DBMail Administrator (DBMA v2.5.4) and (DBMA v3.0.2)


Free To Download, Free To Use - DBMA is a GUI for Administering All Versions of DBMail
DBMA - Download DBMail Administrator Latest TarBallDownload DBMA v2.5.4 | DBMA - Download DBMail Administrator Latest TarBallDownload DBMA v3.0.2 | Contact | Security | FAQ | Bugs(Email) [ Installing DBMA | How to Use DBMA | README | Screenshots | Latest News ]
New: Download 3.0.2 for DBMail Version 3.2.x > or 3.02 as Zip file
News | Demo | Packages are available in this format too: dbma-2.5.2.tar.gz RSS Feed, Updates and Changes

About DBMail - The Mail System

DBMail is an open source, Unix IMAP/POP3 mail storage and retrieval system which together with an MTA (Mail Transfer Agent) like Postfix enables vastly scalable mail systems with SQL database (RDBMS) storage (i.e.: MySQL, PostgreSQL) and retrieval of all e-mail and user data. DBMail's IMAP4 and POP3 Daemon's are fast; scalable to the limits of MySQL/PostgreSQL. Development and support of DBMail is done by NFG Net Facilities Group BV. Join the Users Forum.

About DBMA V3.0.x - 2016 Administrator for DbMail V3.2.x

DBMAIL management? If you don't wish to use OpenLDAP or Active Directory, I have an HTML/PERL solution for you. Let's talk about the latest version. It will manage your DBMAIL system fully from anywhere in the world. I have used DBMail on FreeBSD in a totallly secure and highly encrypted environment for over 12 years and manage the system on a secure socket layer tunnel access to DBMA. Nothing has come along that is better, more extensible and more secure. Nothing better. The amount of work put into this project by Paul J Stevens and friends is astronomical. My thanks is this complex GUI which I share with you. Enjoy.

While the earlier versions of DBMA can be configured to work with the MySQL and PostGreSQL database storage for DbMail Versions 1 through 3, many changes are needed to allow you FULL mail-reading functions of the software on DbMail V3.x.x. I am considering dropping that mail-reading capability. Currently I have left it so that you can see that there is mail there and track it but you cannot see content. In previous versions Admins could read mail and I set out a method of Level 5 blocking of that feature for your group administrators for obvious reasons. In these times of greater demands for privacy I am rethinking all this. Let me know your thoughts. Changes have been completed in an effort to have the program perform user management for you and some extra features like ACL are currently under further development. MTA management continues to function perfectly and changes are implemmented on the fly. Try DbMail Administrator for yourself. I have run it on every version of DbMail and continue to do so. Most of my servers are using DbMail 2.2 but I have servers running DbMail Current 3.2.x managed by DBMA -- it's all good. -- :o) Mike

About DBMA V2.5.4 - Administrator for DbMail V1./2.x/2.2x

  1. This legacy version of the software was written soley by myself for my own needs and then in extending this I created a distributable version, one after another as DbMail grew over nearly a decade and a half. In appreciation for the hard work of Paul Skinner, Aaron Stone and others, I hope the distribution version of DBMA helps make the DbMail brand more appealing to administrators. I stay in touch with many people who continue to use the earlier variants and fear upsetting the apple cart by upgrading/migrating/transferring etc. There are BSD servers running DbMail without restarts for over a decade, believe it or not. Contact me any time. I am Micheal O'Brien, and I still support DBMA for anyone who writes me. I have been a DBMail list member since early 2000s but that seems to have gone away. Contact me here by email any time.
  2. DbMail Administrator manages all DBMail versions using the SQL storage option, from a Unix or Windows workstation while reporting on your e-mail system's health.
  3. DBMA also interfaces your MTA to provide the MTA (i.e.: Postfix) a GUI-accesed SQL RDBMS to store and manage Virtual Domains, Destination, Transports and Access configuration of the MTA.
  4. DBMA, the longest serving Web-GUI front end for DBMail, provides a scalable, menu-driven interface for administering e-mail; user accounts; global configs; sending & fetching email and more.
DBMA V3.0.x has been released for the latest versions of DBMAIL
Learn more: DBMA Features | Managing Your E-Mail System.

Use "update.pl" to upgrade DBMA and you preserve your DBMA settings :o)

This script uses "wget" so you must have "wget" installed. Simply type "perl update.pl" or "./update.pl" in the dbmailadministrator/ directory.

