postfix(1)
NAME
postfix - Postfix control program
SYNOPSIS
postfix [-Dv] [-c config_dir] command
DESCRIPTION
This command is reserved for the superuser. To submit mail, use the Postfix sendmail(1) command. The postfix(1) command controls the operation of the Postfix mail system: start or stop the master(8) daemon, do a health check, and other maintenance. By default, the postfix(1) command sets up a standardized environment and runs the postfix-script shell script to do the actual work. However, when support for multiple Postfix instances is configured, postfix(1) executes the command specified with the multi_instance_wrapper configuration parameter. This command will execute the command for each applicable Postfix instance. The following commands are implemented: check Warn about bad directory/file ownership or permissions, and create missing directories. start Start the Postfix mail system. This also runs the configuration check described above. stop Stop the Postfix mail system in an orderly fashion. If possible, running processes are allowed to terminate at their earliest convenience. Note: in order to refresh the Postfix mail system after a configuration change, do not use the start and stop commands in succession. Use the reload command instead. abort Stop the Postfix mail system abruptly. Running processes are signaled to stop immediately. flush Force delivery: attempt to deliver every message in the deferred mail queue. Normally, attempts to deliver delayed mail happen at regular intervals, the interval doubling after each failed attempt. Warning: flushing undeliverable mail frequently will result in poor delivery performance of all other mail. reload Re-read configuration files. Running processes terminate at their earliest convenience. status Indicate if the Postfix mail system is currently running. set-permissions [name=value ...] Set the ownership and permissions of Postfix related files and directories, as specified in the postfix-files file. Specify name=value to override and update specific main.cf configuration parameters. Use this, for example, to change the mail_owner or setgid_group setting for an already installed Postfix system. This feature is available in Postfix 2.1 and later. With Postfix 2.0 and earlier, use "$config_directory/post-install set-permissions". tls subcommand Enable opportunistic TLS in the Postfix SMTP client or server, and manage Postfix SMTP server TLS private keys and certificates. See postfix-tls(1) for documentation. This feature is available in Postfix 3.1 and later. upgrade-configuration [name=value ...] Update the main.cf and master.cf files with information that Postfix needs in order to run: add or update services, and add or update configuration parameter settings. Specify name=value to override and update specific main.cf configuration parameters. This feature is available in Postfix 2.1 and later. With Postfix 2.0 and earlier, use "$config_directory/post-install upgrade-configuration". The following options are implemented: -c config_dir Read the main.cf and master.cf configuration files in the named directory instead of the default configuration directory. Use this to distinguish between multiple Postfix instances on the same host. With Postfix 2.6 and later, this option forces the postfix(1) command to operate on the specified Postfix instance only. This behavior is inherited by postfix(1) commands that run as a descendant of the current process. -D (with postfix start only) Run each Postfix daemon under control of a debugger as specified via the debugger_command configuration parameter. -v Enable verbose logging for debugging purposes. Multiple -v options make the software increasingly verbose.
ENVIRONMENT
The postfix(1) command exports the following environment variables before executing the postfix-script file: MAIL_CONFIG This is set when the -c command-line option is present. With Postfix 2.6 and later, this environment variable forces the postfix(1) command to operate on the specified Postfix instance only. This behavior is inherited by postfix(1) commands that run as a descendant of the current process. MAIL_VERBOSE This is set when the -v command-line option is present. MAIL_DEBUG This is set when the -D command-line option is present.
CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS
The following main.cf configuration parameters are exported as
environment variables with the same names:
config_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The default location of the Postfix main.cf and master.cf
configuration files.
command_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The location of all postfix administrative commands.
daemon_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The directory with Postfix support programs and daemon programs.
html_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The location of Postfix HTML files that describe how to build,
configure or operate a specific Postfix subsystem or feature.
mail_owner (postfix)
The UNIX system account that owns the Postfix queue and most
Postfix daemon processes.
mailq_path (see 'postconf -d' output)
Sendmail compatibility feature that specifies where the Postfix
mailq(1) command is installed.
manpage_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
Where the Postfix manual pages are installed.
newaliases_path (see 'postconf -d' output)
Sendmail compatibility feature that specifies the location of
the newaliases(1) command.
queue_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The location of the Postfix top-level queue directory.
readme_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The location of Postfix README files that describe how to build,
configure or operate a specific Postfix subsystem or feature.
sendmail_path (see 'postconf -d' output)
A Sendmail compatibility feature that specifies the location of
the Postfix sendmail(1) command.
setgid_group (postdrop)
The group ownership of set-gid Postfix commands and of
group-writable Postfix directories.
Available in Postfix version 2.5 and later:
data_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The directory with Postfix-writable data files (for example:
caches, pseudo-random numbers).
Available in Postfix version 3.0 and later:
meta_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The location of non-executable files that are shared among
multiple Postfix instances, such as postfix-files,
dynamicmaps.cf, and the multi-instance template files
main.cf.proto and master.cf.proto.
shlib_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The location of Postfix dynamically-linked libraries
(libpostfix-*.so), and the default location of Postfix database
plugins (postfix-*.so) that have a relative pathname in the
dynamicmaps.cf file.
Available in Postfix version 3.1 and later:
openssl_path (openssl)
The location of the OpenSSL command line program openssl(1).
Other configuration parameters:
import_environment (see 'postconf -d' output)
The list of environment parameters that a Postfix process will
import from a non-Postfix parent process.
syslog_facility (mail)
The syslog facility of Postfix logging.
syslog_name (see 'postconf -d' output)
The mail system name that is prepended to the process name in
syslog records, so that "smtpd" becomes, for example,
"postfix/smtpd".
