The Exim Mail Transport Agent

• Introduction
  • Web site and Mailing list
  • Availability
  • Limitations
  • Features
  • Support for IPv6
  • Calling interface
  • Terminology
• Incorporated code
• How Exim delivers mail
  • Philosophy
  • Message reception
  • Life of a message
  • Drivers
  • Delivery in detail
  • Temporary delivery failures
• Building and installing Exim
  • Unpacking
  • Multiple machine architectures and operating systems
  • DBM libraries
  • Pre-building configuration
  • Use of tcpwrappers
  • Including support for IPv6
  • The building process
  • Overriding build-time options for Exim
  • OS-specific header files
  • Overriding build-time options for the monitor
  • Installing commands and scripts
  • Installing info documentation
  • Setting up the spool directory
  • Testing
  • Switching Exim on
  • Exim on heavily loaded hosts
  • Stopping Exim on Solaris 2
• The Exim command line
  • Setting options by program name
  • Trusted and admin users
  • Command line options
    • -- option
    • -bd option
    • -bF <filename> option
    • -bf <filename> option
    • -bh <IP address> option
    • -bi option
    • -bm option
    • -bp option
    • -bpa option
    • -bpr option
    • -bpra option
    • -bpru option
    • -bpu option
    • -bP option
    • -brt option
    • -brw option
    • -bS option
    • -bs option
    • -bt option
    • -bV option
    • -bv option
    • -bvs option
    • -C <filename> option
    • -D<macro>=<value> option
    • -d<number> option
    • -df option
    • -dm option
    • -dropcr option
    • -E option
    • -ex option
    • -F <string> option
    • -f <address> option
    • -h <number> option
    • -i option
    • -M option
    • -Mar <message id> <address> <address> option
    • -MC <transport> <hostname> <sequence number> <message id> option
    • -MCQ <process id> option
    • -MCS option
    • -Mc option
    • -Meb <message id> option
    • -Mes <message id> <address> option
    • -Mf option
    • -Mg option
    • -Mmad <message id> option
    • -Mmd <message id> <address> <address> option
    • -Mrm option
    • -Mt option
    • -Mvb <message id> option
    • -Mvh <message id> option
    • -Mvl <message id> option
    • -m option
    • -N option
    • -oA <file name> option
    • -oB <n> option
    • -odb option
    • -odf option
    • -odi option
    • -odq option
    • -odqr option
    • -odqs option
    • -oee option
    • -oem option
    • -oep option
    • -oeq option
    • -oew option
    • -oi option
    • -oMa <host address> option
    • -oMi <interface address> option
    • -oMr <protocol name> option
    • -oMs <host name> option
    • -oMt <ident string> option
    • -om option
    • -or <time> option
    • -ov option
    • -oX <number> option
    • -pd option
    • -ps option
    • -q option
    • -q <time> option
    • -qf option
    • -qff option
    • -qfl option
    • -qffl option
    • -ql option
    • -qq option
    • -qR <string> option
    • -qRf <string> option
    • -R <string> option
    • -Rf <string> option
    • -Rff <string> option
    • -r option
    • -t option
    • -v option
    • -x option
• File and database lookups
  • Single-key lookup types
  • Query-style lookup types
  • Use of data lookups
  • Temporary errors in lookups
  • Partial matching in single-key lookups
  • Lookup caching
  • More about NIS+
  • More about LDAP
• The Exim configuration file
  • Configuration file format
  • Macros in the configuration file
  • Common option syntax
  • Integer
  • Octal integer
  • Fixed point number
  • Time interval
  • String
  • Expanded strings
  • User and group names
  • String lists
  • Domain lists
  • Partial matching in domain lists
  • Address lists
  • Case of letters in address lists
  • Host lists
  • Use of RFC 1413 identification in host lists
• Regular expressions
  • Testing regular expressions
• String expansions
  • Testing string expansions
  • Expansion items
  • Expansion operators
  • Expansion conditions
  • Expansion variables
  • Expansion string examples
• Embedded Perl
• Main configuration
  • accept_8bitmime option
