NAME¶

postlogd - Postfix internal log server

SYNOPSIS¶

postlogd [generic Postfix daemon options]

DESCRIPTION¶

This program logs events on behalf of Postfix programs when the maillog configuration parameter specifies a non-empty value.

BUGS¶

Non-daemon Postfix programs don't know that they should log to the internal logging service before they have processed command-line options and main.cf parameters. These programs still log earlier events to the syslog service.

If Postfix is down, the non-daemon programs postfix(1), postsuper(1), postmulti(1), and postlog(1), will log directly to $maillog_file. These programs expect to run with root privileges, for example during Postfix start-up, reload, or shutdown.

Other non-daemon Postfix programs will never write directly to $maillog_file (also, logging to stdout would interfere with the operation of some of these programs). These programs can log to postlogd(8) if they are run by the super-user, or if their executable file has set-gid permission. Do not set this permission on programs other than postdrop(1), postqueue(1) and (Postfix >= 3.7) postlog(1).

CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS¶

Changes to main.cf are not picked up automatically, because postlogd(8) terminates only after reaching the max_idle time limit. 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.

config_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)

The default location of the Postfix main.cf and master.cf configuration files.

maillog_file (empty)

The name of an optional logfile that is written by the Postfix postlogd(8) service.

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.

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".

service_name (read-only)

The master.cf service name of a Postfix daemon process.

postlogd_watchdog_timeout (10s)

How much time a postlogd(8) process may take to process a request before it is terminated by a built-in watchdog timer.

Available in Postfix 3.9 and later:

maillog_file_permissions (0600)

The file access permissions that will be set when the file $maillog_file is created for the first time, or when the file is created after an existing file is rotated.

SEE ALSO¶

postconf(5), configuration parameters
syslogd(8), system logging

README_FILES¶

Use "postconf readme_directory" or "postconf html_directory" to locate this information.

MAILLOG_README, Postfix logging to file or stdout

LICENSE¶

The Secure Mailer license must be distributed with this software.

HISTORY¶

This service was introduced with Postfix version 3.4.

AUTHOR(S)¶

Wietse Venema
Google, Inc.
111 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10011, USA