UTORlist service overview


UTORlist service overview


General description

Disclaimer: Parts of this document have been adapted from the manuals provided by Lsoft.

The UTORlist service performs many functions such as:

There are two main types of lists U of T students, faculty or staff may wish to join, each with its own advantages for specialized use.

One-way announcement lists
The owner(s) and/or editor(s) of the list are the only people who are allowed to send messages to the subscribers. The communication flows one way — from the list administrators to the list subscribers.

This type of list is primarily used for newsletters, product announcements, and dissemination of information that does not require feedback from the subscriber.

Two-way discussion lists
The list administrators and the list subscribers are both permitted to post messages to the list. The communication flows two ways – between the administrators and the subscribers, and back and forth between different subscribers. This type of list is primarily used for discussion groups engaged in the exchange of ideas and information centered on a specific topic.

Support levels

There are several support levels involved in the delivery of UTORlist service with different responsibilities for each level.

Information Technology Services (ITS)
ITS is responsible for the computers on which the UTORlist service runs. They make sure the systems are running and perform other operational procedures. ITS staff install and upgrade new versions of the software as required and are U of T’s contact with the software vendor on issues of bug reports and technical support.

Information Commons (IC)
The List Master is a technical person in charge of the list owners. The List Master helps list owners decide on the configuration of their list and helps list owners with other aspects of running their lists. The List Master relies on ITS for more difficult technical issues or conveys information to ITS which must be resolved with the vendor. You can contact the List Master by email at listmaster@utoronto.ca.

List owners
List owners can be U of T faculty, staff or students who are part of a Student Society (Note: not all student groups are eligible for this service. See the Student Life website for a description of the different types of student groupsStudent societies may request the creation of one LISTSERV account per society through the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students).

There can be more than one list owner for each list. The Primary List Owner has the following responsibilities:

Manuals
The following PDF manuals are available from the Lsoft website:

LISTSERV software list options

The list owner has several options regarding the configuration of their list. These options fall into two broad categories: (1) how subscriptions are handled, and (2) who can post (send messages) to the list.

1. How subscriptions are handled

Lists can be configured as one of the following types:

The subscription configuration of a list can be changed by the List Owner or List Master from one type to another at any time.

2. Who can post to the list

Lists can be configured as one of the following types:

The posting configuration of a list can be changed by the List Owner from one type to another at any time.

UTORlist performance issues

Since some lists can be very large and U of T’s electronic post office handles other email between individuals, list owners should work within the following UTORlist performance guidelines:

The LISTSERV software will attempt to distribute email to list members within four hours. However, there are some limitations:

If a subscriber sets digest mode, then distribution occurs only once a day. In digest mode, individual messages that would normally be sent out as they are received are combined into a single message and sent out only once.

The Information Commons and the LISTSERV software have no control over delivery to list members who are outside the institutional email service (i.e., email accounts not ending in “@utoronto.ca”). LISTSERV should be able to deliver all mail to @utoronto.ca addresses within 24 hours (except in the case of catastrophic hardware or software failure).

Owners should keep these guidelines in mind when posting time-sensitive material.

Other list features

All U of T lists are confidential in the sense that their presence is not advertised through common announcement means.