iPB can be run in user interface mode or in auto mode. We'll get to auto a bit later. You should always run iPB in UI mode first because there are a few configuration steps that are necessary before running in auto mode.
When you start iPB for the first time you should see something similar to figure 3.1.
Figure 3.1 - Click to see larger image
Initial Configuration
The first thing you will want to do is to click on the TOOLS menu and select OPTIONS. The selections under the OPTIONS menu allow you to configure the way iPB will process files, where it will save to and what will be included. See figure 3.2 for more details.
Figure 3.2 - Click to see larger image
Reports Directory - This is the directory where all reports will be written. Global reports are written directly to this folder. Domain specific reports are written to a subdirectory with the same name as the domain. For example, if you set your reports directory to C:\reports and you have a domain named test.com, global reports will be written to c:\reports and the reports specific to test.com will be written to c:\reports\test.com.
Update TLD File - iPB uses tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt to enable it to recognize which domains are top level domains. This file is located on the IANA website at the following URL: http://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt. Pressing the Update TLD File button in iPB connects to the IANA website and downloads this file. iPB will not run without this file.
Global Excludes - iPB allows certain types of addresses to be globally excluded from all reports. Root, Aliases & Host Aliases are all eligible for exclusion from all reports. Excluding Root will filter all root@ address from iPB reports. Excluding Aliases will filter all email aliases from iPB reports. Excluding Host Aliases will filter Host Aliases from all domain related iPB reports.
Report Viewer - By placing a check mark beside "View reports when complete", you are enabling the individual report viewer. This is handy when you don't want to view all reports. It will immediately show you the output of any single report or will open a report browser if you select run all reports from the reports menu.
Once you have completed iPB initial configuration, click on the OK button to save your settings.
iPB Tools
In addition to the report engine, iPB contains three main tools: Manual Password Decrypter, Password Browser & the IMail Migration Tool.
Manual Password Decrypter - The Manual Password Decrypter allows you to enter a user name and the encrypted password string. When the Decrypt button is pressed, the encrypted password string is decrypted and the decrypted password is displayed in the Decrypted Password field. This tool is of limited use and was used primarily when developing the password decryption routines. See Figure 3.3 for more details.
Figure 3.3 - Click to see larger image
Password Browser - The iPB Password Browser is at the core of iPB functionality and allows you to quickly look up a missing password, see configured aliases for a given domain & maintain global users.lst/users.txt files for use with the IMail List Server.
Password browsing is accomplished quickly and easily by simply clicking first on the domain and next on the user. Both the encrypted password string and the decrypted password are displayed.
Browsing aliases is just as easy. Simply click on the domain and all aliases will be listed in the Aliases window. Aliases are listed in the following format: alias >>>> acutal email address. Example: abuse@martek.net >>>> evans@martek.net.
At Martek.Net we maintain an announcement list that contains ALMOST every email address on our server. This used to be a chore to maintain until iPB and was the primary reason that we wrote iPB in the first place. We used to export every non alias email in IMail to users.lst/users.txt. However, some of our domain admins wanted addresses excluded from our broadcasts. Others wanted to include addresses that were not hosted by Martek.net in our broacast. This is where the Exclude Addresses and Include External Addresses come into play.
If you want to include external addresses in users.txt/users.lst creation, type them into the text box below Include External Addresses and click on the Add Address button. These addresses will be appended to both the global and domain level exports.
If you want to exclude addresses from users.txt/users.lst creation, either drag them over to the Exclude Addresses box OR click the Exclude All button if you want to exclude every address. If you only want to send to a few addresses, it is often easier to click the Exclude All button and then to select the addresses that you don't want excluded and click in the Del Address button. See Figure 3.4 for more details.
Figure 3.4 - Click to see larger image
IMail Migration Tool (IMT) - The IMail Migration Tool is primarily an export tool. It is designed to pull all the information necessary to either move to another platform or to interface with other programs, databases, etc. Many iPB users use this export file to do further processing / reporting. Please see the reports section for more information regarding the format of the output file. IMT pulls most of its information from the Windows registry. It pulls the forwarding information from each user's directory.
Before running IMT, enter the output directory and filename in the Output File field. Example: C:\Program Files\IPB4\reports\imail-export.txt. By default there is no delay between record reads. However, on slower or heavily loaded systems, it may be necessary to introduce some delay between record reads. This is where the "Milliseconds of delay between record reads" slider comes into play. It is rare that you will have to change this setting but it is available just in case you do. The only other configuration option is the Forwards or Output radio button. It defaults to Output and shows the comma delimited data in the Output window. If you select Forwards, it displays forwarding information in the Output window. See Figure 3.5 for more details.
Figure 3.5 - Click to see larger image
iPB Reports
iPB contains a set of reports that allows you, as the IMail Administrator, to get an accurate idea of resource allocation including domain count, user count per domain, IP resources allocated to domains, etc. as well as reports that can be used as input for other processes such as spam filters, etc. The reports are as follows:
IMail Address Book Report
This report is in the same format as IMail's address book files. These files can be drop in replacement for the alias.txt files found in each user's directory.
