![[LISTSERV - the mailing list management classic]](https://www.lsoft.com/images/HDR-LISTSERV-sm.gif)
There are many possible ways to measure the relative "importance" or "size" of LISTSERV sites: number of lists, number of subscribers, number of messages delivered, etc. In most cases, the number of messages delivered is used to rank mailing list managers, because it is the most accurate measurement of the amount of activity on the server. But, depending on what you are looking for, other variables may be more appropriate. There are currently three LISTSERV "Top 20" lists, ranking the various servers according to:
In addition, you can view a list of the Top 20 lists in the network (by number of subscribers).
The statistics are gathered daily by a monitor at L-Soft which polls all the LISTSERV sites that participate in the "open" LISTSERV network over the worldwide Internet. Corporate servers operating in a "closed" environment are not included.
The statistics are organized in monthly reports. The message volume figures are a flat average of the accumulated traffic for the entire month. Thus, a server that delivers 300,000 messages per month will show a daily average of 10,000 messages. In practice, there is a lot less traffic during the weekend, and even during business days there can be significant fluctuations (~30%). The list statistics (number of lists, number of subscribers, largest lists in the network) are measured as of the last day in the month.
For the current month, the message volume figures are averaged based on the number of days that have elapsed. In practice, the figures are not very meaningful in the first few days, especially if the month starts on a weekend. In that case it is best to refer to the previous month for more accurate figures.
A fourth "Top 20" list is available for the more technically oriented: Number of messages generated by the server. This corresponds to the number of mail messages created by the server while processing postings to its mailing lists. LISTSERV delivers its mail using an intelligent mail delivery function called DISTRIBUTE, which improves mail delivery times and reduces bandwidth usage by spreading the delivery chore over scores of participating servers. Each of these servers processes the recipients for its service area (typically its organization or campus). In most cases, DISTRIBUTE simply alters the manner in which the mail is delivered, and the number of messages forwarded to other sites for optimized delivery is roughly equal to the number of messages received by other sites for the same purpose. In some cases, however, this is not the case, either because the server elected to serve a much wider service area than its own organization, or because it is explicitly forwarding all its deliveries to another machine (for instance, many mainframe-based servers forward their mail to a workstation or PC for delivery).
Pos Recipients Site --- ---------- ---- 1 3726481 LSRV.TRACEDTRACTION.COM (Windows NT 5.2 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 2 516487 EMA3LSV01.CNN.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 3 488429 LISTSERV.FOXNEWS.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 4 448892 LISTSERV.SYR.EDU (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 5 395910 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-55.0.2.ELsmp) 6 384808 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 7 361491 H-NET.MSU.EDU (Linux 2.4.29) 8 352577 MAILSENDER2.ZOOMERANG.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 9 316390 LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG (Windows Server 2003) 10 304422 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 11 302667 APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Edition) 12 275896 HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 13 272699 MAESTRO3.AZCENTRAL.COM (Linux 2.6.9-55.ELsmp + LSMTP V1.1b) 14 258916 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 15 250634 LS.TIMEINC.NET (Solaris 2.8) 16 239882 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-55.0.2.ELsmp) 17 235650 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 18 209240 PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 19 201003 LISTS.UFL.EDU (AIX 5.3) 20 194693 LISTSERV.ACOR.ORG (Windows 2000 Server)
