1. Q: What is Usermin?

   A: Usermin is a web-based tool for standard UNIX system users. Usermin provides web-based email, spam filter configuration, and optional access to advanced user account features like mail forwarding, vacation auto-responding, PostgreSQL? and MySQL? databases, and a powerful Java File Manager applet.

   With Usermin, you can allow your users to maintain their own account, including changing passwords, managing files in their home directory, and more. The key to Usermin's power, however, lies in its limitations. With Usermin, one does not have to think about whether the user has too many privileges. A Usermin user has only the privileges of the logged in user, and cannot override those privileges in the same way as Webmin and Virtualmin can. If you trust a user enough to give them an email account, you can trust them enough to give them a Usermin account.

2. Q: What is the license of Usermin?

   A: Usermin is licensed under a BSD-like license, and is available for free from here at Virtualmin.com and at the Webmin project site at SourceForge? . It is a completely Open Source project.

3. Q: Can I run Usermin under Apache?

   A: Yes, this can be done with some configuration. See this page for instructions.

   Note that you don't need Apache (or any other standalone webserver) to run Usermin. Usermin includes its own webserver called miniserv.pl. There is no benefit to running Usermin under another web server in the vast majority of environments.

4. Q: In Usermin's Read Mail module, how can I set users' From addresses when my server hosts multiple virtual domains?

   A: By default, when a user composed email the From field contains username@systemhostname. This can be changed by following these steps :

   • Login to Webmin on the same server, and enter the Usermin Configuration module.
   • Click on Usermin Module Configuration.

   • Click on Read Mail.
   • In the Default hostname for From: addresses field, enter the domain or hostname that you want to appear after the @ in users' From addresses.
   • If you want to stop users from changing their From address (to prevent mail forging), set the Allow editing of From: address option to No.

   • If you have multiple virtual domains and want different users to have different domains in their From addresses, you will need to set the From: address mapping file to the name of a file that maps real email addresses to virtual domain email addresses. This must be a text file, with each line containing :
     

         username     fromaddress
     The username part of each line must be the user's Usermin login, and the fromaddress is the new From address to assign to that user. The username can also be the user's full email address as it currently appears, such as joe@yourserver.com.

5. Q: In Usermin's MySQL? Database module, how can I restrict the databases that each user can see and use?

   A: By default the module will list all of the databases on your system on the main page, even if some are not actually usable by the logged-in user. To change this, follow these steps :

   • Login to Webmin on the same server, and enter the Usermin Configuration module.
   • Click on Usermin Module Configuration.
   • Click on MySQL Database in the list.

   • In the Database access control list field, remove the existing *: * line and enter one line per user, containing the username, a colon and list of databases he is allowed to use. For example, you could enter :

     jcameron: database1
     fred: database2 database3
     joe: *
     

     A * in the database column means all databases, while a * in the username column means any user not listed so far.

   • Hit the Save button to activate the restrictions.

-- SwellJoe - 21 Mar 2007