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)