  • accept_timeout option
  • always_bcc option
  • auto_thaw option
  • bi_command option
  • check_log_inodes option
  • check_log_space option
  • check_spool_inodes option
  • check_spool_space option
  • collapse_source_routes option
  • daemon_smtp_port option
  • daemon_smtp_service option
  • debug_level option
  • delay_warning option
  • delay_warning_condition option
  • deliver_load_max option
  • deliver_queue_load_max option
  • delivery_date_remove option
  • dns_again_means_nonexist option
  • dns_check_names option
  • dns_check_names_pattern option
  • dns_retrans option
  • dns_retry option
  • envelope_to_remove option
  • errmsg_text option
  • errmsg_file option
  • errors_address option
  • errors_copy option
  • errors_reply_to option
  • exim_group option
  • exim_path option
  • exim_user option
  • extract_addresses_remove_arguments option
  • finduser_retries option
  • forbid_domain_literals option
  • freeze_tell_mailmaster option
  • gecos_name option
  • gecos_pattern option
  • headers_check_syntax option
  • headers_checks_fail option
  • headers_sender_verify option
  • headers_sender_verify_errmsg option
  • helo_accept_junk_hosts option
  • helo_strict_syntax option
  • helo_verify option
  • hold_domains option
  • host_accept_relay option
  • host_lookup option
  • host_reject option
  • host_reject_recipients option
  • hosts_treat_as_local option
  • ignore_errmsg_errors option
  • ignore_errmsg_errors_after option
  • ignore_fromline_hosts option
  • ignore_fromline_local option
  • keep_malformed option
  • kill_ip_options option
  • local_domains option
  • local_domains_include_host option
  • local_domains_include_host_literals option
  • local_interfaces option
  • localhost_number option
  • locally_caseless option
  • log_all_parents option
  • log_arguments option
  • log_file_path option
  • log_ip_options option
  • log_level option
  • log_received_recipients option
  • log_received_sender option
  • log_refused_recipients option
  • log_rewrites option
  • log_smtp_confirmation option
  • log_smtp_connections option
  • log_smtp_syntax_errors option
  • log_subject option
  • lookup_open_max option
  • max_user_name_length option
  • message_body_visible option
  • message_filter option
  • message_filter_directory_transport option
  • message_filter_directory2_transport option
  • message_filter_file_transport option
  • message_filter_group option
  • message_filter_pipe_transport option
  • message_filter_reply_transport option
  • message_filter_user option
  • message_id_header_text option
  • message_size_limit option
  • message_size_limit_count_recipients option
  • never_users option
  • nobody_group option
  • nobody_user option
  • percent_hack_domains option
  • perl_at_start option
  • perl_startup option
  • pid_file_path option
  • preserve_message_logs option
  • primary_hostname option
  • print_topbitchars option
  • prod_requires_admin option
  • prohibition_message option
  • qualify_domain option
  • qualify_recipient option
  • queue_list_requires_admin option
  • queue_only option
  • queue_only_file option
  • queue_only_load option
  • queue_remote_domains option
  • queue_run_in_order option
  • queue_run_max option
  • queue_smtp_domains option
  • rbl_domains option
  • rbl_hosts option
  • rbl_log_headers option
  • rbl_log_rcpt_count option
  • rbl_reject_recipients option
  • rbl_warn_header option
  • received_header_text option
  • received_headers_max option
  • receiver_try_verify option
  • receiver_unqualified_hosts option
  • receiver_verify option
  • receiver_verify_addresses option
  • receiver_verify_hosts option
  • receiver_verify_senders option
  • recipients_max option
  • recipients_max_reject option
  • recipients_reject_except option
  • refuse_ip_options option
  • relay_domains option
  • relay_domains_include_local_mx option
  • relay_match_host_or_sender option
  • remote_max_parallel option
  • remote_sort option
  • retry_interval_max option
  • return_path_remove option
  • return_size_limit option
  • rfc1413_hosts option