Output Files: global_addressbook.txt (global)
addressbook.txt (per domain)
Example Output: "Evans Martin" <evans@martek.net>
Adduser.txt Report
This report includes username, password & fullname and is suitable for use with IMail's adduser.exe utility.
Output Files: global_adduser.txt (global) - PRO ONLY
adduser.txt (per domain) - PRO ONLY
Example Output: evans,password,Evans Martin
All Domains/Aliases Report
These reports contains a list of all domains along with their associated host aliases.
Output Files: global_all_domains.txt (global)
haaf.txt (per domain)
Example Output: global_all_domains.txt - Formatted for human use. Easy to pick out primary domains and their associated aliases.
somedomain.com <-- primary domain
somedomain.org <-- host alias 1
somedomain.net <-- host alias 2
haaf.txt - Formatted for programmatic use. First record element is primary. All subsequent element are aliases.
somedomain.com, somedomain.org, somedomain.net <-- primary, alias 1, alias 2
anotherdomain.com, mail.anotherdomain.com, smtp.anotherdomain.com <-- primary, alias 1, alias 2
Host Aliases Report
This report contains only host aliases, one per line.
Output Files: global_host_aliases.txt (global)
Example Output: somedomain.org
somedomain.net
mail.anotherdomain.com
smtp.anotherdomain.com
Outlook.Csv Report
The output from this report is suitable for importing into the Outlook address book and may be suitable for importation into other mail clients
Output Files: global_outlook.csv (global)
outlook.csv (per domain)
Example Output: "Evans","Martin","Evans Martin","evans@martek.net"
Postfix Dictionary Report
This report is suitable for use with Postfix.
Output Files: global_postfix_dictionary.txt (global)
postfix_dictionary.txt (per domain)
Example Output: evans=evans@[192.168.0.1]
Postfix SASL Report
This report is suitable for use with Postfix SASL configurations. For more info, see http://www.postfix.org/SASL_README.html.
Output Files: global_postfix_SASL.txt (global) - PRO ONLY
postfix_SASL.txt (per domain) - PRO ONLY
Example Output: martek.net evans:password
Postfix Users/Domains Report
This report is suitable for use with Postfix.
Output Files: global_postfix_users.txt (global)
global_domains.txt (global)
postfix_users.txt (per domain)
Example Output: global_postfix_users.txt
evans@martek.net ok
global_domains.txt - This report contains all domains, one per line. NOTE: This report does not contain host aliases
and should be combined with global_host_aliases.txt to create a complete listing of all hostnames
on your mail server.
somedomain.com
anotherdomain.net
yourdomain.org
Users.lst/Users.txt Report
This report contains the email addresses of all users on your mail server. It can include aliases and root, one per line. these files can be a drop in replacement for the subscriber files that IMail's list server users.
Output Files: global_users.lst (global)
global_users.txt (global)
users.lst (per domain)
users.txt (per domain)
Example Output: users.lst
users.txt
Nobody.txt Report
Output Files: nobody.txt (global)
Overview Report
Output Files: overview.txt (global) - Passwords decrypted in PRO ONLY
IMail Migration Tool Report - Migration Tool Output (User Defined)
Output Files: User defined path & filename - PRO ONLY
NOTE: Global reports are stored at the top level of the user defined report output directory. Non-Global reports are stored in the domain folder below the top level of the user defined report output directory. Reports in blue are NEW! Reports in red are available in iPB PRO only.
ADDED:
- Added Host Alias / Domain Alias support to the following reports:
o Overview.txt – DONE!
o Global_host_aliases.txt – DONE!
o Global_all_domains.txt – DONE!
o Global_postfix_SASL.txt – DONE!
o Postfix_SASL.txt – DONE!
o Global_postfix_users.txt – DONE!
o Postfix_users.txt – DONE!
- Added new file, haaf.txt to top level report directory. This file contains host alias association data.
- Patched registry routines for random delimiters that IMail places in the registry: spaces, commas & nulls.
- Added All Domains / Aliases report
o Contains a list of all domains as well as their associated host aliases in an easy to read format. See haaf.txt for data that is more parsable.
- Added new configuration option “View reports when complete”
o Running single reports will open the report using notepad
o Running all reports will open a file browser that will allow you to view individual reports.
- Added a progress bar that is now displayed when running ‘All Reports’ from the interface.
- Added new configuration option ‘Update TLD File’
o Downloads a new Top Level Domain file from IANA.
- Added ‘Check for updates’ menu choice under the Help menu to check for new versions of iPB.
- Added ‘Max Users’ to Overview Report. NOTE: IMail now includes root in total user count so older versions of IMail may not report root as a user. We have opted to update the code to support newer IMail releases.
- Added ‘Host Aliases’ to Overview Report.
FIXED:
- Fixed bug: global_postfix_domains.txt was misspelled (global_postifx_domains.txt). It is now spelled correctly.
- Web links now call default web browser
Global/Domain Level Reports
- global_adduser.txt / adduser.txt*
This report includes username, password & fullname and is suitable for use with IMail’s adduser.exe utility.
Example: evans,password,Evans Martin
- global_addressbook.txt / addressbook.txt Changed from global_alias.txt.
