1SENDMAIL(1) General Commands Manual SENDMAIL(1)
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6 sendmail - Postfix to Sendmail compatibility interface
7
9 sendmail [option ...] [recipient ...]
10 mailq
12 sendmail -bp
13 newaliases
15 sendmail -I
16
18 The Postfix sendmail(1) command implements the Postfix to Sendmail com‐
19 patibility interface. For the sake of compatibility with existing
20 applications, some Sendmail command-line options are recognized but
21 silently ignored.
22 By default, Postfix sendmail(1) reads a message from standard input
24 until EOF or until it reads a line with only a . character, and
25 arranges for delivery. Postfix sendmail(1) relies on the postdrop(1)
26 command to create a queue file in the maildrop directory.
27 Specific command aliases are provided for other common modes of opera‐
29 tion:
30 mailq List the mail queue. Each entry shows the queue file ID, message
32 size, arrival time, sender, and the recipients that still need
33 to be delivered. If mail could not be delivered upon the last
34 attempt, the reason for failure is shown. This mode of operation
35 is implemented by executing the postqueue(1) command.
36 newaliases
38 Initialize the alias database. If no input file is specified
39 (with the -oA option, see below), the program processes the
40 file(s) specified with the alias_database configuration parame‐
41 ter. If no alias database type is specified, the program uses
42 the type specified with the default_database_type configuration
43 parameter. This mode of operation is implemented by running the
44 postalias(1) command.
45 Note: it may take a minute or so before an alias database update
47 becomes visible. Use the "postfix reload" command to eliminate
48 this delay.
49 These and other features can be selected by specifying the appropriate
51 combination of command-line options. Some features are controlled by
52 parameters in the main.cf configuration file.
53 The following options are recognized:
55 -Am (ignored)
57 -Ac (ignored)
59 Postfix sendmail uses the same configuration file regardless of
60 whether or not a message is an initial submission.
61 -B body_type
63 The message body MIME type: 7BIT or 8BITMIME.
64 -bd Go into daemon mode. This mode of operation is implemented by
66 executing the "postfix start" command.
67 -bh (ignored)
69 -bH (ignored)
71 Postfix has no persistent host status database.
72 -bi Initialize alias database. See the newaliases command above.
74 -bm Read mail from standard input and arrange for delivery. This is
76 the default mode of operation.
77 -bp List the mail queue. See the mailq command above.
79 -bs Stand-alone SMTP server mode. Read SMTP commands from standard
81 input, and write responses to standard output. In stand-alone
82 SMTP server mode, mail relaying and other access controls are
83 disabled by default. To enable them, run the process as the
84 mail_owner user.
85 This mode of operation is implemented by running the smtpd(8)
87 daemon.
88 -bv Do not collect or deliver a message. Instead, send an email
90 report after verifying each recipient address. This is useful
91 for testing address rewriting and routing configurations.
92 This feature is available in Postfix version 2.1 and later.
94 -C config_file
96 -C config_dir
98 The path name of the Postfix main.cf file, or of its parent
99 directory. This information is ignored with Postfix versions
100 before 2.3.
101 With all Postfix versions, you can specify a directory pathname
103 with the MAIL_CONFIG environment variable to override the loca‐
104 tion of configuration files.
105 -F full_name
107 Set the sender full name. This overrides the NAME environment
108 variable, and is used only with messages that have no From: mes‐
109 sage header.
110 -f sender
112 Set the envelope sender address. This is the address where
113 delivery problems are sent to. With Postfix versions before 2.1,
114 the Errors-To: message header overrides the error return
115 address.
116 -G Gateway (relay) submission, as opposed to initial user submis‐
118 sion. Either do not rewrite addresses at all, or update incom‐
119 plete addresses with the domain information specified with
120 remote_header_rewrite_domain.
121 This option is ignored before Postfix version 2.3.
123 -h hop_count (ignored)
125 Hop count limit. Use the hopcount_limit configuration parameter
126 instead.
127 -I Initialize alias database. See the newaliases command above.
129 -i When reading a message from standard input, don´t treat a line
131 with only a . character as the end of input.
132 -L label (ignored)
134 The logging label. Use the syslog_name configuration parameter
135 instead.
136 -m (ignored)
138 Backwards compatibility.
139 -N dsn (default: 'delay, failure')
141 Delivery status notification control. Specify either a comma-
142 separated list with one or more of failure (send notification
143 when delivery fails), delay (send notification when delivery is
144 delayed), or success (send notification when the message is
145 delivered); or specify never (don't send any notifications at
146 all).
