- or simply use /tmp as you attachments directory. If a user is
- aborting a mail but has uploaded som attachments to it the files
- will be lying around in this directory forever if you do not remove
- them.
+ or simply use /tmp as you attachments directory.
+
+ If a user is aborting a mail but has uploaded some attachments to it
+ the files will be lying around in this directory forever if you do not
+ remove them. To fix this, it is recommended to create a cron job that
+ deletes everything in the attachment directory. Something similar
+ to the following will be good enough:
+
+ $ cd /var/attach/directory
+ $ rm -f *
+
+ However, this will delete attachments that are currently in use by people
+ sending email when the cron job runs. You can either (1) make sure that
+ the cron job runs at an obscure hour and hope that nobody gets upset, or
+ (2) you can run a modified version of the commands above. Check out the
+ man pages for other commands such as 'find' or 'tmpreaper'.
+
+ One sample script you could set up that would erase all attachments, but
+ wouldn't erase preferences, address books, or the like (just in case your
+ attachment directory is the same as your data directory) might look like
+ this:
+
+ $ rm `find /var/attach/directory -atime +2 | grep -v "\." | grep -v _`
+
+ Remember to be careful with whatever method you do use, and to test out
+ the command before it potentially wipes out everyone's preferences.