Available in Postfix version 2.6 and later:
multi_instance_directories (empty)
An optional list of non-default Postfix configuration
directories; these directories belong to additional Postfix
instances that share the Postfix executable files and
documentation with the default Postfix instance, and that are
started, stopped, etc., together with the default Postfix
instance.
multi_instance_wrapper (empty)
The pathname of a multi-instance manager command that the
postfix(1) command invokes when the multi_instance_directories
parameter value is non-empty.
multi_instance_group (empty)
The optional instance group name of this Postfix instance.
multi_instance_name (empty)
The optional instance name of this Postfix instance.
multi_instance_enable (no)
Allow this Postfix instance to be started, stopped, etc., by a
multi-instance manager.
FILES
Prior to Postfix version 2.6, all of the following files were in $config_directory. Some files are now in $daemon_directory so that they can be shared among multiple instances that run the same Postfix version. Use the command "postconf config_directory" or "postconf daemon_directory" to expand the names into their actual values. $config_directory/main.cf, Postfix configuration parameters $config_directory/master.cf, Postfix daemon processes $daemon_directory/postfix-files, file/directory permissions $daemon_directory/postfix-script, administrative commands $daemon_directory/post-install, post-installation configuration $daemon_directory/dynamicmaps.cf, plug-in database clients
SEE ALSO
Commands: postalias(1), create/update/query alias database postcat(1), examine Postfix queue file postconf(1), Postfix configuration utility postfix(1), Postfix control program postfix-tls(1), Postfix TLS management postkick(1), trigger Postfix daemon postlock(1), Postfix-compatible locking postlog(1), Postfix-compatible logging postmap(1), Postfix lookup table manager postmulti(1), Postfix multi-instance manager postqueue(1), Postfix mail queue control postsuper(1), Postfix housekeeping mailq(1), Sendmail compatibility interface newaliases(1), Sendmail compatibility interface sendmail(1), Sendmail compatibility interface Postfix configuration: bounce(5), Postfix bounce message templates master(5), Postfix master.cf file syntax postconf(5), Postfix main.cf file syntax postfix-wrapper(5), Postfix multi-instance API Table-driven mechanisms: access(5), Postfix SMTP access control table aliases(5), Postfix alias database canonical(5), Postfix input address rewriting generic(5), Postfix output address rewriting header_checks(5), body_checks(5), Postfix content inspection relocated(5), Users that have moved transport(5), Postfix routing table virtual(5), Postfix virtual aliasing Table lookup mechanisms: cidr_table(5), Associate CIDR pattern with value ldap_table(5), Postfix LDAP client lmdb_table(5), Postfix LMDB database driver memcache_table(5), Postfix memcache client mysql_table(5), Postfix MYSQL client nisplus_table(5), Postfix NIS+ client pcre_table(5), Associate PCRE pattern with value pgsql_table(5), Postfix PostgreSQL client regexp_table(5), Associate POSIX regexp pattern with value socketmap_table(5), Postfix socketmap client sqlite_table(5), Postfix SQLite database driver tcp_table(5), Postfix client-server table lookup Daemon processes: anvil(8), Postfix connection/rate limiting bounce(8), defer(8), trace(8), Delivery status reports cleanup(8), canonicalize and enqueue message discard(8), Postfix discard delivery agent dnsblog(8), DNS black/whitelist logger error(8), Postfix error delivery agent flush(8), Postfix fast ETRN service local(8), Postfix local delivery agent master(8), Postfix master daemon oqmgr(8), old Postfix queue manager pickup(8), Postfix local mail pickup pipe(8), deliver mail to non-Postfix command postscreen(8), Postfix zombie blocker proxymap(8), Postfix lookup table proxy server qmgr(8), Postfix queue manager qmqpd(8), Postfix QMQP server scache(8), Postfix connection cache manager showq(8), list Postfix mail queue smtp(8), lmtp(8), Postfix SMTP+LMTP client smtpd(8), Postfix SMTP server spawn(8), run non-Postfix server tlsmgr(8), Postfix TLS cache and randomness manager tlsproxy(8), Postfix TLS proxy server trivial-rewrite(8), Postfix address rewriting verify(8), Postfix address verification virtual(8), Postfix virtual delivery agent Other: syslogd(8), system logging
README FILES
Use "postconf readme_directory" or "postconf html_directory" to locate this information. OVERVIEW, overview of Postfix commands and processes BASIC_CONFIGURATION_README, Postfix basic configuration ADDRESS_REWRITING_README, Postfix address rewriting SMTPD_ACCESS_README, SMTP relay/access control CONTENT_INSPECTION_README, Postfix content inspection QSHAPE_README, Postfix queue analysis
LICENSE
The Secure Mailer license must be distributed with this software.
AUTHOR(S)
Wietse Venema
IBM T.J. Watson Research
P.O. Box 704
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
Wietse Venema
Google, Inc.
111 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10011, USA
TLS support by:
Lutz Jaenicke
Brandenburg University of Technology
Cottbus, Germany
Victor Duchovni
Morgan Stanley
SASL support originally by:
Till Franke
SuSE Rhein/Main AG
65760 Eschborn, Germany
LMTP support originally by:
Philip A. Prindeville
Mirapoint, Inc.
USA.
Amos Gouaux
University of Texas at Dallas
P.O. Box 830688, MC34
Richardson, TX 75083, USA
IPv6 support originally by:
Mark Huizer, Eindhoven University, The Netherlands
Jun-ichiro 'itojun' Hagino, KAME project, Japan
The Linux PLD project
Dean Strik, Eindhoven University, The Netherlands
POSTFIX(1)
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