  • rfc1413_query_timeout option
  • security option
  • sender_address_relay option
  • sender_reject option
  • sender_reject_recipients option
  • sender_try_verify option
  • sender_unqualified_hosts option
  • sender_verify option
  • sender_verify_batch option
  • sender_verify_hosts option
  • sender_verify_fixup option
  • sender_verify_max_retry_rate option
  • sender_verify_reject option
  • smtp_accept_keepalive option
  • smtp_accept_max option
  • smtp_accept_max_per_host option
  • smtp_accept_queue option
  • smtp_accept_queue_per_connection option
  • smtp_accept_reserve option
  • smtp_banner option
  • smtp_check_spool_space option
  • smtp_connect_backlog option
  • smtp_etrn_command option
  • smtp_etrn_hosts option
  • smtp_etrn_serialize option
  • smtp_expn_hosts option
  • smtp_load_reserve option
  • smtp_receive_timeout option
  • smtp_reserve_hosts option
  • smtp_verify option
  • split_spool_directory option
  • spool_directory option
  • strip_excess_angle_brackets option
  • strip_trailing_dot option
  • trusted_groups option
  • trusted_users option
  • unknown_login option
  • unknown_username option
  • uucp_from_pattern option
  • uucp_from_sender option
  • warnmsg_file option
• Driver specifications
• Environment for running local transports
  • Uids and gids
  • Current and home directories
  • Expansion variables derived from the address
• Generic options for transports
  • body_only (transport) option
  • debug_print (transport) option
  • delivery_date_add (transport) option
  • driver (transport) option
  • envelope_to_add (transport) option
  • headers_add (transport) option
  • headers_only (transport) option
  • headers_remove (transport) option
  • message_size_limit (transport) option
  • return_path (transport) option
  • return_path_add (transport) option
  • shadow_condition (transport) option
  • shadow_transport (transport) option
  • transport_filter (transport) option
• The appendfile transport
  • Private options for appendfile
    • allow_symlink (appendfile) option
    • batch (appendfile) option
    • batch_max (appendfile) option
    • bsmtp (appendfile) option
    • bsmtp_helo (appendfile) option
    • check_group (appendfile) option
    • create_directory (appendfile) option
    • create_file (appendfile) option
    • current_directory (appendfile) option
    • directory (appendfile) option
    • directory_mode (appendfile) option
    • file (appendfile) option
    • file_must_exist (appendfile) option
    • from_hack (appendfile) option
    • group (appendfile) option
    • lock_interval (appendfile) option
    • lock_retries (appendfile) option
    • lockfile_mode (appendfile) option
    • lockfile_timeout (appendfile) option
    • maildir_format (appendfile) option
    • maildir_retries (appendfile) option
    • maildir_tag (appendfile) option
    • mailstore_format (appendfile) option
    • mailstore_prefix (appendfile) option
    • mailstore_suffix (appendfile) option
    • mbx_format (appendfile) option
    • mode (appendfile) option
    • mode_fail_narrower (appendfile) option
    • notify_comsat (appendfile) option
    • prefix (appendfile) option
    • quota (appendfile) option
    • quota_filecount (appendfile) option
    • quota_warn_threshold (appendfile) option
    • quota_warn_message (appendfile) option
    • require_lockfile (appendfile) option
    • retry_use_local_part (appendfile) option
    • suffix (appendfile) option
    • use_crlf (appendfile) option
    • use_fcntl_lock (appendfile) option
    • use_lockfile (appendfile) option
    • use_mbx_lock (appendfile) option
    • user (appendfile) option
  • Operational details for appending
  • Operational details for delivery to a new file
• The autoreply transport
  • Private options for autoreply
    • bcc (autoreply) option
    • cc (autoreply) option
    • file (autoreply) option
    • file_expand (autoreply) option
    • file_optional (autoreply) option
    • from (autoreply) option
    • group (autoreply) option
    • headers (autoreply) option
    • initgroups (autoreply) option
    • log (autoreply) option
