Postfix

Links

  • Postfix architecture (input handlers, queues, output handlers): Fairly important for understanding how postfix works
  • SPF records: Qualifiers, mechanisms, oh my! This is a way to validate the FROM address of a message. That the sender (ip) is permitted to send email on behalf of the domain in from:. Works with dns
  • Basic postfix config: Good high level guidance for setting up postfix for specific use cases
  • Extend postfix smtpd input filtering with custom code: We were looking for a way to show backpressure to clients based on health of active and deferred queues (Don’t accept new messages addressed to email service providers we are currently having delivery trouble with. eg A large number of delayed messages). This may be a way to do that
  • On destination rate delays: If you are relaying directly to email service providers, the rate means 1 per domain. If indirect on the other hand, domain == ‘smtp nexthop’. If you only have one of these – ie you’re sending messages to an internal smtp server that relays through another before external delivery – domain in this case is NOT the recipient address domain. It is the relay server. If you only have 1 of these, then email will go out 1 at a time at the defined period

Reverse DNS (ptr) records

Mail servers will cross-check your SMTP server’s advertised HELO hostname against the PTR record for the connecting IP address, and then check that the returned name has an address record matching the connecting IP address. If any of these checks fail, then your outgoing mail may be rejected or marked as spam.

So, you need to set all three consistently: The server’s hostname and the name in the PTR record must match, and that name must resolve to the same IP address.

Note that these do not have to be the same as the domain names for which you are sending mail, and it’s common that they are not.

Reverse dns records (ptr): A discussion of how they’re used. The first comment is the most helpful (Included here for posterity :))

qshape

A tool for analyzing messages in postfix’s various queues. eg What domain’s they’re going to, and how long they’ve been there

# To list messages all messages by domain
# sudo qshape

                                      T  5 10  20 40  80 160 320  640 1280 1280+
                             TOTAL 1714  4  5 141  4 256  22  56 1218    7     1
                         gmail.com 1714  4  5 141  4 256  22  56 1218    7     1

# Only shows messages in the deferred queue
# sudo qshape deferred
#  .. Looks like above but filtered

Links

mailq

Get me a list of messages currently in the active queue (and possibly other queues eg hold)