Postfix manual - postsuper(1)

    POSTSUPER(1)                                                      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 mes-
           sage  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 recipi-
                  ent 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 post-
                         super(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).

                  o      The message will be returned to the sender when the queue
                         manager attempts to deliver that message (note that Post-
                         fix will never deliver messages in the hold queue).

                  o      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.

                  o      When a deferred message is force-expired, the return mes-
                         sage  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 stan-
                  dard 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 exam-
                  ple, specify "-e  ALL  deferred"  to  expire  all  mail  in  the
                  deferred queue.  As a safety measure, the word ALL must be spec-
                  ified 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.

                  o      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.

                  o      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.

                  o      The message is subjected to the same content_filter  set-
                         tings  (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.

                  o      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".

                  o      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 neces-
                         sary  after  a  change  in  the  hash_queue_names  and/or
                         hash_queue_depth configuration parameters.

                  o      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  stan-
           dard 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  pro-
           gram.   The  text  below  provides  only a parameter summary. See post-
           conf(5) for more details including examples.

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