pykolab

Various Kolab Utilities written in Python

Localisation

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Modules

The Kolab Python Utilities (pykolab) consist of many different modules.

Wallace

Wallace is a modular daemon responsible for filtering the content passing through it as part of the mail flow between recipients and senders.

While it does not perform anti-spam and anti-virus content filtering, for which Kolab Groupware uses Amavisd, SpamAssassin and ClamAV, mail submitted through Wallace is handled with specific use-cases for particular mail flows in mind.

Resource Management

When a user creates an event, such as a meeting, the user may also want to make a reservation for one or more resources needed for the meeting, such as a conference room and/or a beamer.

Multiple users using Kolab Groupware create the chance of scheduling conflicts - two users want to have a meeting in the same conference room, or two different meetings require the same beamer. So users wanting to make a reservation for a resource send a reservation request for the resource, which needs to be accepted or declined (in a timely fashion). Kolab Groupware clients do so by sending an iTip invitation to the resource recipient email address.

Wallace intercepts these iTip invitations, and determines whether or not the resource is available. It sends the appropriate response back to the organizer either accepting or declining the reservation request. It does the same for "non-unique resources" as well, such as would be the case with multiple beamers in a "pool of beamers" or "resource collection" - the user requests one but doesn't care which one.

More information: http://wiki.kolab.org/Kolab_3.0_Resource_Management

SPAM Legislation Compliance

Corporate organizations are concerned with the legal implications of legislation setting constraints and conditions for messages they are allowed to send to consumers. While Kolab Groupware is not made by lawyers, we can attempt to illustrate the conundrum;

Some countries have "opt-in" anti-spam laws prohibiting commercial entities from initiating conversations of a commercial nature, unless the consumer has given explicit prior consent. Some other countries have anti-spam laws that include no such prohibition, and are "opt-out" legislation.

Despite of what is in the actual letter of the applicable (local) laws for any given organization, and what interpretation of such legislation may be made by an organization's legal counsel that a groupware deployment may find itself required to comply with, Wallace implements the point of interruption of the mail flow between sender and recipient (and vice-versa) where such compliance can be audited and/or enforced.

Depending on the situation in which an individual organization may find itself, sometimes none, either or all of the following are required to gain compliance;

  • Include a footer (organization's address, instructions to receive no further electronic communications, ...),
  • Consult database(s) for existing marketing programs,
  • Conditionally (blind carbon) copy in someone eligible to audit and correct problems as they appear,
  • Allowing (groups of) employees to respond to conversations initiated by consumers, but not to initiate conversations,

Wallace provides modules to exercise the conditions specific to the organization in question.

Other Modules

Wallace ships or targets to ship with additional modules;

Accounting / Statistics

Record metadata about mail traffic, such as where from, where to, how many and how much.

Data-Loss Prevention

Submit the message to (3rd party) Data-Loss Prevention (DLP) infrastructure, which can prevent sensitive information (copyrighted, patented or trademarked materials) from leaking to outside the organization.

Inline Translation

Send email in German and have the recipient receive the email in their native tongue (if known, if not German, optionally provide translated content in addition to the original email).

Correct "sent" Date

Upon receiving, or even upon sending email messages, correct the "Sent" date header (if necessary, desirable) - useful in scenarios where mail delivery can be significantly delayed for a variety of reasons outside one's control.

Mass Mailing

By sending an email to a particular email address (within the local Kolab Groupware deployment), have the mail be separately delivered to intended addresses (such as with a marketing program).