    • mode (autoreply) option
    • once (autoreply) option
    • once_repeat (autoreply) option
    • reply_to (autoreply) option
    • return_message (autoreply) option
    • subject (autoreply) option
    • text (autoreply) option
    • to (autoreply) option
    • user (autoreply) option
• The pipe transport
  • Returned status and data
  • How the command is run
  • Environment variables
  • Private options for pipe
    • allow_commands (pipe) option
    • batch (pipe) option
    • batch_max (pipe) option
    • bsmtp (pipe) option
    • bsmtp_helo (pipe) option
    • command (pipe) option
    • current_directory (pipe) option
    • environment (pipe) option
    • freeze_exec_fail (pipe) option
    • from_hack (pipe) option
    • group (pipe) option
    • home_directory (pipe) option
    • ignore_status (pipe) option
    • initgroups (pipe) option
    • log_defer_output (pipe) option
    • log_fail_output (pipe) option
    • log_output (pipe) option
    • max_output (pipe) option
    • path (pipe) option
    • pipe_as_creator (pipe) option
    • prefix (pipe) option
    • restrict_to_path (pipe) option
    • retry_use_local_part (pipe) option
    • return_fail_output (pipe) option
    • return_output (pipe) option
    • suffix (pipe) option
    • temp_errors (pipe) option
    • timeout (pipe) option
    • umask (pipe) option
    • use_crlf (pipe) option
    • use_shell (pipe) option
    • user (pipe) option
  • Using an external local delivery agent
• The smtp transport
  • allow_localhost (smtp) option
  • batch_max (smtp) option
  • command_timeout (smtp) option
  • connect_timeout (smtp) option
  • data_timeout (smtp) option
  • delay_after_cutoff (smtp) option
  • dns_qualify_single (smtp) option
  • dns_search_parents (smtp) option
  • fallback_hosts (smtp) option
  • final_timeout (smtp) option
  • gethostbyname (smtp) option
  • hosts (smtp) option
  • hosts_override (smtp) option
  • interface (smtp) option
  • keepalive (smtp) option
  • max_rcpt (smtp) option
  • multi_domain (smtp) option
  • mx_domains (smtp) option
  • port (smtp) option
  • retry_include_ip_address (smtp) option
  • serialize_hosts (smtp) option
  • service (smtp) option
  • size_addition (smtp) option
• Common generic options for directors and routers
  • condition (director or router) option
  • debug_print (director or router) option
  • domains (director or router) option
  • driver (director or router) option
  • errors_to (director or router) option
  • fail_verify (director or router) option
  • fail_verify_recipient (director or router) option
  • fail_verify_sender (director or router) option
  • fallback_hosts (director or router) option
  • group (director or router) option
  • headers_add (director or router) option
  • headers_remove (director or router) option
  • initgroups (director or router) option
  • local_parts (director or router) option
  • more (director or router) option
  • require_files (director or router) option
  • senders (director or router) option
  • transport (director or router) option
  • unseen (director or router) option
  • user (director or router) option
  • verify (director or router) option
  • verify_only (director or router) option
  • verify_recipient (director or router) option
  • verify_sender (director or router) option
  • Skipping directors and routers
• Additional generic options for directors
  • expn (director) option
  • new_director (director) option
  • prefix (director) option
  • prefix_optional (director) option
  • suffix (director) option
  • suffix_optional (director) option
  • Skipping directors
• The aliasfile director
  • Alias file format
  • Types of alias item
  • Duplicate addresses
  • Repeated alias expansion
  • Errors in alias files
  • Specifying transports for aliasfile
  • Aliasfile private options
    • check_ancestor (aliasfile) option
    • current_directory (aliasfile) option
    • directory_transport (aliasfile) option
    • directory2_transport (aliasfile) option
    • errors_to (aliasfile) option
    • expand (aliasfile) option
    • file (aliasfile) option
