1POSTSUPER(1) General Commands Manual POSTSUPER(1)
2
6 postsuper - Postfix superintendent
7
9 postsuper [-psSv]
10 [-c config_dir] [-d queue_id]
11 [-e queue_id] [-f queue_id]
12 [-h queue_id] [-H queue_id]
13 [-r queue_id] [directory ...]
14
16 The postsuper(1) command does maintenance jobs on the Postfix queue.
17 Use of the command is restricted to the superuser. See the
18 postqueue(1) command for unprivileged queue operations such as listing
19 or flushing the mail queue.
20 By default, postsuper(1) performs the operations requested with the -s
22 and -p command-line options on all Postfix queue directories - this
23 includes the incoming, active, deferred, and hold directories with mes‐
24 sage files and the bounce, defer, trace and flush directories with log
25 files.
26 Options:
28 -c config_dir
30 The main.cf configuration file is in the named directory instead
31 of the default configuration directory. See also the MAIL_CONFIG
32 environment setting below.
33 -d queue_id
35 Delete one message with the named queue ID from the named mail
36 queue(s) (default: hold, incoming, active and deferred).
37 To delete multiple files, specify the -d option multiple times,
39 or specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from standard
40 input. For example, to delete all mail with exactly one recipi‐
41 ent user@example.com:
42 mailq | tail -n +2 | grep -v '^ *(' | awk 'BEGIN { RS = "" }
44 # $7=sender, $8=recipient1, $9=recipient2
45 { if ($8 == "user@example.com" && $9 == "")
46 print $1 }
47 ' | tr -d '*!' | postsuper -d -
48 Specify "-d ALL" to remove all messages; for example, specify
50 "-d ALL deferred" to delete all mail in the deferred queue. As
51 a safety measure, the word ALL must be specified in upper case.
52 Warning: Postfix queue IDs are reused (always with Postfix <=
54 2.8; and with Postfix >= 2.9 when enable_long_queue_ids=no).
55 There is a very small possibility that postsuper deletes the
56 wrong message file when it is executed while the Postfix mail
57 system is delivering mail.
58 The scenario is as follows:
60 1) The Postfix queue manager deletes the message that post‐
62 super(1) is asked to delete, because Postfix is finished
63 with the message (it is delivered, or it is returned to
64 the sender).
65 2) New mail arrives, and the new message is given the same
67 queue ID as the message that postsuper(1) is supposed to
68 delete. The probability for reusing a deleted queue ID
69 is about 1 in 2**15 (the number of different microsecond
70 values that the system clock can distinguish within a
71 second).
72 3) postsuper(1) deletes the new message, instead of the old
74 message that it should have deleted.
75 -e queue_id
77 -f queue_id
79 Request forced expiration for one message with the named queue
80 ID in the named mail queue(s) (default: hold, incoming, active
81 and deferred).
82 · The message will be returned to the sender when the queue
84 manager attempts to deliver that message (note that Post‐
85 fix will never deliver messages in the hold queue).
86 · The -e and -f options both request forced expiration. The
88 difference is that -f will also release a message if it
89 is in the hold queue. With -e, such a message would not
90 be returned to the sender until it is released with -f or
91 -H.
92 · When a deferred message is force-expired, the return mes‐
94 sage will state the reason for the delay. Otherwise, the
95 reason will be "message is administratively expired".
96 To expire multiple files, specify the -e or -f option multiple
98 times, or specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from stan‐
99 dard input (see the -d option above for an example, but be sure
100 to replace -d in the example).
101 Specify "-e ALL" or "-f ALL" to expire all messages; for exam‐
103 ple, specify "-e ALL deferred" to expire all mail in the
104 deferred queue. As a safety measure, the word ALL must be spec‐
105 ified in upper case.
106 These features are available in Postfix 3.5 and later.
108 -h queue_id
110 Put mail "on hold" so that no attempt is made to deliver it.
111 Move one message with the named queue ID from the named mail
112 queue(s) (default: incoming, active and deferred) to the hold
113 queue.
114 To hold multiple files, specify the -h option multiple times, or
116 specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from standard input.
117 Specify "-h ALL" to hold all messages; for example, specify "-h
119 ALL deferred" to hold all mail in the deferred queue. As a
120 safety measure, the word ALL must be specified in upper case.
121 Note: while mail is "on hold" it will not expire when its time
123 in the queue exceeds the maximal_queue_lifetime or
124 bounce_queue_lifetime setting. It becomes subject to expiration
125 after it is released from "hold".
126 This feature is available in Postfix 2.0 and later.
128 -H queue_id
130 Release mail that was put "on hold". Move one message with the
131 named queue ID from the named mail queue(s) (default: hold) to
132 the deferred queue.
133 To release multiple files, specify the -H option multiple times,
135 or specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from standard
136 input.
137 Note: specify "postsuper -r" to release mail that was kept on
139 hold for a significant fraction of $maximal_queue_lifetime or
140 $bounce_queue_lifetime, or longer.
141 Specify "-H ALL" to release all mail that is "on hold". As a
143 safety measure, the word ALL must be specified in upper case.
