---
name: "lurker-index-bin"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "lurker"
version: "1.2-5sarge1"
release: "Debian 3.1 (Sarge)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/lurker-index-bin"
---

# lurker-index-bin(1)

imports messages into the archive

## NAME

lurker-index — imports messages into the archive

## SYNOPSIS

**lurker-index** \[-c \<config-file\>\]  \[-l \<list\>\]  \[-i \<mbox/maildir\>\]  \[-v -d -n -u -f\]  \[-m \| -b \<count\>\]

## DESCRIPTION

**lurker-index** indexes messages from  standard input and stores them in the lurker database.  It imports either a single message, or a batch of messages  in mbox format.

## OPTIONS

- **-c config-file**

  Use this config file for lurker settings.

- **-l listid**

  Import messages to the named mailing list. This should match  the value in the lurker.conf after the 'list = ' entry.

- **-b count**

  Import a batch of messages; flush every count messages. A  good value for count is 5. The larger this parameter, the more CPU  power lurker needs during import, but the less disk seeks.

-

  It is important to note that lurker reads files from a  maildirs and mailboxes in order and may miss new messages  delivered during the import. For this reason, setting up lurker to  be invoked properly when new mail is delivered is essential. Only  use lurker-index with '-b' when importing from non-active mail  folders.

-

  By default, lurker-index reads from standard input in mbox  format, delimited by 'From \<addr\> \<date\>' lines.   Be aware that if the mbox is not delimited correctly between  messages it will be interpretted as a single message with an  invalid date. To read other sources, see the '-i' option.

- **-m**

  Import a single message. In this mode lurker will never  interpret 'From ' lines as message delimiters. When being fed  newly delivered mail, this is the preferred mode of operation.   Try to turn off the 'From ' escaping of your MTA when using   this mode as lurker does it's own escaping which is generally  smarter.

-

  This option should be used when lurker-index is invoked by  the MTA for newly delivered email. For importing batches of  archived mail, see the '-b' option.

- **-i mbox/maildir**

  Import messages from the specified mailbox or maildir.  When '-b' is specified, lurker-index by default reads a mailbox  (mbox format) from standard input. If the '-i' parameter is a file,  the file is assumed to be in the mbox format and is read instead  of standard input.  If the parameter is a directory, the directory  is assumed to be in maildir format.

-

  If '-m' is used, the input MUST be a raw email,  preferably with a mbox header, never a maildir.

- **-v**

  Verbose operation. Lurker will output statistics about import  speed to assist you in tweaking options for best throughput on  your system. It also helps you know how much longer you will have  to wait.

- **-d**

  Drop duplicates per list. This option will check the  database to see if the message has already been imported to a  mailing list. Only if it has not been imported will lurker append  it to the mailbox. Even without this option lurker does not index  a message twice. If an import failed part-way through, you  probably want this option to avoid needless replication. However,  to generate mailboxes which accurately reflect delivery, leave the  option off.

- **-n**

  Don't compress messages. This will increase the database  size and import speed. Lurker can handle a database with mixed  compressed and uncompressed messages. However, zcat/gzip and  database upgrades cannot. If you need these to function, you  should never mix compressed and uncompressed messages within a  single mailing list.

- **-u**

  Trust user Date headers from the email more than the delivery   time. Normally lurker compares the two and if the user time differs  too much from the delivery time, the delivery time is used instead.  When this option is used, lurker will simply trust the user Date  header whenever it exists, otherwise it uses the delivery time.

-

  This option should never be used as a default. It is intended  for dealing with corrupt mailboxes or maildirs. A better solution  than using this option is to find an uncorrupted copy of the mail.

- **-f**

  Fast import (but vulnerable to power-failure). This may  improve the lifetime of your hard-disk and increase import speed  by up to 30%. However, if the power fails during import or shortly  thereafter, it is possible you will have a corrupted database. If  you use a journaling filesystem, lurker guarantees no corruption  when you OMIT this parameter.

## SEE ALSO

[lurker-prune(1)](/lurker-prune/1.md), [lurker-params(1)](/lurker-params/1.md), [lurker-list(1)](/lurker-list/1.md), [lurker-search(1)](/lurker-search/1.md)

lurker documentation on http://lurker.sourceforge.net/

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright (C) 2002: Wesley W. Terpstra \<terpstra@users.sourceforge.net\>

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by  the Free Software Foundation; version 2.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the  GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License  along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software  Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330,  Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.

## BUGS

Before reporting a bug, please confirm that the bug you found is  still present in the latest official release. If the problem persists,  then send mail with instructions describing how to reproduce the bug to  \<lurker-users@lists.sourceforge.net\>.
