Postfix manual - postfix(1)

    POSTFIX(1)                                                          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 Post-
           fix  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 Post-
           fix instance.

           The following commands are implemented:

           check  Warn about bad directory/file ownership or  permis-
                  sions, 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 ter-
                  minate 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 pro-
                  cesses 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 ter-
                  minate 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_direc-
                  tory/post-install set-permissions".

           upgrade-configuration [name=value ...]
                  Update the main.cf and master.cf files with  infor-
                  mation  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_direc-
                  tory/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 con-
                  figuration  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. Mul-
                  tiple  -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  vari-
                  able  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:

           command_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  The  location  of  all  postfix administrative com-
                  mands.

           daemon_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  The directory with  Postfix  support  programs  and
                  daemon programs.

           config_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  The  default  location  of  the Postfix main.cf and
                  master.cf configuration files.

           queue_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  The location of the Postfix top-level queue  direc-
                  tory.

           mail_owner (postfix)
                  The UNIX system account that owns the Postfix queue
                  and most Postfix daemon processes.

           setgid_group (postdrop)
                  The group ownership of set-gid Postfix commands and
                  of group-writable Postfix directories.

           sendmail_path (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  A Sendmail compatibility feature that specifies the
                  location of the Postfix sendmail(1) command.

           newaliases_path (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  Sendmail compatibility feature that  specifies  the
                  location of the newaliases(1) command.

           mailq_path (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  Sendmail compatibility feature that specifies where
                  the Postfix mailq(1) command is installed.

           html_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  The location of Postfix HTML  files  that  describe
                  how to build, configure or operate a specific Post-
                  fix subsystem or feature.

           manpage_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  Where the Postfix manual pages are installed.

           readme_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  The location of Postfix README files that  describe
                  how to build, configure or operate a specific Post-
                  fix subsystem or feature.

           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).

           Other configuration parameters:

           config_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
                  The  default  location  of  the Postfix main.cf and
                  master.cf configuration files.

           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  configura-
                  tion directories; these directories belong to addi-
                  tional 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  $dae-
           mon_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

    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
           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
           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
           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
           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 SMTP triage server
           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
           trivial-rewrite(8), Postfix address rewriting
           verify(8), Postfix address verification
           virtual(8), Postfix virtual delivery agent

           Other:
           syslogd(8), system logging

    README FILES
           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

           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)