ERROR(8)

NAME
error - Postfix error mail delivery agent

SYNOPSIS
error [generic Postfix daemon options]

DESCRIPTION
The Postfix error delivery agent processes delivery requests from the queue manager. Each request specifies a queue file, a sender address, a domain or host name that is treated as the reason for non-delivery, and recipient information. This program expects to be run from the master(8) process manager. The error delivery agent bounces all recipients in the delivery request using the "next-hop" domain or host information as the reason for non-delivery, updates the queue file and marks recipients as finished or informs the queue manager that delivery should be tried again at a later time. Delivery status reports are sent to the bounce(8), defer(8) or trace(8) daemon as appropriate.

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

STANDARDS
None.

DIAGNOSTICS
Problems and transactions are logged to syslogd(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.

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 the next service request before exiting.

max_use (100)
    The maximal number of connection requests before a Postfix daemon process terminates.

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 (postfix)
    The mail system name that is prepended to the process name in syslog records, so that "smtpd" becomes, for example, "postfix/smtpd".

SEE ALSO
qmgr(8), queue manager
bounce(8), delivery status reports
postconf(5), configuration parameters
master(8), process manager
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