Re: Postmaster booklet

[William LeFebvre <wnl@groupsys.com>]

Mark R. Lindsey wrote:
> I noticed in New Orleans that they were recruiting to get somebody to
> write a booklet about the duties and role of a postmaster. I'll be
> interested to see that one; does anyone know if it's been picked up?

I have not yet received any proposals to author the booklet "The Role
of Postmaster" nor its companion "The Role of Webmaster".  I have one
author who expressed interested but I have not yet received a proposal.

I have other topies I would like to see proposals for as well.  I will
include the current list at the end of this article.  Authors of Short
Topics books do receive renumeration for their efforts.

If you are interested, contact me and I will forward you a copy of the
Call For Proposals.

				William LeFebvre
				Editor, Short Topics in System Administration
				<wnl@groupsys.com>
				<wnl@usenix.org>
				+1 770 813 3224


---
We are currently seeking proposals to author the following topics.
We will also accept and consider proposals on any topic pertinent
to systems administration.


Effective Customer Support

   This document will serve as a guide for system administrators and
managers seeking to improve Customer Support by developing procedures that
enhance productivity and minimize customer down time.  Emphasis should be
on imparting actual knowledge and problem-solving skills in practical
environments. Topics that should be addressed include:
  - Customer Support models
  - Help desk management and setup
  - Help desk metrics, what do they mean?
  - Service Level Agreements
  - Standard practices and policies
  - What is expected of Help desk personnel
  - Web-based Customer service tools



Monitoring Techniques and Practices

   This document will serve as a guide for system administrators and
managers regarding the need for developing effective Network and
Systems monitoring techniques to improve performance and
responsiveness while reducing the cost of administration.  Emphasis
should be on imparting actual knowledge and problem-solving skills in
practical environments.  Topics that should be addressed include:
  - Network Benchmarking
  - Fault-tolerant, high availability computing environment models
  - Monitoring the computing environment (systems and network)
  - Network monitoring tools
  - Network and system performance tuning
  - TCP/IP troubleshooting
  - Proactive monitoring and administration


The Role of Postmaster

   This document will serve as a guide for system administrators in
charge of the mail systems for medium and large sites.  It should
cover the practical aspects of the role of "postmaster" but should not
focus on any particular mail transport agent.  The book should be
comprehensive, covering as many topics as possible which an individual
would need to know to be an effective postmaster.  Topics that should
be addressed include:

  - Techniques for handling large volumes of mail
  - Prioritizing mail to ensure continued reliable delivery of important
    messages
  - Detecting and eliminating spam
  - Integration of divergent mail systems
  - Legal issues regarding mail filtering
  - Privacy issues regarding personal messages
  - Electronic Mail Policies



The Role of Webmaster

   This document will serve as a guide for system administrators in
charge of the web servers for medium and large sites.  It should
cover the practical aspects of the role of "webmaster" but should not
focus on any individual web server software package.  The book should be
comprehensive, covering as many topics as possible which an individual
would need to know to be an effective webmaster.  Topics that should
be addressed include:

  - Techniques for tuning high-trffic web sites
  - Scalability and redundancy
  - Content management
  - An overview of composition tools (what a webmaster needs to know
    about them)
  - Techniques for tracking visitors (obtaining and interpreting
    various types of metrics)
  - Providing space for user pages (and policy issues)
  - CGI management
  - Security issues (what is and is not secure)