147 This feature is available in Postfix 2.3 and later.
149 -n (ignored)
151 Backwards compatibility.
152 -oAalias_database
154 Non-default alias database. Specify pathname or type:pathname.
155 See postalias(1) for details.
156 -O option=value (ignored)
158 Backwards compatibility.
159 -o7 (ignored)
161 -o8 (ignored)
163 To send 8-bit or binary content, use an appropriate MIME encap‐
164 sulation and specify the appropriate -B command-line option.
165 -oi When reading a message from standard input, don´t treat a line
167 with only a . character as the end of input.
168 -om (ignored)
170 The sender is never eliminated from alias etc. expansions.
171 -o x value (ignored)
173 Set option x to value. Use the equivalent configuration parame‐
174 ter in main.cf instead.
175 -r sender
177 Set the envelope sender address. This is the address where
178 delivery problems are sent to. With Postfix versions before 2.1,
179 the Errors-To: message header overrides the error return
180 address.
181 -R return_limit (ignored)
183 Limit the size of bounced mail. Use the bounce_size_limit con‐
184 figuration parameter instead.
185 -q Attempt to deliver all queued mail. This is implemented by exe‐
187 cuting the postqueue(1) command.
188 Warning: flushing undeliverable mail frequently will result in
190 poor delivery performance of all other mail.
191 -qinterval (ignored)
193 The interval between queue runs. Use the queue_run_delay config‐
194 uration parameter instead.
195 -qIqueueid
197 Schedule immediate delivery of mail with the specified queue ID.
198 This option is implemented by executing the postqueue(1) com‐
199 mand, and is available with Postfix version 2.4 and later.
200 -qRsite
202 Schedule immediate delivery of all mail that is queued for the
203 named site. This option accepts only site names that are eligi‐
204 ble for the "fast flush" service, and is implemented by execut‐
205 ing the postqueue(1) command. See flush(8) for more information
206 about the "fast flush" service.
207 -qSsite
209 This command is not implemented. Use the slower "sendmail -q"
210 command instead.
211 -t Extract recipients from message headers. These are added to any
213 recipients specified on the command line.
214 With Postfix versions prior to 2.1, this option requires that no
216 recipient addresses are specified on the command line.
217 -U (ignored)
219 Initial user submission.
220 -V envid
222 Specify the envelope ID for notification by servers that support
223 DSN.
224 This feature is available in Postfix 2.3 and later.
226 -XV (Postfix 2.2 and earlier: -V)
228 Variable Envelope Return Path. Given an envelope sender address
229 of the form owner-listname@origin, each recipient user@domain
230 receives mail with a personalized envelope sender address.
231 By default, the personalized envelope sender address is owner-
233 listname+user=domain@origin. The default + and = characters are
234 configurable with the default_verp_delimiters configuration
235 parameter.
236 -XVxy (Postfix 2.2 and earlier: -Vxy)
238 As -XV, but uses x and y as the VERP delimiter characters,
239 instead of the characters specified with the default_verp_delim‐
240 iters configuration parameter.
241 -v Send an email report of the first delivery attempt (Postfix ver‐
243 sions 2.1 and later). Mail delivery always happens in the back‐
244 ground. When multiple -v options are given, enable verbose log‐
245 ging for debugging purposes.
246 -X log_file (ignored)
248 Log mailer traffic. Use the debug_peer_list and debug_peer_level
249 configuration parameters instead.
250
252 By design, this program is not set-user (or group) id. However, it must
253 handle data from untrusted, possibly remote, users. Thus, the usual
254 precautions need to be taken against malicious inputs.
255
257 Problems are logged to syslogd(8) and to the standard error stream.
258
260 MAIL_CONFIG
261 Directory with Postfix configuration files.
262 MAIL_VERBOSE (value does not matter)
264 Enable verbose logging for debugging purposes.
265 MAIL_DEBUG (value does not matter)
267 Enable debugging with an external command, as specified with the
268 debugger_command configuration parameter.
269 NAME The sender full name. This is used only with messages that have
271 no From: message header. See also the -F option above.
272
274 The following main.cf parameters are especially relevant to this pro‐
275 gram. The text below provides only a parameter summary. See post‐
276 conf(5) for more details including examples.
277
279 The DEBUG_README file gives examples of how to trouble shoot a Postfix
280 system.