Pos Subscribers Site --- ----------- ---- 1 2951123 LS.TIMEINC.NET (Solaris 2.8) 2 1939701 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 3 1910584 LISTSERV.ND.EDU (Solaris 2.8) 4 1865031 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 2.4.21-47.0.1.ELsmp) 5 1202129 CLEMSON.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 6 1093254 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-55.0.2.ELsmp) 7 1074376 LISTS.UFL.EDU (AIX 5.3) 8 840233 LISTSERV.GSA.GOV (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 9 837095 CUVMC.AIS.COLUMBIA.EDU (VM/SP 1.0) 10 833230 PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 11 807933 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-55.0.2.ELsmp) 12 803368 LISTSERV.TAU.AC.IL (Linux 2.6.9-42.0.10.ELsmp) 13 789182 LISTSERV.CC.KULEUVEN.AC.BE (Linux 2.6.19.7-grsec2.1.10-vs2.2.0) 14 787126 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 15 785337 LISTS.WAYNE.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 16 767107 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 17 747908 GUAVA.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 18 731437 PUBLISHER.SSRN.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 19 714494 LISTSERV.ACM.ORG (Windows 2000 Advanced Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 20 679059 LISTSERV.UH.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-47.0.1.ELsmp)
Pos Lists Site --- ----- ---- 1 40637 LISTSERV.ND.EDU (Solaris 2.8) 2 19335 CLEMSON.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 3 18374 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 4 17981 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 2.4.21-47.0.1.ELsmp) 5 11404 LISTSERV.UH.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-47.0.1.ELsmp) 6 10389 LISTSERV.TAU.AC.IL (Linux 2.6.9-42.0.10.ELsmp) 7 10247 LISTSERV.CC.KULEUVEN.AC.BE (Linux 2.6.19.7-grsec2.1.10-vs2.2.0) 8 8514 LISTS.UFL.EDU (AIX 5.3) 9 7909 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-55.0.2.ELsmp) 10 6322 TECHUNIX.TECHNION.AC.IL (Solaris 2.9) 11 6194 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 12 5524 LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 13 5416 MARIST (VM/SP 2.0) 14 4986 LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 15 4805 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 16 4791 HERMES.GWU.EDU (Solaris 2.7) 17 4757 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-55.0.2.ELsmp) 18 4154 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 19 4115 LISTSERV.MILLERSVILLE.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 20 4092 LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU (Windows Enterprise Server 2003)
Pos Recipients Site --- ---------- ---- 1 437684 LISTSERV.SYR.EDU (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 2 389346 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-55.0.2.ELsmp) 3 381552 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 4 353152 H-NET.MSU.EDU (Linux 2.4.29) 5 334156 EMA3LSV01.CNN.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 6 303214 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 7 301338 LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG (Windows Server 2003) 8 271838 HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 9 267268 APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Edition) 10 256009 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 11 252599 LS.TIMEINC.NET (Solaris 2.8) 12 229346 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 13 226156 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-55.0.2.ELsmp) 14 202097 PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 15 194970 LISTS.UFL.EDU (AIX 5.3) 16 193951 LISTS.CAMPMOR.COM (Windows NT 4.0 + LSMTP V1.1b) 17 191222 LISTSERV.UIC.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-42.0.2.ELsmp) 18 184413 LISTSERV.REDIRIS.ES (Solaris 2.8) 19 178355 LISTS.UMN.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 20 176080 LISTSERV.ACOR.ORG (Windows 2000 Server)
Pos Subscribers Site --- ----------- ---- 1 122840 POSTMITA@LISTSERV.NIC.IT (Solaris 2.9) 2 122551 COMPUTING@LIST.MSU.EDU (Linux 2.6.18.8-0.3-default) 3 117961 SOCIALSECURITY_W2NEWS@LISTSERV.GSA.GOV (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 4 85792 TEMPLETODAY@LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-20.ELsmp) 5 79880 RFP-BULLETIN@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 6 74041 E-ARTACADEMY@LISTSERV.DFN.DE (Solaris 2.9) 7 73912 ARTINFO-L@LISTSERV.DFN.DE (Solaris 2.9) 8 67087 FEDINFO@LISTSERV.GSA.GOV (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 9 66344 EDUCATION_FUNDING@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 10 65831 PND-L@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 11 57194 ALUMNI@LISTSERV.CC.KULEUVEN.AC.BE (Linux 2.6.19.7-grsec2.1.10-vs2.2.0) 12 55341 ARTS_FUNDING@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 13 52807 FDNCENTER-L@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 14 48217 VTNETLETTER@LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-55.0.2.ELsmp) 15 45865 HEALTH_FUNDING@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 16 45385 JOB-ALERT@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 17 42809 SURFSPOT@NIC.SURFNET.NL (Windows Enterprise Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b) 18 42503 L-LAZINE@LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 19 37728 NOTICE-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 20 37019 EVENTS-NEWSLETTER-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2)