Title: Committer email configuration
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# Committer email configuration # {#overview}

An email address at `apache.org` is associated with every committer
account. Occasional official Apache emails will be directed to this
account. It is very important that you check mail sent to your `apache.org`
email address regularly for announcements. You are also free to use this
address for other ASF work related to projects you work on.

Note that the infrastructure group provides an email address for you;
however they do not provide a mailbox — you **must**
setup forwarding for this address to be able to read your mails.
Instructions on how to [setup your forwarding address](#configure) file
are available.  Be sure to keep your forwarding address up to date in the
future as well.

# Reading email from your apache.org address # {#configure}

When your committer account is first created by Infrastructure, the forwarding
email address is set to the address provided in the account request (and,
typically, in the ICLA).  You must keep your forwarding address up-to-date.
(You can have more than one forwarding address.)
You can view and change your forwarding addresses in two ways:

- On the Web, by using the Selfserve app
  at [https://id.apache.org/](https://id.apache.org/)

- On `people.apache.org`, by connecting via ssh and issueing the following
  command to display the file:

    `ldapsearch -LLL uid=$USER mail` 

    or the following command to replace all your forwarding addresses with a
    given address:

    `update-email.sh new-address@example.tld $USER`

**Note**: it used to be possible to change the forwarding address by editing
~/.forward and/or ~/.qmail files.  This is no longer possible.  Any manual
changes made to these files will be lost.

**Note**: it used to be possible to not have a forwarding address.  This is
no longer possible.

Users of GMail (Googlemail) please note that only one copy of an e-mail is
shown by GMail. If you try to test forwarding by sending a message to your
ASF account from the GMail account that is the target of the .forward, it
can be difficult to tell if it has worked. Send the test e-mail from a
different account.

# Sending email from your apache.org address # {#send}

It is not a requirement that you use this email address to send email to
your project mailing lists. Use whatever email address that you like.
Typically, you should use the same email address to subscribe to various
project lists that you send email from. There are certain other mailing
lists that are only available to committers, but still you don't need to
use your apache address - the moderators will know who you are. There are
more helpful [tips about becoming a new
committer](new-committers-guide.html).

One method which can be used to send mail from your `apache.org` account is
to fake the sender (by posting though a standard account with the `from`
address set to `your-username@apache.org` ) rather than logging on to your
Apache user then trying to post. How to fake the sender depends on the
email client used. This works in most situations.

The recommended method is to use the new SSL-enabled, SMTP-AUTH based mail
submission service on people.apache.org port 465. By logging into that
service you will be able to send email with your SMTP envelope set to match
your apache.org account. If you are using gmail for your apache.org email,
there is a way to configure it to take advantage of this
service.<br></br>See [gmail's recently announced
feature](http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/send-mail-from-another-address-without.html)
to allow outbound mail from your apache.org address to be directed to
people.apache.org, instead of to a gmail server, for delivery.<br></br>Say
goodbye to all the ezmlm moderation battles: your SMTP envelope sender will
now match your From header!<br></br><br></br>In the future we may wish to
tighten up the SPF records for apache.org, so please take advantage of this
new service for all outbound delivery of your personal apache.org email.

Advanced users may use port forwarding to occasionally send email from
their `apache.org` address. This is not typically recommended, but is
possible. Brief instructions on Windows for using PuTTY and Thunderbird are
included below. Reminder: this is not supported, so please make sure you
know what you are doing first.

- Ensure your SSH login to `people.apache.org` works first

- In PuTTY, select settings Category: Connection, SSH, Tunnels

- Under Add new forwarded port:, enter:

- Source port: 1028 (or any other port above 1024)

- Destination: localhost:25

- Ensure the "Local" radiobutton is selected

- Press the Add button

- Login and leave the session running: this forwards the local port 1028
from your machine to the local port 25 for SMTP on `people.apache.org` 

- In Thunderbird, select Tools, Account Settings, Outgoing Server (SMTP)

- Press Add...

- Description: Tunnel thru ASF (or whatever you like)

- Server Name: localhost

- Port: 1028 (or whatever Source port: you set above)

- Press OK to save this SMTP server setting

- Be sure to use an Identity that uses this SMTP server setting, not your
normal one

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