Re: multiple users, one ISP address?

[Carl Johnson <carlj@peak.org>]

Jeff Maxson <jbmaxson@surfglobal.net> writes:

> Main question:
> Is it possible to set up exim or procmail or something to distribute
> email to different users, even through the same internet address?
> 
> More detail:
> I've got a 4 year old that I would like to indoctrinate/brainwash/etc
> into linux instead of windows.  I've got him to goof around with
> xpenguins, xpuyopuyo, onko, and just plain old slammin' keys.  I'd
> like it if his grandparents could send him email too (reading with
> mutt and some help from Dad of course), but my ISP only supplies 1
> email address (mine).  If I ask the g-parents to tag their subject
> line "<kid's name>: blah blah blah", is there some way to set up exim
> or procmail such that if it sees any notes with that sort of pattern
> it gets routed to my kid's user account, otherwise send it to mine?
> It would be cool if I could pull that off...

You can also use different names on the "To: " line.  The first part
of your email address is just a comment, so you could change that to
any other name you want to, and then you should be able to use exim or
procmail to sort it out.  For example my email address is:
    Carl Johnson <carlj@peak.org>
but I could just as easily change that to:
    John Doe <carlj@peak.org>
and it would still get to me.  Exim or procmail could then look for
the "John Doe" and send it to a different user or mailbox.  Other
people have suggested different methods, but this has the advantage
that all mailers should handle it, and you don't even need to use a
custom Subject line.  Most mailers should also handle some sort of
mail aliases (such has in .mailrc) to make it easier to type.

I've Cc'd this to you with a different name, just to test if my
solution will work properly.

-- 
Carl Johnson		carlj@peak.org