vBouncer (PHP): reduce server load by unsubscribing bouncing members from threads

There's also a vB 3.5 version: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...threadid=83486

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. This was initially released for vB 2.x and vB 3.0.x as a Perl script, and is now fully integrated with vB as scheduled tasks with admin panel control.

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:
Manual or auto processing option
Collect logs via IMAP/POP or mail spool file
Uses vB's cron files (Scheduled tasks)
Custom filters to match patterns in bounced emails
Encryption header to authenticate bounces.
Stats on members with bouncing emails, and error codes
Tuning options
Verbose cron logs for diagnostics
Option to send PM warning prior to reaching the limit
Option to send PM notifications after reaching the limit
Option to change the member's subscription default
Option to all thread subscriptions to "no email"
Option to all forum subscriptions to "no email"
Option to move offenders to a different primary usergroup
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/cron => includes/cron)
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. Edit includes/mail.php
Find:

PHP Code:

if ($minusf)
        {
            $this->success = @mail($toemail, $subject, $message, trim($headers), "-f $fromemail");
        }
        else
        {
            $this->success = @mail($toemail, $subject, $message, trim($headers));
        } 


Replace with:

PHP Code:

global $vboptions;
                if (is_valid_email($vboptions['vbouncer_spool_account'])) {
                        if ($vboptions['vbouncer_header_return_key'])
                                $headers .= 'X-Return-ID: ' . md5($vboptions['vbouncer_header_return_key'] . $toemail) . "\n";
                        $this->success = @mail($toemail, $subject, $message, trim($headers), '-f' . $vboptions['vbouncer_spool_account']);
                }
                else
                        $this->success = @mail($toemail, $subject, $message, trim($headers), "-f $fromemail"); 


In admincp/index.php, find:

PHP Code:

                                  if (can_administer('canadmincron')) 


Add before::

PHP Code:

                          if (can_administer('canadmincron'))
    {
        construct_nav_option('vBouncer Settings', 'options.php?do=options&dogroup=vBouncer', '|');
        construct_nav_option('Stats', 'vbouncer.php?do=stats', '<br />' );
        construct_nav_option('Diagnostics', 'vbouncer.php?do=diag', '<br />');
        construct_nav_group('vBouncer');
    } 


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)

Change log:

- 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 added 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 v0.51 for 3.0.7 Corrected installer file.

- June 27, 2005 v0.5 for 3.0.7 Add setting for custom header strings.

- June 26, 2005 v0.2 for 3.0.7 Initial release No changes, just removed the plugin

Screenshots from 3.5 beta, but it looks the same on 3.0.7...

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by Spinball

Uninstalled and reinstalled and still got the same problem.
The error is indicative of a missing '}'.
E.g. should be

don't see how the code could work otherwise. Very confused.

The code you posted is identical. The only difference is adding an opening and closing {}. So if one caused an error, they other one should as well.

If unsure, use a freash copy of mail.php, then apply the changes to it, as it may have errors from previous edits.

[Codeman05]

Hi,

I am having a problem getting VBouncer to connect to my IMAP/POP server.
I'm using Cyrus with Virtual Domains...meaning that my username for the account is a full email address (xxxx@domain.com). Could that be causing the problem? Otherwise, I have no idea...I am able to log into the "subscription_notify" address I created with squirrelmail, so the account itself is working fine

[Codeman05]

Originally Posted by Codeman05

Hi,

I am having a problem getting VBouncer to connect to my IMAP/POP server.
I'm using Cyrus with Virtual Domains...meaning that my username for the account is a full email address (xxxx@domain.com). Could that be causing the problem? Otherwise, I have no idea...I am able to log into the "subscription_notify" address I created with squirrelmail, so the account itself is working fine

ok, found the solution, adding the /imap/notls flag got it to work.
example: {localhost:143/imap/notls}

[David Bott]

Great Hack...Installed on AVSForum and will be on TiVo Community.

Question...

The bar graph does not show for me for I call my images from another server.

In the page source I see...

img src="../http://URLremoved/images/polls/bar3.gif"

Note the ../ in front of the image call.

Where can I correct this in the code for it seems to assume local graphic files.

Thank you kindly.

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by David Bott

Great Hack...Installed on AVSForum and will be on TiVo Community.

Question...

The bar graph does not show for me for I call my images from another server.

In the page source I see...

img src="../http://URLremoved/images/polls/bar3.gif"

Note the ../ in front of the image call.

Where can I correct this in the code for it seems to assume local graphic files.

Thank you kindly.

Do you use vb advanced or another hack that re-writes url's. Or does your style use absolute paths for image directory variables?

[David Bott]

Hello...

"Or does your style use absolute paths for image directory variables?"

Yes, we set the path for the images to be the URL of the server, not a directory.

[David Bott]

Also...I notice that the system sends a warning PM each time it runs to the users over the warning limit. Thus if I have the cleaner program set to run each hour, they get the notice every hour.

Please advise.

Thank you.

[David Bott]

Ah!!! I have a great idea. (I think)

Ok, you have the option to act fully on a 5.0.0/550, or what have you, on the first bounce of a mail, Why this can make for an issue as you know, it gave me an idea. (Look at the log, a lot of them are 5.0.0/550.

In any case....here is the thought. Have the option to look at the Last Activity date where you can set..."If have not visited in X days, assume dead e-mail" and then act on it.

So they get a 5.0.0/550 bounce. When the cleaner runs the system looks up the address in the user database, and also pulls the last activity date for that user and says..."is the last activity date that older than X days" If yes, run the full clean options.

You see, looking at some of the users that have bounced, they have not been back to the site in some time, thus it would be great to act on them why it may not be good to act on some others with a 5.0.0/550.

Thoughts?

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by David Bott

Hello...

"Or does your style use absolute paths for image directory variables?"

Yes, we set the path for the images to be the URL of the server, not a directory.

You can edit the images in the vbouncer.php file in admincp, this line:

PHP Code:

                        echo '<td width="80%" align="left" nowrap="nowrap"><img src="' . $imgpath . '/bar3-l.gif" height="10" /><img src="' . $imgpath . '/bar3.gif" width="' . $width . '%" height="10" /><img src="' . $imgpath . "/bar3-r.gif\" height=\"10\" /></td>\n"; 


[tamarian]

Originally Posted by David Bott

Also...I notice that the system sends a warning PM each time it runs to the users over the warning limit. Thus if I have the cleaner program set to run each hour, they get the notice every hour.

Please advise.

Thank you.

Not a good idea to run it hourly, as there are no actions to perform until the end of the period. As stated in step #5 "vbouncer-clean.php (weekly, equal to Bounce limit period)"