[NTLUG:Discuss] Last time mail was read.

[Rusty Haddock]

MadHat wrote:
    >On Dec 8, 2003, at 10:19 AM, Rusty Haddock wrote:
    >>Paul Ingendorf wrote:
    >>>Why wouldn't this also show the last time mail was recieved?
    >>
    >>Because the '-c' option shows the last time the 'status time' of
    >>the file changed, not the modification time, which would be the
    >>last time mail was received or the USER's inbox was updated.
    >>
    >
    >correct and does an MTA not update the mailbox?

Yes it does but not necessarily upon "reading" the mailbox.

>From the man pages:

       Traditionally,  st_ctime  is changed by writing or by set-
       ting inode information (i.e., owner,  group,  link  count,
       mode, etc.).

This would probably happen when the MTA is reading the inbox file,
links to or changes the access permissions, so that it can perform
its reading on the file without the file changing underneath it.

Sorry, y'all are just getting a bit of conjecture at this point
'cause I don't have the time to go digging through the sources to
explain how it's done in detail.  ;-(

	-Rusty-

-- 
   _____        Rusty Haddock  =  KD4WLZ  =  rusty at fe2o3.lonestar.org
|\/   o \   o  **Out yonder in the Van Alstyne (TX) Metropolitan Area**
|   (  -<  O o              Microsoft is to software what
|/\__V__/                  McDonalds is to gourmet cooking