![[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 862949 JISCMAIL.AC.UK (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 2 558533 LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU (Linux 3.0.101) 3 445594 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 6.1) 4 294930 LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK (Linux 2.6.32) 5 265269 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 3.10.0) 6 242157 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 7 230555 LISTSERV.REDIRIS.ES (Linux 2.6.32-504.3.3.el6.x86_64) 8 215191 LISTS.UCDENVER.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard x64 Edition) 9 210919 LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition) 10 206844 LISTSERV.ACM.ORG (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition) 11 204849 LISTS.UFL.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 12 203860 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.11) 13 201168 LISTSERV.SYR.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 14 199413 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition) 15 193772 DIGITAL.ANNEXBUSINESSMEDIA.COM (Linux 3.13.0-32-generic) 16 189689 LISTS.HAWAII.EDU (Linux 2.6.32-754.9.1.el6.x86_64) 17 178850 LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 18 174489 LISTSERV.UMD.EDU (SunOS 5.10) 19 163489 LISTSERV.UIC.EDU (Linux 2.6.32-504.8.1.el6.x86_64) 20 145316 LISTSERV.UA.EDU (Linux 3.0.101)
Pos Subscribers Site --- ----------- ---- 1 5276012 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 6.1) 2 3733500 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 3.10.0) 3 2147239 LS.KULEUVEN.BE (Linux 2.6.32) 4 1391002 LISTSERV.TAU.AC.IL (Linux 2.6.9) 5 1368163 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition) 6 1347151 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 7 1282581 LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA (Linux 3.10.0) 8 1277248 LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU (Linux 3.0.101) 9 1139111 LISTS.WAYNE.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 10 1059036 LISTS.UFL.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 11 982002 LISTS.UMN.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 12 944029 LIST.MSU.EDU (Linux 3.10.0) 13 835979 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.11) 14 818258 CUVMC.AIS.COLUMBIA.EDU (VM/SP 4.0) 15 811942 LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 16 794953 LISTSERV.UH.EDU (Linux 3.10.0) 17 792059 LISTSERV.MIAMIOH.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard x64 Edition) 18 789513 LISTSERV.UA.EDU (Linux 3.0.101) 19 766979 LISTSERV.SYR.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 20 749360 LISTSERV.ECU.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition)
Pos Lists Site --- ----- ---- 1 27136 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 3.10.0) 2 16921 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 6.1) 3 14253 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition) 4 12467 LISTSERV.TAU.AC.IL (Linux 2.6.9) 5 9788 LISTS.CLEMSON.EDU (Linux 2.6.18) 6 9599 LISTS.UFL.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 7 8079 LISTSERV.TECHNION.AC.IL (Linux 2.6.32) 8 7548 MARIST (VM/SP 2.0) 9 6913 LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK (Linux 2.6.32) 10 6664 LISTSERV.MIAMIOH.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard x64 Edition) 11 5677 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 12 5466 LISTS.UMN.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 13 5106 LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU (Linux 3.0.101) 14 4449 LS.KULEUVEN.BE (Linux 2.6.32) 15 4420 LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 16 4372 LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA (Linux 3.10.0) 17 3971 LISTS.QUEENSU.CA (Solaris 2.10) 18 3911 LISTSERV.SYR.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 19 3873 LISTSERV.MILLERSVILLE.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 20 3734 YORKU.CA (Linux 2.6.32)
Pos Recipients Site --- ---------- ---- 1 835204 JISCMAIL.AC.UK (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 2 557436 LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU (Linux 3.0.101) 3 441050 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 6.1) 4 281639 LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK (Linux 2.6.32) 5 265049 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 3.10.0) 6 236492 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 7 227562 LISTSERV.REDIRIS.ES (Linux 2.6.32-504.3.3.el6.x86_64) 8 215163 LISTS.UCDENVER.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard x64 Edition) 9 208075 LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition) 10 203170 LISTS.UFL.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 11 199723 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.11) 12 196648 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition) 13 185478 LISTS.HAWAII.EDU (Linux 2.6.32-754.9.1.el6.x86_64) 14 175858 LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 15 163240 LISTSERV.UIC.EDU (Linux 2.6.32-504.8.1.el6.x86_64) 16 160226 LISTSERV.SYR.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 17 156945 LISTSERV.UMD.EDU (SunOS 5.10) 18 140512 LISTSERV.UA.EDU (Linux 3.0.101) 19 137237 LISTS.UMN.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 20 134241 LISTSERV.AAP.ORG (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard x64 Edition)
Pos Subscribers Site --- ----------- ---- 1 300656 COMPUTING@LIST.MSU.EDU (Linux 3.10.0) 2 62358 EXCEL@LISTSERV.UTA.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 3 61957 CAREERCENTERUPDATE@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 4 54050 AMIS-CNRS-INTERNATIONAL-L@IN2P3.FR (Linux 3.10.0) 5 44314 SAFETYNOTICE@LISTSERV.UC.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition) 6 41763 OPSWNEWS@LISTSERV.NYSED.GOV (Linux 4.4.162) 7 39010 CMU-BASKETBALL@LS2.CMICH.EDU (Linux 3.10.0) 8 34587 TCUATHLETICSDIRECTOR@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard x64 Edition) 9 33602 L-SMEAL-REPORT@LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 6.1) 10 30835 FOCIS_GROUP@LISTS.WAYNE.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 11 29370 HALLCOLIBRARY-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 12 28918 BEDRIJVENLIJST@LS.KULEUVEN.BE (Linux 2.6.32) 13 28918 BEDRIJVENLIJST2@LS.KULEUVEN.BE (Linux 2.6.32) 14 28317 L-THON-NEWS@LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 6.1) 15 27709 RECREATION@LISTSERV.MIAMIOH.EDU (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard x64 Edition) 16 27402 VOLUPDATE@LISTSERV.UTK.EDU (Solaris 2.10) 17 27079 HINDU-D@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU (Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition) 18 26418 PARENTS@LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU (Linux 3.0.101) 19 24990 NCHPAD-NEWS@LISTSERV.UAB.EDU (Linux 2.6.32) 20 24786 ISMA@LS.KULEUVEN.BE (Linux 2.6.32)