diff --git a/bin/mailmanctl b/bin/mailmanctl

index fa14a2c..e291df1 100644

--- a/bin/mailmanctl

+++ b/bin/mailmanctl

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ in the file data/master-qrunner.pid but you normally don't need to use this

 pid directly.  The `start', `stop', `restart', and `reopen' commands handle

 everything for you.

-Usage: %(PROGRAM)s [options] [ start | stop | restart | reopen ]

+Usage: %(PROGRAM)s [options] [ start | stop | restart | reopen | status ]

 Options:

@@ -90,6 +90,9 @@ Commands:

     reopen  - This will close all log files, causing them to be re-opened the

               next time a message is written to them

+

+    status  - This returns a string indicating the status of the master

+              qrunner

 """

 import sys

@@ -190,6 +193,52 @@ def qrunner_state():

         return 0

     return 1

+def mailman_status():

+    # return status, pid

+    #

+    # These status values match the /etc/init.d status values

+    # (at least on Red Hat), try to return equivalent status if possible

+    # status is 0 if running,

+    # status is 1 if dead but pid file exists

+    # status is 2 if dead but subsys locked

+    # status is 3 if stopped (pid returned will be 0)

+    #

+    #

+    # We want any user to be able to query the status and this presents

+    # few interesting permission problems and is why we don't use

+    # qrunner_state(). The pidfile is only readable by the mailman owner

+    # and group, however the lockfile is world readable. So we will

+    # get the master pid from the lockfile. We try to determine if the

+    # master process exists by sending it a signal. If we don't have

+    # permission to signal the process, but the process exists we'll

+    # get a EPERM error, if the process does not exist then we'll get

+    # a ESRCH error.

+

+    try:

+        hostname, pid, tempfile = get_lock_data()

+    except IOError, e:

+        if e.errno == errno.ENOENT:

+            # Lock file didn't exist, can't be running

+            return 3, 0

+        else:

+            raise

+    if hostname <> socket.gethostname():

+        # not running on this host

+        return 3, 0

+    # Find out if the process exists by calling kill with a signal 0.

+    try:

+        os.kill(pid, 0)

+    except OSError, e:

+        if e.errno == errno.ESRCH:

+            # process does not exist

+            return 1, pid

+        elif e.errno == errno.EPERM:

+            # we don't have permission signal the process but it exists

+            return 0, pid

+        else:

+            raise

+    return 0, pid

+

 def acquire_lock_1(force):

     # Be sure we can acquire the master qrunner lock.  If not, it means some

@@ -338,13 +387,15 @@ def main():

         command = COMMASPACE.join(args)

         usage(1, C_('Bad command: %(command)s'))

+    command = args[0].lower()

+

     if checkprivs:

         check_privs()

     else:

-        print C_('Warning!  You may encounter permission problems.')

+        if command != 'status':

+	    print C_('Warning!  You may encounter permission problems.')

     # Handle the commands

-    command = args[0].lower()

     if command == 'stop':

         # Sent the master qrunner process a SIGINT, which is equivalent to

         # giving cron/qrunner a ctrl-c or KeyboardInterrupt.  This will

@@ -363,6 +414,14 @@ def main():

         if not quiet:

             print C_('Re-opening all log files')

         kill_watcher(signal.SIGHUP)

+    elif command == 'status':

+        status, pid = mailman_status()

+        if not quiet:

+            if status == 0:

+                print C_("mailman (pid %(pid)d) is running...")

+            else:

+                print C_("mailman is stopped")

+        sys.exit(status)

     elif command == 'start':

         # First, complain loudly if there's no site list.

         check_for_site_list()