This report is in the same format of IMail’s address book files. These files can be drop in replacement for the alias.txt file found in each user’s directory.
Example: "Evans Martin"
- global_host_aliases.txt (NEW)
This report contains all host aliases for all domains, one per line.
Example: mail.martek.net
Mymail.martek.net
Somemail.martek.net
- global_all_domains.txt (NEW)
This report contains a listing of all domains along with their associated host aliases.
- global_outlook.csv / outlook.csv
This report is suitable for importing into your Outlook address book.
Example: "Evans","Martin","Evans Martin","evans@martek.net",
- global_postfix_dictionary.txt / postfix_dictionary.txt
This report is suitable for use with Postfix and includes the following information:
Example: evans=evans@[207.65.132.25]
- global_postfix_SASL.txt / postfix_SASL.txt*
This report is suitable for use with Postfix SASL (http://www.postfix.org/SASL_README.html) and includes the following information:
Example: martek.net evans:password
- global_postfix_users.txt / postfix_users.txt
This report is suitable for use with Postfix and includes the following information:
Example: evans@martek.net ok
- global_postfix_domains.txt (GLOBAL ONLY) Changed from global_postfix_domains.txt.
This report contains all domains, one per line. NOTE: This report does not contain host aliases and should be combined with global_host_aliases.txt to create a complete listing of all hostnames on your mail server.
Example: martek.net
Mydomain.com
Somedomain.net
- global_users.lst / users.lst
This report contains the email addresses of all users on your mail server. Can include aliases & root, one per line. This file, used in conjunction with global_users.txt can be a drop in replacement for the subscriber files that the IMail list server uses.
Example: evans@martek.net
- global_users.txt / users.txt
This report contains the email addresses and full names of all users on your mail server. Can include aliases & root, one per line. This file, used in conjunction with global_users.lst can be a drop in replacement for the subscriber files that the IMail list server uses.
Example: Evans Martin
- nobody.txt (GLOBAL ONLY)
This report details all domains that have a nobody alias defined. By defining a nobody alias on your domain, you are essentially disabling all valid user checks and forcing your mail server to accept, process & deliver every message that it receives. By finding and deleting nobody aliases, you reduce your server load by processing messages that are delivered to valid users only.
Example: “domain_name”,”ip_address”,”target_of_nobody_alias”
- overview.txt* (GLOBAL ONLY)
Example:
Report executed on 12-25-2006 at 17:07:11.
NOTE: User counts do not include root or aliases.
Host admins are marked with a ( ).
Non-admins are marked with a (-).
SOMEDOMAIN.COM (207.65.132.23)
Host Aliases: some.com domain.com sd.com
Top Directory: C:\IMAIL\somedomain
User Count: 4
--{ USERS }--
user01(-) password
root(-) mypass
anotheruser( ) wordofpassage
--{ ALIASES }--
postmaster >>>> root
- haaf.txt (GLOBAL ONLY)
Example:
Primarydomain1.com, hostalias1.net, hostalias2.com, hostalias3.org
Primarydomain2.com, hostalias1.net, hostalias2.com, hostalias3.org
Migration Report*
The IMail migration utility / global export tool creates a report that is excellent for creating a backup of your important user information, migrating to another mail platform, or for producing a file to use as the basis for further data processing.
The output of iMT is in the following format:
Fullname,username,username@domainname,password,domainname, ,username@domainname;username@domainname;username@domainname
Example:
Evans Martin,evans,evans@martek.net,password,martek.net, ,forward1@somedomain.com;forward2@somedomain.com;forward3@anotherdomain.net
Notes:
1.) The ‘ ’ in this example denotes a host admin. If this user had not been a host admin it would have been a ‘-‘ instead.
2.) Email addresses beyond the ‘ ’, are forwards and are delimited by ‘;’.
Reports Inventory
AliasReport 'modAliasReport
global_addressbook.txt (global)
addressbook.txt (per domain)
AddUserReport 'modAddUser
global_adduser.txt (global) - PRO ONLY
adduser.txt (per domain) - PRO ONLY
ListAllDomains 'modListAllDomains
global_all_domains.txt (global)
haaf.txt (per domain)
HostAliases 'modListHostAliases
global_host_aliases.txt (global)
OutlookReport 'modOutlookReport
global_outlook.csv (global)
outlook.csv (per domain)
PFDictionary 'modPFDictionary
global_postfix_dictionary.txt (global)
postfix_dictionary.txt (per domain)
PostfixSASLReport 'modPostfixSASL
global_postfix_SASL.txt (global) - PRO ONLY
postfix_SASL.txt (per domain) - PRO ONLY
PostfixReport 'modPostfix
global_postfix_users.txt (global)
global_domains.txt (global)
postfix_users.txt (per domain)
UsersReport 'modUsersReport
global_users.lst (global)
global_users.txt (global)
users.lst (per domain)
users.txt (per domain)
NobodyReport 'modNobodyReport
nobody.txt (global)
OverviewReport 'modOverviewReport
overview.txt (global) - Passwords decrypted in PRO ONLY
IMail Migration Tool Report
User defined path & filename - PRO ONLY