![[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 8532346 LISTSERV.ARMY.PENTAGON.MIL (Linux (S/390) 2.6.16.60-0.27-default) 2 496718 XB1.BOOKSAMILLION.COM (Linux 2.6.18-194.3.1.el5xen) 3 377301 LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG (Windows Server 2003) 4 342716 H-NET.MSU.EDU (Linux 2.6.24-etchnhalf.1-686-bigmem) 5 298725 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 6 298230 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-89.0.16.ELsmp) 7 252911 LISTSERV.SYR.EDU (Windows Server 2003) 8 204637 HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 9 202685 APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Edition) 10 201357 NERDALERT.THENERDS.NET (Linux 2.6.18-92.1.22.el5) 11 187625 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 12 175275 LISTSERV.MED.CORNELL.EDU (SunOS 5.10) 13 167444 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2003) 14 161514 LISTSERV.UIC.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-42.0.2.ELsmp) 15 158489 PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 16 151806 LISTS.UFL.EDU (Linux 2.6.18-128.2.1.el5) 17 149822 LISTSERV.UMD.EDU (SunOS 5.9) 18 148762 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 19 147490 LISTS.UMN.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 20 144283 MAIL.MYVALOTTERY.COM (Windows Server 2003 + LSMTP V1.1b)
Pos Subscribers Site --- ----------- ---- 1 2657769 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 2.4.21-63.ELsmp) 2 2614830 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 3 1202129 CLEMSON.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 4 1153584 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-89.0.16.ELsmp) 5 1126254 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 6 1122855 CUVMC.AIS.COLUMBIA.EDU (VM/SP 1.0) 7 1058825 LISTS.UFL.EDU (Linux 2.6.18-128.2.1.el5) 8 957529 LISTSERV.TAU.AC.IL (Linux 2.6.9-78.0.8.ELsmp) 9 919179 LISTS.WAYNE.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 10 887736 LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-20.ELsmp) 11 873167 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2003) 12 866464 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-89.0.16.ELsmp) 13 866317 LISTSERV.CC.KULEUVEN.AC.BE (Linux 2.6.22.18-grsec2.1.11-vs2.2.0.6) 14 833983 HERMES.GWU.EDU (Linux 2.6.16.54-0.2.12-smp) 15 806689 LISTS.UMN.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 16 732251 LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 17 730480 LISTSERV.UH.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-47.0.1.ELsmp) 18 702301 LISTSERV.KSU.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 19 692161 LISTS.ASU.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-40.EL) 20 684177 LISTSERV.ND.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-89.0.16.ELsmp)
Pos Lists Site --- ----- ---- 1 30380 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2003) 2 20983 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 2.4.21-63.ELsmp) 3 19335 CLEMSON.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 4 10699 LISTSERV.TAU.AC.IL (Linux 2.6.9-78.0.8.ELsmp) 5 8724 LISTSERV.CC.KULEUVEN.AC.BE (Linux 2.6.22.18-grsec2.1.11-vs2.2.0.6) 6 8647 LISTS.UFL.EDU (Linux 2.6.18-128.2.1.el5) 7 8348 LISTSERV.UH.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-47.0.1.ELsmp) 8 8205 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 9 8132 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-89.0.16.ELsmp) 10 6979 LISTSERV.TECHNION.AC.IL (Linux 2.6.18-164.6.1.el5) 11 5960 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 12 5853 MARIST (VM/SP 2.0) 13 5845 HERMES.GWU.EDU (Linux 2.6.16.54-0.2.12-smp) 14 5640 LISTS.UMN.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 15 5427 LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 16 5392 LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 17 4717 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-89.0.16.ELsmp) 18 4502 LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU (Windows Enterprise Server 2003) 19 4323 LISTSERV.MILLERSVILLE.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 20 4000 LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK (Solaris 2.9)
Pos Recipients Site --- ---------- ---- 1 61292733 LISTSERV.ARMY.PENTAGON.MIL (Linux (S/390) 2.6.16.60-0.27-default) 2 366230 LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG (Windows Server 2003) 3 332330 H-NET.MSU.EDU (Linux 2.6.24-etchnhalf.1-686-bigmem) 4 294419 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 5 285054 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-89.0.16.ELsmp) 6 242945 LISTSERV.SYR.EDU (Windows Server 2003) 7 201675 HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 8 201380 NERDALERT.THENERDS.NET (Linux 2.6.18-92.1.22.el5) 9 183361 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 10 178530 APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Edition) 11 175271 LISTSERV.MED.CORNELL.EDU (SunOS 5.10) 12 164954 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2003) 13 159416 LISTSERV.UIC.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-42.0.2.ELsmp) 14 153293 PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows Server 2003) 15 149962 LISTS.UFL.EDU (Linux 2.6.18-128.2.1.el5) 16 147010 LISTS.UMN.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 17 143618 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 18 135355 LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2 + LSMTP V1.1b) 19 133612 BAMA.UA.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 20 129072 LIST.UVM.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-78.0.1.ELsmp)
Pos Subscribers Site --- ----------- ---- 1 201409 COMPUTING@LIST.MSU.EDU (Linux 2.6.18.8-0.9-default) 2 87317 EDUCATION_FUNDING@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 3 76632 RFP-BULLETIN@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 4 73547 ARTS_FUNDING@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 5 66935 HEALTH_FUNDING@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 6 63709 PND-L@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 7 52803 FDNCENTER-L@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 8 48139 TEMPLETODAY@LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-20.ELsmp) 9 44570 JOB-ALERT@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 10 43045 EPLUS@VM1.HQADMIN.DOE.GOV (VM/SP 3.0) 11 42876 L-LAZINE@LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 5.2) 12 37919 FOLKWAYS@SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU (Solaris 2.8) 13 37018 CONNECT@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10) 14 36948 SKILLPORT-UHMAIN-STUDENTS@LISTSERV.UH.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-47.0.1.ELsmp) 15 36764 EVENTS-NEWSLETTER-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 16 36585 DIVERSITY-NEWS-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU (Windows Server 2003 R2) 17 34583 TCUATHLETICSDIRECTOR@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU (Windows Server 2003) 18 34477 MEDPROS-L@DTIC.MIL (Solaris 2.10) 19 34149 STUDENT-AT-TENNESSEE@LISTSERV.UTK.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 20 33848 FC-NYLIB@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.10)