ERROR(8) | System Manager's Manual | ERROR(8)

# NAME

error - Postfix error/retry mail delivery agent

# SYNOPSIS

    error [generic Postfix daemon options]

# DESCRIPTION

The Postfix error(8) delivery agent processes delivery requests from the queue manager. Each request specifies a queue file, a sender address, the reason for non-delivery (specified as the next-hop destination), and recipient information. The reason may be prefixed with an RFC 3463-compatible detail code; if none is specified a default 4.0.0 or 5.0.0 code is used instead. This program expects to be run from the master(8) process manager.

Depending on the service name in master.cf, error or retry, the server bounces or defers all recipients in the delivery request using the "next-hop" information as the reason for non-delivery. The retry service name is supported as of Postfix 2.4.

Delivery status reports are sent to the bounce(8), defer(8) or trace(8) daemon as appropriate.

# SECURITY

The error(8) mailer is not security-sensitive. It does not talk to the network, and can be run chrooted at fixed low privilege.

# STANDARDS

    RFC 3463 (Enhanced Status Codes)

# DIAGNOSTICS

Problems and transactions are logged to syslogd(8) or postlogd(8).

Depending on the setting of the notify_classes parameter, the postmaster is notified of bounces and of other trouble.

# CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS

Changes to main.cf are picked up automatically as error(8) processes run for only a limited amount of time. Use the command "postfix reload" to speed up a change.

The text below provides only a parameter summary. See postconf(5) for more details including examples.

2bounce_notice_recipient (postmaster)
  The recipient of undeliverable mail that cannot be returned to the sender.
bounce_notice_recipient (postmaster)
  The recipient of postmaster notifications with the message headers of mail that Postfix did not deliver and of SMTP conversation transcripts of mail that Postfix did not receive.
config_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
  The default location of the Postfix main.cf and master.cf configuration files.
daemon_timeout (18000s)
  How much time a Postfix daemon process may take to handle a request before it is terminated by a built-in watchdog timer.
delay_logging_resolution_limit (2)
  The maximal number of digits after the decimal point when logging delay values.
double_bounce_sender (double-bounce)
  The sender address of postmaster notifications that are generated by the mail system.
ipc_timeout (3600s)
  The time limit for sending or receiving information over an internal communication channel.
max_idle (100s)
  The maximum amount of time that an idle Postfix daemon process waits for an incoming connection before terminating voluntarily.
max_use (100)
  The maximal number of incoming connections that a Postfix daemon process will service before terminating voluntarily.
notify_classes (resource, software)
  The list of error classes that are reported to the postmaster.
process_id (read-only)
  The process ID of a Postfix command or daemon process.
process_name (read-only)
  The process name of a Postfix command or daemon process.
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 3.3 and later:

service_name (read-only)
  The master.cf service name of a Postfix daemon process.

# SEE ALSO

    qmgr(8), queue manager
    bounce(8), delivery status reports
    discard(8), Postfix discard delivery agent
    postconf(5), configuration parameters
    master(5), generic daemon options
    master(8), process manager
    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