I specify who receives the daily error log for my list?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the Error Handling tab.
  6. Specify which user role should receive the daily error log messages. You can specify a non-owner address by selecting Specify in the drop-down menu and entering an email address in the Specify field.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

What is an Editor?

When the Send= function for your LISTSERV is set to include the Editor role, it causes all mail sent to the list to be forwarded to the first person listed in the "Editor=" header, who will then determine whether to allow it to be posted to the list. When the Send=Editor is set, only users in the Editor and Owner roles are able to post directly to the LISTSERV.

How do I add an editor for my LISTSERV?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the List Maintenance tab.
  6. Enter the desired email addresses for the Editors in the Editor= field.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

What is a moderator?

 A moderator is an editor designated to receive and approve the posts for a moderated LISTSERV. By default, the first editor listed in the Editor= field is the moderator. However, you can assign multiple moderators to divide the work of approving posts.  

Any user with the editor role may post directly to a list without moderation, but only those editors designated moderator will be able to approve messages from non-editors.  

If "All" is set before the list of moderator addresses, the LISTSERV will send non-editor messages to all moderators instead of balancing the messages evenly between them.

How do I add a moderator for my list?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the List Maintenance tab.
  6. Enter the desired email addresses for the moderators in the Moderator= field.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

How do I change who can access the archives for my LISTSERV?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the List Maintenance tab.
  6. Under the Notebook= section, you can set which user role can access the archives using Access Level the drop-down menu.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

How do I set who receives notifications for new subscriptions or sign-offs?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the List Maintenance tab.
  6. Under the Notify= section, you can set which user roles receive notifications for the list from the drop-down menu.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

What is a LISTSERV owner?

Owners are the user accounts responsible for the subscription and configuration settings of a LISTSERV. They also receive notifications for the list as well as the daily error log. Owners have access to the List Management Interface from the LISTSERV home page and can use it to edit subscriptions or change any setting for the list. There can be multiple owners for a list, but the first owner listed in the LISTSERV headers is the primary owner.

Can I add another owner for my LISTSERV?

Yes. By default, the first owner listed is designated as the list’s primary owner. To add additional owners for your list: 

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the List Maintenance tab.
  6. Under the Owner= section, enter the email addresses of the users you would like to set as the owner.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

How do I change the default options for my LISTSERV?

  1. Go to https://listserv.utk.edu and select the List Management Interface link.
  2. Log in using your LISTSERV username and password.
  3. Choose the List Management drop-down menu at the top of the page and choose List Configuration->List Configuration Wizard.
  4. Verify that the list you want to update is selected in the list drop-down menu at the top of the page. If it isn’t, select your list and click Update.
  5. Choose the Subscription tab.
  6. Under the Default-Options= section, you can manually add default settings for the list. For more information about which default options to use, click the Help question mark next to the Default-Options field.
  7. Click Submit on the lower-right part of the page.

How can I decrease spam messages sent to my LISTSERV?

Anti-Spam: Why Set Your List to Send=Public,Confirm or Send=Private,Confirm

By adding the Confirm option, the sender will be required to confirm their message before it is posted to the list.  This reduces the problem of spammers posting to your list by faking the return address.

What difference will your users experience?

When someone sends an email message to your list, LISTSERV will respond to the sender with the following message:

For security reasons,  the LISTSERV  list has been configured to request positive confirmation of messages posted to the list. You must now confirm that the enclosed message did originate from you.  To do so,  simply reply to the present message and type "OK" (without the quotes) in the text of your message, or click on the link below. If this does not work, or if the message did not originate from you, then contact the list owner for assistance. 

To APPROVE the message:http://listserv.utk.edu/cgi-bin/wa?OK=5500F9AA&L=LISTNAME

The sender must either reply to the message with OK (as described above) or click on the link provided in the email.

If they choose to click on the link, LISTSERV will return an approved notice in the default web browser.

Anti-Spam: Tips to Decrease Spam to the List

Send Keyword Settings:

  • Send= Private,Confirm - Only members of the list can send to the list.
  • Send= Public,Confirm - Anyone can send to the list.
  • Send= Public,Confirm,Non-Member - These options allow anyone to post to the list, but if the sender address is not subscribed to the list, the sender must confirm their message before it is posted to the list. List members do not need to confirm their messages.
  • Send= Owner,Confirm - Only the list owners can send to the list.
  • Send= netid@utk.edu, netid@utk.edu,Confirm - Only the email addresses listed can send to the list.
  • Send= Editor,Hold,Confirm,All - All messages must be approved by the editor (moderator) before being posted to the list.
  • Send= Service,Confirm
  • Service= *utk.edu,*tennessee.edu,*vols.utk.edu
  • Filter= also,*@listserv.utk.edu

    Setting the above Send and Service keywords will limit the allowed senders to utk.edu, tennessee.edu, and vols.utk.edu addresses.

    Setting Filter= also,*@listserv.utk.edu disallows messages sent with the fake email return addresses of other LISTSERV lists.

    Details about the service keyword are available at:

    http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/15.5/listkeyw.html#kService

Additional Keyword Settings:

  • Confidential = Yes - Setting the Confidential command to Yes, removes the name of the list from the public list-of-lists.
  • Subscription = xxxxxxxx,Confirm - The Confirm option requires the sender to confirm their subscription.
  • Moderated or Announce-Only lists. You also set your list as moderated or announce-only.

How do I stop receiving mail from LISTSERV while I'm on vacation without unsubscribing?

Send a message to listserv@listserv.utk.edu with the following in the message area:

set listname nomail

where listname is the name of your listserv.

When you get back from vacation, send the following e-mail to listserv@listserv.utk.edu to turn mail back on:

set listname mail

Listserv Configurations

If you have any questions about making specific changes to your LISTSERV, please contact the HelpDesk at 865-974-9900.

Changing Your LISTSERV settings

You can change the settings for your LISTERV by using the List Configuration Wizard located under the List Management --> List Configuration menu.

Alphabetical List of Keywords

For a full list and description of all the settings available for your list, you can select the Alphabetic keyword list from the List Management Menu.

Advanced Tools

If you are comfortable with the various settings available for your LISTSERV, you may edit your list headers manually by selecting the Manual List Configuration link under the List Management -->List Configuration menu.

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