master.8.html revision 1.1.1.3
1 1.1 tron <!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" 2 1.1 tron "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> 3 1.1 tron <html> <head> 4 1.1 tron <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> 5 1.1 tron <title> Postfix manual - master(8) </title> 6 1.1 tron </head> <body> <pre> 7 1.1 tron MASTER(8) MASTER(8) 8 1.1 tron 9 1.1 tron <b>NAME</b> 10 1.1 tron master - Postfix master process 11 1.1 tron 12 1.1 tron <b>SYNOPSIS</b> 13 1.1.1.3 tron <b>master</b> [<b>-Ddtvw</b>] [<b>-c</b> <i>config</i><b>_</b><i>dir</i>] [<b>-e</b> <i>exit</i><b>_</b><i>time</i>] 14 1.1 tron 15 1.1 tron <b>DESCRIPTION</b> 16 1.1 tron The <a href="master.8.html"><b>master</b>(8)</a> daemon is the resident process that runs 17 1.1 tron Postfix daemons on demand: daemons to send or receive mes- 18 1.1 tron sages via the network, daemons to deliver mail locally, 19 1.1 tron etc. These daemons are created on demand up to a config- 20 1.1 tron urable maximum number per service. 21 1.1 tron 22 1.1 tron Postfix daemons terminate voluntarily, either after being 23 1.1 tron idle for a configurable amount of time, or after having 24 1.1 tron serviced a configurable number of requests. Exceptions to 25 1.1 tron this rule are the resident queue manager, address verifi- 26 1.1 tron cation server, and the TLS session cache and pseudo-random 27 1.1 tron number server. 28 1.1 tron 29 1.1 tron The behavior of the <a href="master.8.html"><b>master</b>(8)</a> daemon is controlled by the 30 1.1 tron <a href="master.5.html"><b>master.cf</b></a> configuration file, as described in <a href="master.5.html"><b>master</b>(5)</a>. 31 1.1 tron 32 1.1 tron Options: 33 1.1 tron 34 1.1 tron <b>-c</b> <i>config</i><b>_</b><i>dir</i> 35 1.1 tron Read the <a href="postconf.5.html"><b>main.cf</b></a> and <a href="master.5.html"><b>master.cf</b></a> configuration files 36 1.1 tron in the named directory instead of the default con- 37 1.1 tron figuration directory. This also overrides the con- 38 1.1 tron figuration files for other Postfix daemon pro- 39 1.1 tron cesses. 40 1.1 tron 41 1.1 tron <b>-D</b> After initialization, run a debugger on the master 42 1.1 tron process. The debugging command is specified with 43 1.1 tron the <b><a href="postconf.5.html#debugger_command">debugger_command</a></b> in the <a href="postconf.5.html"><b>main.cf</b></a> global configu- 44 1.1 tron ration file. 45 1.1 tron 46 1.1 tron <b>-d</b> Do not redirect stdin, stdout or stderr to 47 1.1 tron /dev/null, and do not discard the controlling ter- 48 1.1 tron minal. This must be used for debugging only. 49 1.1 tron 50 1.1 tron <b>-e</b> <i>exit</i><b>_</b><i>time</i> 51 1.1 tron Terminate the master process after <i>exit</i><b>_</b><i>time</i> sec- 52 1.1 tron onds. Child processes terminate at their conve- 53 1.1 tron nience. 54 1.1 tron 55 1.1 tron <b>-t</b> Test mode. Return a zero exit status when the <b>mas-</b> 56 1.1 tron <b>ter.pid</b> lock file does not exist or when that file 57 1.1 tron is not locked. This is evidence that the <a href="master.8.html"><b>master</b>(8)</a> 58 1.1 tron daemon is not running. 59 1.1 tron 60 1.1 tron <b>-v</b> Enable verbose logging for debugging purposes. This 61 1.1 tron option is passed on to child processes. Multiple <b>-v</b> 62 1.1 tron options make the software increasingly verbose. 63 1.1 tron 64 1.1.1.3 tron <b>-w</b> Wait in a dummy foreground process, while the real 65 1.1.1.3 tron master daemon initializes in a background process. 66 1.1.1.3 tron The dummy foreground process returns a zero exit 67 1.1.1.3 tron status only if the master daemon initialization is 68 1.1.1.3 tron successful, and if it completes in a reasonable 69 1.1.1.3 tron amount of time. 70 1.1.1.3 tron 71 1.1.1.3 tron This feature is available in Postfix 2.10 and 72 1.1.1.3 tron later. 