The sendmail program implements the Postfix to Sendmail
compatibility interface.
For the sake of compatibility with existing applications, some
Sendmail command-line options are recognized but silently ignored.
By default, sendmail reads a message from standard input
until EOF or until it reads a line with only a . character,
and arranges for delivery. sendmail relies on the
postdrop(1) command to create a queue file in the maildrop
directory.
Specific command aliases are provided for other common modes of
operation:
mailq
List the mail queue. Each entry shows the queue file ID, message
size, arrival time, sender, and the recipients that still need to
be delivered. If mail could not be delivered upon the last attempt,
the reason for failure is shown. This mode of operation is implemented
by executing the postqueue(1) command.
newaliases
Initialize the alias database. If no input file is specified (with
the -oA option, see below), the program processes the file(s)
specified with the alias_database configuration parameter.
If no alias database type is specified, the program uses the type
specified with the default_database_type configuration parameter.
This mode of operation is implemented by running the postalias(1)
command.
Note: it may take a minute or so before an alias database update
becomes visible. Use the postfix reload command to eliminate
this delay.
These and other features can be selected by specifying the
appropriate combination of command-line options. Some features are
controlled by parameters in the main.cf configuration file.
The following options are recognized:
-Am (ignored)
-Ac (ignored)
Postfix sendmail uses the same configuration file regardless of
whether or not a message is an initial submission.
-B body_type
The message body MIME type: 7BIT or 8BITMIME.
-C config_file (ignored :-)
The path name of the sendmail.cf file. Postfix configuration
files are kept in /etc/postfix.
-F full_name
Set the sender full name. This is used only with messages that
have no From: message header.
-G (ignored)
Gateway (relay) submission, as opposed to initial user submission.
-I
Initialize alias database. See the newaliases
command above.
-L label (ignored)
The logging label. Use the syslog_name configuration
parameter instead.
-N dsn (ignored)
Delivery status notification control. Currently, Postfix does
not implement DSN.
-R return_limit (ignored)
Limit the size of bounced mail. Use the bounce_size_limit
configuration parameter instead.
-X log_file (ignored)
Log mailer traffic. Use the debug_peer_list and
debug_peer_level configuration parameters instead.
-U (ignored)
Initial user submission.
-V
Variable Envelope Return Path. Given an envelope sender address
of the form owner-listname@origin, each recipient
user@domain receives mail with a personalized envelope
sender address.
By default, the personalized envelope sender address is
owner-listname+user=domain@origin. The default
+ and = characters are configurable with the
default_verp_delimiters configuration parameter.
-Vxy
As -V, but uses x and y as the VERP delimiter
characters, instead of the characters specified with the
default_verp_delimiters configuration parameter.
-bd
Go into daemon mode. This mode of operation is implemented by
executing the postfix start command.
-bi
Initialize alias database. See the newaliases
command above.
-bm
Read mail from standard input and arrange for delivery.
This is the default mode of operation.
-bp
List the mail queue. See the mailq command above.
-bs
Stand-alone SMTP server mode. Read SMTP commands from
standard input, and write responses to standard output.
In stand-alone SMTP server mode, UCE restrictions and
access controls are disabled by default. To enable them,
run the process as the mail_owner user.
This mode of operation is implemented by running the
smtpd(8) daemon.
-f sender
Set the envelope sender address. This is the address where
delivery problems are sent to, unless the message contains an
Errors-To: message header.
-h hop_count (ignored)
Hop count limit. Use the hopcount_limit configuration
parameter instead.
-i
When reading a message from standard input, don't treat a line
with only a . character as the end of input.
-m (ignored)
Backwards compatibility.
-n (ignored)
Backwards compatibility.
-oAalias_database
Non-default alias database. Specify pathname or
type:pathname. See postalias(1) for
details.
-o7 (ignored)
-o8 (ignored)
To send 8-bit or binary content, use an appropriate MIME encapsulation
and specify the appropriate -B command-line option.
-oi
When reading a message from standard input, don't treat a line
with only a . character as the end of input.
-om (ignored)
The sender is never eliminated from alias etc. expansions.
-o x value (ignored)
Set option x to value. Use the equivalent
configuration parameter in main.cf instead.
-r sender
Set the envelope sender address. This is the address where
delivery problems are sent to, unless the message contains an
Errors-To: message header.
-q
Attempt to deliver all queued mail. This is implemented by
executing the postqueue(1) command.
-qinterval (ignored)
The interval between queue runs. Use the queue_run_delay
configuration parameter instead.
-qRsite
Schedule immediate delivery of all mail that is queued for the named
site. This option accepts only site names that are
eligible for the "fast flush" service, and is implemented by
executing the postqueue(1) command.
See flush(8) for more information about the "fast flush"
service.
-qSsite
This command is not implemented. Use the slower sendmail -q
command instead.
-t
Extract recipients from message headers. This requires that no
recipients be specified on the command line.
-v
Enable verbose logging for debugging purposes. Multiple -v
options make the software increasingly verbose. For compatibility
with mailx and other mail submission software, a single -v
option produces no output.
SECURITY
By design, this program is not set-user (or group) id. However,
it must handle data from untrusted users or untrusted machines.
Thus, the usual precautions need to be taken against malicious
inputs.
DIAGNOSTICS
Problems are logged to syslogd(8) and to the standard error
stream.
ENVIRONMENT
MAIL_CONFIG
Directory with Postfix configuration files.
MAIL_VERBOSE
Enable verbose logging for debugging purposes.
MAIL_DEBUG
Enable debugging with an external command, as specified with the
debugger_command configuration parameter.
FILES
/var/spool/postfix, mail queue
/etc/postfix, configuration files
CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS
See the Postfix main.cf file for syntax details and for
default values. Use the postfix reload command after a
configuration change.
alias_database
Default alias database(s) for newaliases. The default value
for this parameter is system-specific.
bounce_size_limit
The amount of original message context that is sent along
with a non-delivery notification.
default_database_type
Default alias etc. database type. On many UNIX systems the
default type is either dbm or hash.
debugger_command
Command that is executed after a Postfix daemon has initialized.
debug_peer_level
Increment in verbose logging level when a remote host matches a
pattern in the debug_peer_list parameter.
debug_peer_list
List of domain or network patterns. When a remote host matches
a pattern, increase the verbose logging level by the amount
specified in the debug_peer_level parameter.
default_verp_delimiters
The VERP delimiter characters that are used when the -V
command line option is specified without delimiter characters.
fast_flush_domains
List of domains that will receive "fast flush" service (default: all
domains that this system is willing to relay mail to). This list
specifies the domains that Postfix accepts in the SMTP ETRN
request and in the sendmail -qR command.
fork_attempts
Number of attempts to fork() a process before giving up.
fork_delay
Delay in seconds between successive fork() attempts.
hopcount_limit
Limit the number of Received: message headers.
mail_owner
The owner of the mail queue and of most Postfix processes.
command_directory
Directory with Postfix support commands.
daemon_directory
Directory with Postfix daemon programs.
queue_directory
Top-level directory of the Postfix queue. This is also the root
directory of Postfix daemons that run chrooted.
queue_run_delay
The time between successive scans of the deferred queue.
verp_delimiter_filter
The characters that Postfix accepts as VERP delimiter characters.
SEE ALSO
pickup(8) mail pickup daemon
postsuper(1) queue maintenance
postalias(1) maintain alias database
postdrop(1) mail posting utility
postfix(1) mail system control
postqueue(1) mail queue control
qmgr(8) queue manager
smtpd(8) SMTP server
flush(8) fast flush service
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