Recent Changes

V3.0.2
August 30, 2016
Converted to HTML5/CSS3 and removed some javascript speeding
up the GUI. Minor tweeks. Install guide at http://dbma.ca

V3.0.1(stable)
October 1, 2015
New Version for DBMail V 3.2.x plus -> Numerous minor fixes are needed but basic function is available.
TIP: Suggest once you are configured, change the option in the top of DBMA.cgi $RESTRICTGroupID = 'any' to 'your-main-group #';


DbMailAdministrator Version 3 for DBMAIL V3.2.x
DbmailAdministrator on DbMail V3.2.3, MySQL 5.7.12, Perl 5.24 and Apache 2.4.20 August 28, 2016


V2.5.4
Numerous minor fixes
V2.5.2
June 1, 2008
* further changes made to PostgreSQL functionality to allow DBMail users to exploit the significant new functionality and performance enhancements of PostgreSQL 8.3.1 and beyond.
V2.5.1
May 12, 2008
* substantial changes made to PostgreSQL functionality.
V2.5.0
January 25, 2008
* a few minor bug fixes including syntax management for 'SQL-illegal' characters in Auto reply Messages
* reminders for configuring dbmail.conf to use AutoNotify and AutoReply
* speed increase

DBMA Quick Reference

Please change your default password

This refers to the htaccess/htpasswd files stored within the DBMA tarball. Change (dbmail:dbmail and dbma:dbma for Win32) as soon as possible. See security for more details. Password protection should be enabled in your HTTP Daemon configuration (i.e.: httpd.conf).

Don't Allow Public Access To DBMA

DBMail Administrator (DBMA) can administer your DBMail system with an HTML GUI you can use to connect to mail server(s); from across the LAN; or around the globe via VPN. On the LAN or VPN, authenticated SSL is the best approach. See Apache Configuration and Security Help or feel free to ask for help if you are in doubt about providing a secure environment for this management software. Running any mail system for the public puts you in the honourable shoes of a Postmaster with all the incumbant responsibilites for users' PRIVACY AND INFORMATION SECURITY.

DBMA: Administering IMAP Shared Folders

IMAP4 Access Control Lists (ACL's) (RFC 2086) provide the option to share IMAP folders. If you do not have any shared folders, this is your tool to create them. DBMA first checks your system to make certain that the critical system accounts exist within Group 0. See IMAP Shared Folders to learn more about how you manage ACLs and Shared IMAP Folders using DBMA.

DBMA: SQL Database Cleanup

DBMA includes an increasing range of tools to supplement command-line utilities in managing your email database. In regular operation, finding orphaned users and aliases DBMA will give you transparent editing options to either fix or delete problems. DBMA provides a manual 'Database Cleanup' function to perform utilitarian chores like searching out and deleting orphaned messages; accelerating the deletion schedule of "flagged for delete" messages. For MySQL only, DBMA runs a defragmentation on the following tables by performing a 'null' alter table operation:
            dbmail_aliases
            dbmail_users
            dbmail_mailboxes
            dbmail_messages
            dbmail_messageblks
            dbmail_physmessage
            dbmail_subscription

Finding and Removing 'Orphans' : Database Cleaning

The 'Database Cleanup' from the Main (Global Admin) menu function runs a scan of the database, wary of the diverse range of RDBMS options in use with DBMail and its rather intelligent schema. DBMA seeks both minor and more serious problems. These often are admin errors but are sometimes caused by broken clients, minor bugs in older releases, connection interruptions, system failures or quirks, or just routine stuff waiting yet-to-be performed crontab utility runs. DBMA looks for
  • messages marked delete by the client but status is still 000 or 001;
  • messages having no 'owner mailbox';
  • messages unattached to a user;
  • mailboxes unattached to a user; and
  • aliases where the group mismatches the owner's.

Keeping it Clean with Staged Mail Deletion

You might want to speed up deletion of hundreds of mail messages all at once. DBMA's "delete mail" function (located in every mailbox list) will set dbmail_messages.status to level 003.

  • When DBMA's 'Database Cleanup' finds orphaned messages dbmail_messages.status is set to 002.
  • Re-running 'Database Cleanup' sets status to 003.
  • You can check the status of any message either from a list or by searching for the message.
  • Open a "User Account Window" and either use the search box or select a relevant mailbox.
  • DBMA will list the messages with full technical details.
  • You can individually delete/UNdelete the mailboxes messages
  • or globally delete or undelete everything in that mailbox.
  • Verify changes in "deletes pending" in "My Mail System" (Main) after "Database Cleanup".
  • Optionally you can repeat the 'Database Cleanup' action to push all status to '003'.
  • The next crontab 'dbmail-util -a -y' removes them from the database.
NOTE: The Database Cleanup function is not available under the RESTRICTGroupID regime where DBMA is throttled down to one Clinet_IDNR only. DBMA does, on the fly, verify that aliases have the correct client_idnr (GroupID) to avoid cross-Group pollution or security issues.