73 1.1.1.3 tron 74 1.1 tron Signals: 75 1.1 tron 76 1.1 tron <b>SIGHUP</b> Upon receipt of a <b>HUP</b> signal (e.g., after "<b>postfix</b> 77 1.1 tron <b>reload</b>"), the master process re-reads its configu- 78 1.1 tron ration files. If a service has been removed from 79 1.1 tron the <a href="master.5.html"><b>master.cf</b></a> file, its running processes are ter- 80 1.1 tron minated immediately. Otherwise, running processes 81 1.1 tron are allowed to terminate as soon as is convenient, 82 1.1 tron so that changes in configuration settings affect 83 1.1 tron only new service requests. 84 1.1 tron 85 1.1 tron <b>SIGTERM</b> 86 1.1 tron Upon receipt of a <b>TERM</b> signal (e.g., after "<b>postfix</b> 87 1.1 tron <b>abort</b>"), the master process passes the signal on to 88 1.1 tron its child processes and terminates. This is useful 89 1.1 tron for an emergency shutdown. Normally one would ter- 90 1.1 tron minate only the master ("<b>postfix stop</b>") and allow 91 1.1 tron running processes to finish what they are doing. 92 1.1 tron 93 1.1 tron <b>DIAGNOSTICS</b> 94 1.1.1.3 tron Problems are reported to <b>syslogd</b>(8). The exit status is 95 1.1.1.3 tron non-zero in case of problems, including problems while 96 1.1.1.3 tron initializing as a master daemon process in the background. 97 1.1 tron 98 1.1 tron <b>ENVIRONMENT</b> 99 1.1 tron <b>MAIL_DEBUG</b> 100 1.1 tron After initialization, start a debugger as specified 101 1.1.1.3 tron with the <b><a href="postconf.5.html#debugger_command">debugger_command</a></b> configuration parameter 102 1.1 tron in the <a href="postconf.5.html"><b>main.cf</b></a> configuration file. 103 1.1 tron 104 1.1 tron <b>MAIL_CONFIG</b> 105 1.1 tron Directory with Postfix configuration files. 106 1.1 tron 107 1.1 tron <b>CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS</b> 108 1.1 tron Unlike most Postfix daemon processes, the <a href="master.8.html"><b>master</b>(8)</a> server 109 1.1 tron does not automatically pick up changes to <a href="postconf.5.html"><b>main.cf</b></a>. Changes 110 1.1.1.3 tron to <a href="master.5.html"><b>master.cf</b></a> are never picked up automatically. Use the 111 1.1 tron "<b>postfix reload</b>" command after a configuration change. 112 1.1 tron 113 1.1 tron <b>RESOURCE AND RATE CONTROLS</b> 114 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#default_process_limit">default_process_limit</a> (100)</b> 115 1.1.1.3 tron The default maximal number of Postfix child pro- 116 1.1 tron cesses that provide a given service. 117 1.1 tron 118 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#max_idle">max_idle</a> (100s)</b> 119 1.1.1.3 tron The maximum amount of time that an idle Postfix 120 1.1.1.3 tron daemon process waits for an incoming connection 121 1.1 tron before terminating voluntarily. 122 1.1 tron 123 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#max_use">max_use</a> (100)</b> 124 1.1.1.3 tron The maximal number of incoming connections that a 125 1.1.1.3 tron Postfix daemon process will service before termi- 126 1.1 tron nating voluntarily. 127 1.1 tron 128 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#service_throttle_time">service_throttle_time</a> (60s)</b> 129 1.1 tron How long the Postfix <a href="master.8.html"><b>master</b>(8)</a> waits before forking 130 1.1 tron a server that appears to be malfunctioning. 131 1.1 tron 132 1.1 tron Available in Postfix version 2.6 and later: 133 1.1 tron 134 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#master_service_disable">master_service_disable</a> (empty)</b> 135 1.1.1.3 tron Selectively disable <a href="master.8.html"><b>master</b>(8)</a> listener ports by 136 1.1 tron service type or by service name and type. 137 1.1 tron 138 1.1 tron <b>MISCELLANEOUS CONTROLS</b> 139 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#config_directory">config_directory</a> (see 'postconf -d' output)</b> 140 1.1.1.3 tron The default location of the Postfix <a href="postconf.5.html">main.cf</a> and 141 1.1 tron <a href="master.5.html">master.cf</a> configuration files. 142 1.1 tron 143 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#daemon_directory">daemon_directory</a> (see 'postconf -d' output)</b> 144 1.1.1.3 tron The directory with Postfix support programs and 145 1.1 tron daemon programs. 