    • file_transport (aliasfile) option
    • forbid_file (aliasfile) option
    • forbid_pipe (aliasfile) option
    • freeze_missing_include (aliasfile) option
    • home_directory (aliasfile) option
    • include_domain (aliasfile) option
    • modemask (aliasfile) option
    • one_time (aliasfile) option
    • optional (aliasfile) option
    • owners (aliasfile) option
    • owngroups (aliasfile) option
    • pipe_transport (aliasfile) option
    • qualify_preserve_domain (aliasfile) option
    • queries (aliasfile) option
    • query (aliasfile) option
    • rewrite (aliasfile) option
    • search_type (aliasfile) option
    • skip_syntax_errors (aliasfile) option
    • syntax_errors_text (aliasfile) option
    • syntax_errors_to (aliasfile) option
• The forwardfile director
  • Forward file items
  • Repeated forwarding expansion
  • Errors in forward files
  • Filter files
  • The home directory
  • Forwardfile private options
    • allow_system_actions (forwardfile) option
    • check_ancestor (forwardfile) option
    • check_group (forwardfile) option
    • check_local_user (forwardfile) option
    • current_directory (forwardfile) option
    • directory_transport (forwardfile) option
    • directory2_transport (forwardfile) option
    • errors_to (forwardfile) option
    • file (forwardfile) option
    • file_directory (forwardfile) option
    • file_transport (forwardfile) option
    • filter (forwardfile) option
    • forbid_file (forwardfile) option
    • forbid_filter_logwrite (forwardfile) option
    • forbid_include (forwardfile) option
    • forbid_pipe (forwardfile) option
    • forbid_reply (forwardfile) option
    • freeze_missing_include (forwardfile) option
    • home_directory (forwardfile) option
    • ignore_eacces (forwardfile) option
    • ignore_enotdir (forwardfile) option
    • match_directory (forwardfile) option
    • modemask (forwardfile) option
    • one_time (forwardfile) option
    • owners (forwardfile) option
    • owngroups (forwardfile) option
    • pipe_transport (forwardfile) option
    • qualify_preserve_domain (forwardfile) option
    • reply_transport (forwardfile) option
    • rewrite (forwardfile) option
    • seteuid (forwardfile) option
    • skip_syntax_errors (forwardfile) option
    • syntax_errors_text (forwardfile) option
    • syntax_errors_to (forwardfile) option
• The localuser director
  • current_directory (localuser) option
  • home_directory (localuser) option
  • match_directory (localuser) option
• The smartuser director
  • new_address (smartuser) option
  • panic_expansion_fail (smartuser) option
  • rewrite (smartuser) option
• Additional generic options for routers
  • pass_on_timeout (router) option
  • self (router) option
• The domainlist router
  • host_find_failed (domainlist) option
  • modemask (domainlist) option
  • owners (domainlist) option
  • owngroups (domainlist) option
  • qualify_single (domainlist) option
  • route_file (domainlist) option
  • route_list (domainlist) option
  • route_queries (domainlist) option
  • route_query (domainlist) option
  • search_parents (domainlist) option
  • search_type (domainlist) option
  • Routing rules
  • Host list format
  • Options format
  • Application of routing rules
  • Domainlist examples
• The ipliteral router
• The iplookup router
  • hosts (iplookup) option
  • optional (iplookup) option
  • port (iplookup) option
  • protocol (iplookup) option
  • query (iplookup) option
  • reroute (iplookup) option
  • response_pattern (iplookup) option
  • service (iplookup) option
  • timeout (iplookup) option
• The lookuphost router
  • check_secondary_mx (lookuphost) option
  • gethostbyname (lookuphost) option
  • mx_domains (lookuphost) option
  • qualify_single (lookuphost) option
  • rewrite_headers (lookuphost) option
  • search_parents (lookuphost) option
  • widen_domains (lookuphost) option
• The queryprogram router
  • command (queryprogram) option
  • command_group (queryprogram) option
  • command_user (queryprogram) option
  • current_directory (queryprogram) option
  • timeout (queryprogram) option
