PMDF has flexible mailing list facilities, and facilities for performing automated processing of certain (typically mailing list related) messages.

PMDF mailing lists are implemented as a special form of PMDF alias; controlling mailing list headers, access to post to mailing lists, setting up moderated mailing lists, etc., are controlled via the alias that defines the mailing list. See Chapter 3 for background general information on aliases and on the PMDF alias file and the optional alias database. Details specifically on mailing list definitions, with their many options and variations, are described below in Section 4.1.

PMDF has a facility for providing automated processing of certain sorts of messages, for instance, requests to send particular files, or requests to subscribe or unsubscribe from particular mailing lists. This facility is called MAILSERV. While often used in conjunction with mailing lists, note that MAILSERV per se has nothing to do with mailing list postings; for defining mailing lists, and enabling and restricting mailing list postings, see instead Section 4.1. Rather, MAILSERV is a general facility for certain sorts of automated message handling; MAILSERV can be used independently of whether mailing lists are in use. MAILSERV is described below in Section 4.3.