Updated: 2022/Sep/29
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POSTSUPER(1) General Commands Manual POSTSUPER(1)
NAME
postsuper - Postfix superintendent
SYNOPSIS
postsuper [-psSv]
[-c config_dir] [-d queue_id]
[-e queue_id] [-f queue_id]
[-h queue_id] [-H queue_id]
[-r queue_id] [directory ...]
DESCRIPTION
The postsuper(1) command does maintenance jobs on the Postfix queue.
Use of the command is restricted to the superuser. See the
postqueue(1) command for unprivileged queue operations such as listing
or flushing the mail queue.
By default, postsuper(1) performs the operations requested with the -s
and -p command-line options on all Postfix queue directories - this
includes the incoming, active, deferred, and hold directories with
message files and the bounce, defer, trace and flush directories with
log files.
Options:
-c config_dir
The main.cf configuration file is in the named directory instead
of the default configuration directory. See also the MAIL_CONFIG
environment setting below.
-d queue_id
Delete one message with the named queue ID from the named mail
queue(s) (default: hold, incoming, active and deferred).
To delete multiple files, specify the -d option multiple times,
or specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from standard
input. For example, to delete all mail with exactly one
recipient user@example.com:
postqueue -j | jq -r '
# See JSON OBJECT FORMAT section in the postqueue(1) manpage
select(.recipients[0].address == "user@example.com")
| select(.recipients[1].address == null)
| .queue_id
' | postsuper -d -
(note the "jq -r" option), or the historical form:
mailq | tail -n +2 | grep -v '^ *(' | awk 'BEGIN { RS = "" }
# $7=sender, $8=recipient1, $9=recipient2
{ if ($8 == "user@example.com" && $9 == "")
print $1 }
' | tr -d '*!' | postsuper -d -
Specify "-d ALL" to remove all messages; for example, specify
"-d ALL deferred" to delete all mail in the deferred queue. As
a safety measure, the word ALL must be specified in upper case.
Warning: Postfix queue IDs are reused (always with Postfix <=
2.8; and with Postfix >= 2.9 when enable_long_queue_ids=no).
There is a very small possibility that postsuper deletes the
wrong message file when it is executed while the Postfix mail
system is delivering mail.
The scenario is as follows:
1) The Postfix queue manager deletes the message that
postsuper(1) is asked to delete, because Postfix is
finished with the message (it is delivered, or it is
returned to the sender).
2) New mail arrives, and the new message is given the same
queue ID as the message that postsuper(1) is supposed to
delete. The probability for reusing a deleted queue ID
is about 1 in 2**15 (the number of different microsecond
values that the system clock can distinguish within a
second).
3) postsuper(1) deletes the new message, instead of the old
message that it should have deleted.
-e queue_id
-f queue_id
Request forced expiration for one message with the named queue
ID in the named mail queue(s) (default: hold, incoming, active
and deferred).
⊕ The message will be returned to the sender when the queue
manager attempts to deliver that message (note that
Postfix will never deliver messages in the hold queue).
⊕ The -e and -f options both request forced expiration. The
difference is that -f will also release a message if it
is in the hold queue. With -e, such a message would not
be returned to the sender until it is released with -f or
-H.
⊕ When a deferred message is force-expired, the return
message will state the reason for the delay. Otherwise,
the reason will be "message is administratively expired".
To expire multiple files, specify the -e or -f option multiple
times, or specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from
standard input (see the -d option above for an example, but be
sure to replace -d in the example).
Specify "-e ALL" or "-f ALL" to expire all messages; for
example, specify "-e ALL deferred" to expire all mail in the
deferred queue. As a safety measure, the word ALL must be
specified in upper case.
These features are available in Postfix 3.5 and later.
-h queue_id
Put mail "on hold" so that no attempt is made to deliver it.
Move one message with the named queue ID from the named mail
queue(s) (default: incoming, active and deferred) to the hold
queue.
To hold multiple files, specify the -h option multiple times, or
specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from standard input.
Specify "-h ALL" to hold all messages; for example, specify "-h
ALL deferred" to hold all mail in the deferred queue. As a
safety measure, the word ALL must be specified in upper case.
Note: while mail is "on hold" it will not expire when its time
in the queue exceeds the maximal_queue_lifetime or
bounce_queue_lifetime setting. It becomes subject to expiration
after it is released from "hold".
This feature is available in Postfix 2.0 and later.
-H queue_id
Release mail that was put "on hold". Move one message with the
named queue ID from the named mail queue(s) (default: hold) to
the deferred queue.
To release multiple files, specify the -H option multiple times,
or specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from standard
input.