146 1.1 tron 147 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#debugger_command">debugger_command</a> (empty)</b> 148 1.1 tron The external command to execute when a Postfix dae- 149 1.1 tron mon program is invoked with the -D option. 150 1.1 tron 151 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#inet_interfaces">inet_interfaces</a> (all)</b> 152 1.1 tron The network interface addresses that this mail sys- 153 1.1 tron tem receives mail on. 154 1.1 tron 155 1.1.1.2 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#inet_protocols">inet_protocols</a> (all)</b> 156 1.1.1.3 tron The Internet protocols Postfix will attempt to use 157 1.1 tron when making or accepting connections. 158 1.1 tron 159 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#import_environment">import_environment</a> (see 'postconf -d' output)</b> 160 1.1.1.3 tron The list of environment parameters that a Postfix 161 1.1 tron process will import from a non-Postfix parent 162 1.1 tron process. 163 1.1 tron 164 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#mail_owner">mail_owner</a> (postfix)</b> 165 1.1 tron The UNIX system account that owns the Postfix queue 166 1.1 tron and most Postfix daemon processes. 167 1.1 tron 168 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#process_id">process_id</a> (read-only)</b> 169 1.1.1.3 tron The process ID of a Postfix command or daemon 170 1.1 tron process. 171 1.1 tron 172 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#process_name">process_name</a> (read-only)</b> 173 1.1.1.3 tron The process name of a Postfix command or daemon 174 1.1 tron process. 175 1.1 tron 176 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#queue_directory">queue_directory</a> (see 'postconf -d' output)</b> 177 1.1.1.3 tron The location of the Postfix top-level queue direc- 178 1.1 tron tory. 179 1.1 tron 180 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#syslog_facility">syslog_facility</a> (mail)</b> 181 1.1 tron The syslog facility of Postfix logging. 182 1.1 tron 183 1.1 tron <b><a href="postconf.5.html#syslog_name">syslog_name</a> (see 'postconf -d' output)</b> 184 1.1.1.3 tron The mail system name that is prepended to the 185 1.1.1.3 tron process name in syslog records, so that "smtpd" 186 1.1 tron becomes, for example, "postfix/smtpd". 187 1.1 tron 188 1.1 tron <b>FILES</b> 189 1.1 tron To expand the directory names below into their actual val- 190 1.1 tron ues, use the command "<b>postconf <a href="postconf.5.html#config_directory">config_directory</a></b>" etc. 191 1.1 tron 192 1.1 tron $<a href="postconf.5.html#config_directory">config_directory</a>/<a href="postconf.5.html">main.cf</a>, global configuration file. 193 1.1 tron $<a href="postconf.5.html#config_directory">config_directory</a>/<a href="master.5.html">master.cf</a>, master server configuration file. 194 1.1 tron $<a href="postconf.5.html#queue_directory">queue_directory</a>/pid/master.pid, master lock file. 195 1.1 tron $<a href="postconf.5.html#data_directory">data_directory</a>/master.lock, master lock file. 196 1.1 tron 197 1.1 tron <b>SEE ALSO</b> 198 1.1 tron <a href="qmgr.8.html">qmgr(8)</a>, queue manager 199 1.1 tron <a href="verify.8.html">verify(8)</a>, address verification 200 1.1 tron <a href="master.5.html">master(5)</a>, <a href="master.5.html">master.cf</a> configuration file syntax 201 1.1.1.2 tron <a href="postconf.5.html">postconf(5)</a>, <a href="postconf.5.html">main.cf</a> configuration file syntax 202 1.1 tron syslogd(8), system logging 203 1.1 tron 204 1.1 tron <b>LICENSE</b> 205 1.1.1.3 tron The Secure Mailer license must be distributed with this 206 1.1 tron software. 207 1.1 tron 208 1.1 tron <b>AUTHOR(S)</b> 209 1.1 tron Wietse Venema 210 1.1 tron IBM T.J. Watson Research 211 1.1 tron P.O. Box 704 212 1.1 tron Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA 213 1.1 tron 214 1.1 tron MASTER(8) 215 1.1 tron </pre> </body> </html> 216
Indexes created Sun Jun 07 00:24:08 UTC 2026