vBouncer: reduce server load by unsubscribing bouncing members from threads

vBouncer is a handy tool for busy forums (or those that do not require email verification) to control the amounts of bogus emails sent from and to your server.

What vBouncer does: vBouncer monitors your mail spool file, and identifies members responsible for large amounts of bounced emails. It then issues a PM warning, and when the unsubscribe threshold is met, it will will unsubscribe them for all threads, and sets them to the "no email" subscription level.

After a couple of runs, this should significantly reduce your server load.

Features:
o Manual or auto processing option
o Collect logs via IMAP/POP or mail spool file
o Custom filters to match patterns in bounced emails
o Uses vB's cron files (Scheduled tasks)
o Uses encrypted header for authentication (suggested by Paul M).
o Stats on members with bouncing emails, and error codes
o Tuning options
o Verbose cron logs for diagnostics
o Option to send PM warning prior to reaching the limit
o Option to send PM notifications after reaching the limit
o Option to change the member's subscription default
o Option to all thread subscriptions to "no email"
o Option to all forum subscriptions to "no email"
o Option to move offenders to a different primary usergroup
o Option to process 5.0.0/550 errors (email unknown) upon a single email, isntead of observing the bounce limit

Installation:
1. Extract the files into the corresponding directories (admincp => admincp, includes => includes)
2. Run the installation script in the admincp
3. Fill out the settings menu in the vBouncer section of the admin panel (see the how-to post below)
4. Import and activate the plugin file through the plugin manager.
5. Once ready, add the cron scripts to your scheduled tasks: vbouncer-collect.php (should be run daily, or more frequently) and vbouncer-clean.php (weekly, equal to Bounce limit period)
6. If you are using vB's SMTP email option, make sure to also enable the "-f" option.

Change log:

- August 12, 2005 v1.3 Update to the cron files to match new changes in vB's cron/tasks. To upgrade, just re-upload the contents of includes/cron.

- July 11, 2005 v1.2 Bug fix for some server/PHP setups; resolve aliases for return keys, otherwise some aliases would be considered forged.

- July 5, 2005 v1.1 Bug fix in standard report pattern matching

- July 4, 2005 v1.0 Added encrypted header for authentication (suggested by Paul M).

- July 3, 2005 v0.9.1 fixed a bug preventing IMAP/POP log collection.

- July 2, 2005 v0.9 added IMAP/POP option and custom filters file vbouncer.ini

- June 27, 2005 v0.5 Added custom header setting option, for re-written headers.

- June 26, 2005 v0.4 Found a way to make it work as a plugin, without code edits (thanks to Paul M)

- June 26, 2005 v0.3 No changes, just removed the plugin

- June 25, 2005 v0.2 Added NDR/Reply code errors to stats, and option to act upon 5.0.0/550 (user unknown)

- June 21, 2005: v 0.1 Initial release. Marked beta, but it's working fine on PostFix and SendMail. Need to hear from those who tried on QMail and Exim

[pran]

Yes, it has the read permission set:

-rw-r--r--  1 www  www   4567 Jul  4 17:26 vbouncer.inc

This is on a FreeBSD server.

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by pran

Yes, it has the read permission set:

-rw-r--r--  1 www  www   4567 Jul  4 17:26 vbouncer.inc

This is on a FreeBSD server.

Try this. Open vbouncer-collect.php

Find:

PHP Code:

if (file_exists('./includes/cron/vbouncer.inc') AND is_readable('./includes/cron/vbouncer.inc')) {
        $REContext = parse_ini_file('./includes/cron/vbouncer.inc', TRUE);
} 


Replace with:

PHP Code:

if (file_exists(DIR .  '/includes/cron/vbouncer.inc') AND is_readable(DIR .  '/includes/cron/vbouncer.inc')) {
        $REContext = parse_ini_file(DIR .  '/includes/cron/vbouncer.inc', TRUE);
} 


[dethfire]

Fatal error: Call to undefined function: imap_close() in /home/musicban/public_html/includes/cron/vbouncer-collect.php on line 162

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by dethfire

Fatal error: Call to undefined function: imap_close() in /home/musicban/public_html/includes/cron/vbouncer-collect.php on line 162

This means your PHP was not compiled with IMAP. You might need to recompile, or use the file spool method.

[csidlernet]

thanksman.. your an uberhax0r
/me installs

[G-man]

tamarian,
After upgrading to 3.5 my vbouncer went dead and my emails started goign out with the plain nobody@server.mydomain.com return addresses for some reason. I downloaded the updated files, but upon trying to install them the database was erroring out saying the table data was already there. Should I delete what is there and reinstall it?

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by G-man

tamarian,
After upgrading to 3.5 my vbouncer went dead and my emails started goign out with the plain nobody@server.mydomain.com return addresses for some reason. I downloaded the updated files, but upon trying to install them the database was erroring out saying the table data was already there. Should I delete what is there and reinstall it?

Not sure why that would happen. But no need to delete, just run the installation script, and click uninstall, then run it agin to einstall. Write down any previous settings like the encryption phrase, and the email, etc. (and click install )

[G-man]

Thanks for the quick reply. I just did that but the emails are still going out with the nobody@server.mydomain.com as the return address. Strange...

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by G-man

Thanks for the quick reply. I just did that but the emails are still going out with the nobody@server.mydomain.com as the return address. Strange...

Have you activated the plugins?

[buro9]

Thanks very much, appears to be working great, and deprecates the need for me to run my PERL script to do it Lovely.