Note: specify "postsuper -r" to release mail that was kept on
hold for a significant fraction of $maximal_queue_lifetime or
$bounce_queue_lifetime, or longer.
Specify "-H ALL" to release all mail that is "on hold". As a
safety measure, the word ALL must be specified in upper case.
This feature is available in Postfix 2.0 and later.
-p Purge old temporary files that are left over after system or
software crashes. The -p, -s, and -S operations are done before
other operations.
-r queue_id
Requeue the message with the named queue ID from the named mail
queue(s) (default: hold, incoming, active and deferred).
To requeue multiple files, specify the -r option multiple times,
or specify a queue_id of - to read queue IDs from standard
input.
Specify "-r ALL" to requeue all messages. As a safety measure,
the word ALL must be specified in upper case.
A requeued message is moved to the maildrop queue, from where it
is copied by the pickup(8) and cleanup(8) daemons to a new queue
file. In many respects its handling differs from that of a new
local submission.
⊕ The message is not subjected to the smtpd_milters or
non_smtpd_milters settings. When mail has passed through
an external content filter, this would produce incorrect
results with Milter applications that depend on original
SMTP connection state information.
⊕ The message is subjected again to mail address rewriting
and substitution. This is useful when rewriting rules or
virtual mappings have changed.
The address rewriting context (local or remote) is the
same as when the message was received.
⊕ The message is subjected to the same content_filter
settings (if any) as used for new local mail submissions.
This is useful when content_filter settings have changed.
Warning: Postfix queue IDs are reused (always with Postfix <=
2.8; and with Postfix >= 2.9 when enable_long_queue_ids=no).
There is a very small possibility that postsuper(1) requeues the
wrong message file when it is executed while the Postfix mail
system is running, but no harm should be done.
This feature is available in Postfix 1.1 and later.
-s Structure check and structure repair. This should be done once
before Postfix startup. The -p, -s, and -S operations are done
before other operations.
⊕ Rename files whose name does not match the message file
inode number. This operation is necessary after restoring
a mail queue from a different machine or from backup,
when queue files were created with Postfix <= 2.8 or with
"enable_long_queue_ids = no".
⊕ Move queue files that are in the wrong place in the file
system hierarchy and remove subdirectories that are no
longer needed. File position rearrangements are
necessary after a change in the hash_queue_names and/or
hash_queue_depth configuration parameters.
⊕ Rename queue files created with "enable_long_queue_ids =
yes" to short names, for migration to Postfix <= 2.8.
The procedure is as follows:
# postfix stop
# postconf enable_long_queue_ids=no
# postsuper
Run postsuper(1) repeatedly until it stops reporting file
name changes.
-S A redundant version of -s that requires that long file names
also match the message file inode number. This option exists for
testing purposes, and is available with Postfix 2.9 and later.
The -p, -s, and -S operations are done before other operations.
-v Enable verbose logging for debugging purposes. Multiple -v
options make the software increasingly verbose.
DIAGNOSTICS
Problems are reported to the standard error stream and to syslogd(8) or
postlogd(8).
postsuper(1) reports the number of messages deleted with -d, the number
of messages expired with -e, the number of messages expired or released
with -f, the number of messages held or released with -h or -H, the
number of messages requeued with -r, and the number of messages whose
queue file name was fixed with -s. The report is written to the
standard error stream and to syslogd(8) or postlogd(8).
ENVIRONMENT
MAIL_CONFIG
Directory with the main.cf file.
BUGS
Mail that is not sanitized by Postfix (i.e. mail in the maildrop queue)
cannot be placed "on hold".
CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS
The following main.cf parameters are especially relevant to this
program. The text below provides only a parameter summary. See
postconf(5) for more details including examples.
config_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The default location of the Postfix main.cf and master.cf
configuration files.
hash_queue_depth (1)
The number of subdirectory levels for queue directories listed
with the hash_queue_names parameter.
hash_queue_names (deferred, defer)
The names of queue directories that are split across multiple
subdirectory levels.
import_environment (see 'postconf -d' output)
The list of environment parameters that a privileged Postfix
process will import from a non-Postfix parent process, or
name=value environment overrides.
queue_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The location of the Postfix top-level queue directory.
syslog_facility (mail)
The syslog facility of Postfix logging.
syslog_name (see 'postconf -d' output)
A prefix that is prepended to the process name in syslog
records, so that, for example, "smtpd" becomes "prefix/smtpd".
Available in Postfix version 2.9 and later:
enable_long_queue_ids (no)
Enable long, non-repeating, queue IDs (queue file names).
SEE ALSO
sendmail(1), Sendmail-compatible user interface
postqueue(1), unprivileged queue operations
postlogd(8), Postfix logging
syslogd(8), system logging
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
POSTSUPER(1)