DBMA: Administering E-Mail Users

  • Single User Admin
    • DBMA User Search from the top, left of the Main (Global Admin) menu is an 'intelligent' tool for finding a user and taking you immediately to the User Account Window. From the User Account Window most user administration is conducted.
    • The search box accepts non-alphanumeric, email address as username, mail address as alias, alpha string name, alpha-numeric+RFC2822-allowed-chars name, or the user number. Some DBMail operators store user names as full email addresses.
    • DBMA User Search will decide if input is a real user name or if the search is for an alias's account and return a result accordingly.
    • The fastest and most powerful tools for user administration are in the User Account Window.
  • Group User Admin
    • This is the quintessential core of user management.
    • Users can be listed from individual Groups (client_idnr) by selecting the group number in top, middle of the Main menu and pressing 'List Group Users'.
    • For each user you now know their last login, current mail useage, account number, Group number, and something about their password.
    • For each user is a tool to Modify, Delete, Alias or Notify as well as open the User Account Window where all administrative functions are available.
  • Global User Admin
    • Select "All users all groups" from the Main (Global Admin) menu and enter a number of listings to show (default 200).
    • Each user listing is a link to the User Account Window.
    • Each green icon under "Groups" is a function call to list all users of that group.

DBMA: Administering E-Mail Aliases or Forwards

  • Global Admin
    • The Main menu (Global Admin) provides full view of your entire system. Be wary of system size. The fastest and most powerful tools for user adminstration are in the User Account Window.
    • Select 'List All Aliases' from the Main menu and enter the number of listings you would like to see.
    • This tool displays everything in the aliases table, including forwards...
    • plus DBMA will find and list at the very top (with some action options) any "Orphans" which may exist in your system.
    • Each alias listing is a link to the User Account Window.
    • For each user shown you now know their last login, current mail useage, account number, Group number, and something about their password.
    • A green icon beside the Group number is a function call for an extensive list for that group.
    • A red 'delete' icon at the far right of each item allows you to quickly delete an alias.
  • Group Admin
    • At the top right of the Main menu (Global Admin) select a group and press 'List Group Aliases'.
    • Functionality is identical to Global Listing above, on a smaller set of your total system.
  • Managing Mail Forwards
  • Here the magic button is "Edit".
  • Selecting 'List All Forwards' from the main menu lists all forwards on the system.
  • The 'Group', 'From' and 'To' data are displayed along with a 'delete' and 'edit' icon.
  • Here, and in fact, anywhere in DBMA you see either 'edit' or 'forward' options attached to an email address, you have the opportunity to redirect mail for that address anywhere. You can even convert the forward back to an alias for any account. Make sure that you have the "From" address correctly entered -- DBMA validates on the basis of the alias ID number and will send you back to the start if there is no match on the system. Next, you can enter a username, a user ID number or an email address as the recipient ("Forward to:"). DBMA will check if the user number or name exists on the system and give you a final option to edit your entry before commiting. (Be careful using external forwards. Check if the recipient mail server's DNS (SPF etc) indicates acceptance or rejection of mail forwarded in this manner.)

Now that you have read a little, try out your new administrative skills on the Demo.

DBMA: User Mail Account Management

The "Modify User Account Window" is reached from any "Group List" of users or from the main User Account Window. Wherever you are in DBMA you can click an account or enter a name or number in the User Search box and open a "User Account Window". Click the "Modify..." button and you arrive here: the heart of user management where you can change passwords, user names, Group, encryption type, aliases, forwards and more.

Most Work Done From 'Modify User Account' Window

Modify User Account.

DBMA: Privacy Warning

DBMA can both Send and Receive Mail, acting as an administrative Email Client.

In the event you observe the mail contents addressed to a real person's account (not referring to yourself or 'webmaster', 'abuse', 'sales', etc.), you may not disclose the content of that message to any person nor may you interrupt nor tamper with that message in any manner. Period.

DBMailAdministrator (DBMA) provides methods for searching mail headers and message blocks for administrative troubleshooting only.

DBMA's message block displays are not content-friendly but ASCII-forced with emphasis on routing and embedded header-fields tracing the internet 'hops' the message travels.

An example of appropriate use would be:

  • finding and Undeleting a critical message a user inadvertantly deleted;
  • troubleshooting headers when a delivery breaks;
  • evaluating anti-spam/virus software deployments;
  • providing help-phone assistance to users in the identification or removal of SPAM, 'message-jams', viruses; and so on.
  • reading your administrative mail;
  • running 'echo' mail tests....

DBMA: User Account Window

MailBox Content, Shared Mailboxes, Notify...

From the User Account Window you will most often jump to the Modify User Account Window. Or you may have a user who is a magnet for viruses and unparsebale messages so you may spend time seaching for problem mail or tracking delivery issues, all of which are done from the User Account Window. You can select and open user mailboxes for troubleshooting jammed mail, undelating mail accidentally deleted, tracking virus and spam issues, searching all mailboxes; adding or updating ACLs if your system uses that feature; creating an auto notification; sending the account owner a report of the changes accomplished in a mail message; in short, managing the user's account.

Use the search headers option wherever possible for speed, eficiency and privacy. Anything you read, keep it to yourself. If something you feel is alarming comes into view, refer the message ID to an immediate supervisor or consult with your employer's privacy/security authority.

click the mailbox icon in the user account window to list all mail in that box

.

DBMA: Configuration from The GUI Only Installation

Point your browser to /dbmailadministrator/DBMA.cgi and use the GUI to configure DBMA for your environment. See Managing Users for more information about using the features in DBMA.

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