144 This feature is available in Postfix 2.0 and later.
146 -p Purge old temporary files that are left over after system or
148 software crashes. The -p, -s, and -S operations are done before
149 other operations.
150 -r queue_id
152 Requeue the message with the named queue ID from the named mail
153 queue(s) (default: hold, incoming, active and deferred).
154 To requeue multiple files, specify the -r option multiple times,
156 or specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from standard
157 input.
158 Specify "-r ALL" to requeue all messages. As a safety measure,
160 the word ALL must be specified in upper case.
161 A requeued message is moved to the maildrop queue, from where it
163 is copied by the pickup(8) and cleanup(8) daemons to a new queue
164 file. In many respects its handling differs from that of a new
165 local submission.
166 · The message is not subjected to the smtpd_milters or
168 non_smtpd_milters settings. When mail has passed through
169 an external content filter, this would produce incorrect
170 results with Milter applications that depend on original
171 SMTP connection state information.
172 · The message is subjected again to mail address rewriting
174 and substitution. This is useful when rewriting rules or
175 virtual mappings have changed.
176 The address rewriting context (local or remote) is the
178 same as when the message was received.
179 · The message is subjected to the same content_filter set‐
181 tings (if any) as used for new local mail submissions.
182 This is useful when content_filter settings have changed.
183 Warning: Postfix queue IDs are reused (always with Postfix <=
185 2.8; and with Postfix >= 2.9 when enable_long_queue_ids=no).
186 There is a very small possibility that postsuper(1) requeues the
187 wrong message file when it is executed while the Postfix mail
188 system is running, but no harm should be done.
189 This feature is available in Postfix 1.1 and later.
191 -s Structure check and structure repair. This should be done once
193 before Postfix startup. The -p, -s, and -S operations are done
194 before other operations.
195 · Rename files whose name does not match the message file
197 inode number. This operation is necessary after restoring
198 a mail queue from a different machine or from backup,
199 when queue files were created with Postfix <= 2.8 or with
200 "enable_long_queue_ids = no".
201 · Move queue files that are in the wrong place in the file
203 system hierarchy and remove subdirectories that are no
204 longer needed. File position rearrangements are neces‐
205 sary after a change in the hash_queue_names and/or
206 hash_queue_depth configuration parameters.
207 · Rename queue files created with "enable_long_queue_ids =
209 yes" to short names, for migration to Postfix <= 2.8.
210 The procedure is as follows:
211 # postfix stop
213 # postconf enable_long_queue_ids=no
214 # postsuper
215 Run postsuper(1) repeatedly until it stops reporting file
217 name changes.
218 -S A redundant version of -s that requires that long file names
220 also match the message file inode number. This option exists for
221 testing purposes, and is available with Postfix 2.9 and later.
222 The -p, -s, and -S operations are done before other operations.
223 -v Enable verbose logging for debugging purposes. Multiple -v
225 options make the software increasingly verbose.
226
228 Problems are reported to the standard error stream and to syslogd(8) or
229 postlogd(8).
230 postsuper(1) reports the number of messages deleted with -d, the number
232 of messages expired with -e, the number of messages expired or released
233 with -f, the number of messages held or released with -h or -H, the
234 number of messages requeued with -r, and the number of messages whose
235 queue file name was fixed with -s. The report is written to the stan‐
236 dard error stream and to syslogd(8) or postlogd(8).
237
239 MAIL_CONFIG
240 Directory with the main.cf file.
241
243 Mail that is not sanitized by Postfix (i.e. mail in the maildrop queue)
244 cannot be placed "on hold".
245
247 The following main.cf parameters are especially relevant to this pro‐
248 gram. The text below provides only a parameter summary. See post‐
249 conf(5) for more details including examples.
250 config_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
252 The default location of the Postfix main.cf and master.cf con‐
253 figuration files.
254 hash_queue_depth (1)
256 The number of subdirectory levels for queue directories listed
257 with the hash_queue_names parameter.
258 hash_queue_names (deferred, defer)
260 The names of queue directories that are split across multiple
261 subdirectory levels.
262 import_environment (see 'postconf -d' output)
264 The list of environment parameters that a privileged Postfix
265 process will import from a non-Postfix parent process, or
266 name=value environment overrides.
267 queue_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
269 The location of the Postfix top-level queue directory.
270 syslog_facility (mail)
272 The syslog facility of Postfix logging.
273 syslog_name (see 'postconf -d' output)
275 A prefix that is prepended to the process name in syslog
276 records, so that, for example, "smtpd" becomes "prefix/smtpd".
277 Available in Postfix version 2.9 and later:
279 enable_long_queue_ids (no)
281 Enable long, non-repeating, queue IDs (queue file names).
282
284 sendmail(1), Sendmail-compatible user interface
285 postqueue(1), unprivileged queue operations
286 postlogd(8), Postfix logging
287 syslogd(8), system logging
288
290 The Secure Mailer license must be distributed with this software.
291
293 Wietse Venema
294 IBM T.J. Watson Research
295 P.O. Box 704
296 Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
297 Wietse Venema
299 Google, Inc.
300 111 8th Avenue
301 New York, NY 10011, USA
302 POSTSUPER(1)