281 debugger_command (empty)
283 The external command to execute when a Postfix daemon program is
284 invoked with the -D option.
285 debug_peer_level (2)
287 The increment in verbose logging level when a remote client or
288 server matches a pattern in the debug_peer_list parameter.
289 debug_peer_list (empty)
291 Optional list of remote client or server hostname or network
292 address patterns that cause the verbose logging level to
293 increase by the amount specified in $debug_peer_level.
294
296 Available in Postfix version 2.2 and later:
297 authorized_flush_users (static:anyone)
299 List of users who are authorized to flush the queue.
300 authorized_mailq_users (static:anyone)
302 List of users who are authorized to view the queue.
303 authorized_submit_users (static:anyone)
305 List of users who are authorized to submit mail with the send‐
306 mail(1) command (and with the privileged postdrop(1) helper com‐
307 mand).
308
310 bounce_size_limit (50000)
311 The maximal amount of original message text that is sent in a
312 non-delivery notification.
313 fork_attempts (5)
315 The maximal number of attempts to fork() a child process.
316 fork_delay (1s)
318 The delay between attempts to fork() a child process.
319 hopcount_limit (50)
321 The maximal number of Received: message headers that is allowed
322 in the primary message headers.
323 queue_run_delay (version dependent)
325 The time between deferred queue scans by the queue manager.
326
328 The ETRN_README file describes configuration and operation details for
329 the Postfix "fast flush" service.
330 fast_flush_domains ($relay_domains)
332 Optional list of destinations that are eligible for per-destina‐
333 tion logfiles with mail that is queued to those destinations.
334
336 The VERP_README file describes configuration and operation details of
337 Postfix support for variable envelope return path addresses.
338 default_verp_delimiters (+=)
340 The two default VERP delimiter characters.
341 verp_delimiter_filter (-=+)
343 The characters Postfix accepts as VERP delimiter characters on
344 the Postfix sendmail(1) command line and in SMTP commands.
345
347 alias_database (see 'postconf -d' output)
348 The alias databases for local(8) delivery that are updated with
349 "newaliases" or with "sendmail -bi".
350 command_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
352 The location of all postfix administrative commands.
353 config_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
355 The default location of the Postfix main.cf and master.cf con‐
356 figuration files.
357 daemon_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
359 The directory with Postfix support programs and daemon programs.
360 default_database_type (see 'postconf -d' output)
362 The default database type for use in newaliases(1), postalias(1)
363 and postmap(1) commands.
364 delay_warning_time (0h)
366 The time after which the sender receives the message headers of
367 mail that is still queued.
368 enable_errors_to (no)
370 Report mail delivery errors to the address specified with the
371 non-standard Errors-To: message header, instead of the envelope
372 sender address (this feature is removed with Postfix version
373 2.2, is turned off by default with Postfix version 2.1, and is
374 always turned on with older Postfix versions).
375 mail_owner (postfix)
377 The UNIX system account that owns the Postfix queue and most
378 Postfix daemon processes.
379 queue_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
381 The location of the Postfix top-level queue directory.
382 remote_header_rewrite_domain (empty)
384 Don't rewrite message headers from remote clients at all when
385 this parameter is empty; otherwise, rewrite message headers and
386 append the specified domain name to incomplete addresses.
387 syslog_facility (mail)
389 The syslog facility of Postfix logging.
390 syslog_name (postfix)
392 The mail system name that is prepended to the process name in
393 syslog records, so that "smtpd" becomes, for example, "post‐
394 fix/smtpd".
395
397 /var/spool/postfix, mail queue
398 /etc/postfix, configuration files
399
401 pickup(8), mail pickup daemon
402 qmgr(8), queue manager
403 smtpd(8), SMTP server
404 flush(8), fast flush service
405 postsuper(1), queue maintenance
406 postalias(1), create/update/query alias database
407 postdrop(1), mail posting utility
408 postfix(1), mail system control
409 postqueue(1), mail queue control
410 syslogd(8), system logging
411
413 Use "postconf readme_directory" or
414 "postconf html_directory" to locate this information.
415 DEBUG_README, Postfix debugging howto
416 ETRN_README, Postfix ETRN howto
417 VERP_README, Postfix VERP howto
418
420 The Secure Mailer license must be distributed with this software.
421
423 Wietse Venema
424 IBM T.J. Watson Research
425 P.O. Box 704
426 Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
427 SENDMAIL(1)