• Retry configuration
  • Retry rules
  • Retry rule examples
  • Long-term failures
• Address rewriting
  • Rewriting rules
  • Rewriting patterns
  • Rewriting replacements
  • Rewriting flags
  • Flags specifying which headers and envelope addresses to rewrite
  • The SMTP-time rewriting flag
  • Flags controlling the rewriting process
  • The additional relay checking flag
  • Rewriting examples
• Customizing error and warning messages
  • Customizing error messages
  • Customizing warning messages
• The default configuration file
  • Main configuration settings
  • Transport configuration settings
  • Director configuration settings
  • Router configuration settings
  • Default retry rule
  • Rewriting configuration
• Multiple user mailboxes
• Using Exim to handle mailing lists
  • Syntax errors in mailing lists
  • NFS-mounted mailing lists
  • Re-expansion of mailing lists
  • Closed mailing lists
• Virtual domains
  • All mail to a given host
  • Virtual domains not preserving envelopes
  • Virtual domains preserving envelopes
• Intermittently connected hosts
  • Exim on the upstream host
  • Exim on the intermittently connected host
  • Handling many intermittently connected hosts
• Verification of incoming mail
  • Host verification
  • Sender verification
  • Fixing bad senders
  • Header verification
  • Receiver verification
• Other policy controls on incoming mail
  • Host checking using RBL
  • Other host checking
  • Sender checking
  • Control of relaying
  • Policy checking flowchart
  • Customizing prohibition messages
• System-wide message filtering
  • The system message filter
  • Per-address filtering
• SMTP processing
  • Outgoing SMTP over TCP/IP
  • Errors in outgoing SMTP
  • Variable Envelope Return Paths (VERP)
  • Incoming SMTP messages over TCP/IP
  • The VRFY, EXPN, and DEBUG commands
  • The ETRN command
  • Outgoing batched SMTP
  • Incoming batched SMTP
• Message processing
  • Unqualified addresses
  • The UUCP From line
  • The Bcc header
  • The Date header
  • The Delivery-date header
  • The Envelope-to header
  • The From header
  • The Message-id header
  • The Received header
  • The Return-path header
  • The Sender header
  • The To header
  • Adding and removing headers
  • Constructed addresses
  • Case of local parts
  • Dots in local parts
  • Rewriting addresses
• Automatic mail processing
  • System-wide automatic processing
  • Taking copies of mail
  • Automatic processing by users
  • Simplified vacation processing
• Log files
  • Logging message reception
  • Logging deliveries
  • Deferred deliveries
  • Delivery failures
  • Completion
  • Other log entries
  • Log level
  • Message log
• Day-to-day management
  • The panic log
  • The reject log
  • Log cycling
  • Statistics
  • What is Exim doing?
  • Changing the configuration
  • Watching the queue
  • Holding domains
• Exim utilities
  • Querying Exim processes
  • Summarising the queue
  • Extracting log information
  • Cycling log files
  • Making DBM files
  • Individual retry times
  • Database maintenance
  • Mail statistics
    • -nt option
    • -h<n> option
    • -q0 option
    • -q<n1> option
    • -nr option
    • -nr/pattern/ option
    • -t<n> option
    • -tnl option
    • -ne option
  • Mailbox maintenance
    • -fcntl (exim_lock) option
    • -lockfile (exim_lock) option
    • -mbx (exim_lock) option
    • -v (exim_lock) option
    • -q (exim_lock) option
• The Exim monitor
  • Running the monitor
  • The stripcharts
  • Main action buttons
  • The log display
  • The queue display
  • The queue menu
• Security considerations
  • Root privilege
  • Reading forward files
  • Delivering to local files
  • IPv4 source routing
  • The VRFY, EXPN, and ETRN commands in SMTP
  • Privileged users
  • Spool files
  • Use of argv[0]
  • Use of %f formatting
  • Embedded Exim path
  • Use of sprintf()
  • Use of debug_printf() and log_write()
  • Use of strcat() and strcpy()
• Format of spool files
• Adding new drivers or lookup types
• Concept Index
• Function Index

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