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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 in-
       cludes  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 in-
	      put. 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 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).

	      	     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).

	      	     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 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 de-
	      ferred queue.  As	a safety measure, the word ALL must be	speci-
	      fied 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 in-
	      put.

	      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 in-
	      put.

	      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 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.

	      	     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	neces-
		     sary  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  op-
	      tions 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)

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