Tips and Tricks for Sendmail
mailq Prints the mail queue’s contents, same as /usr/lib/sendmail bp
newaliases Rebuilds the aliases database file, same as /usr/lib/sendmail bi
hoststat Prints persistent host status info, same as /usr/lib/sendmail -bh
purgestat Purges (zeroes) persistent host status info, same as /usr/lib/sendmail -bH
smtpd Runs in daemon mode, same as /usr/lib/sendmail bd q30
mailq OmaxQueueRunSize=1 - Quickly print the total number of messages within mail queue
/usr/lib/sendmail q Otimeout.queuereturn=99d - Purges the mail queue without timing out any messages. Useful if the mail server has been down longer than the queuereturn value set in the cf.
/usr/lib/sendmail bv foolist grep v deliverable - Prints only undeliverable addresses from in the mail list foolist. Great for use in a shell script to remove badd addresses from a mailing list.
Command Line Switches
-B 7bit - Causes sendmail to clear the high-bit of every incoming byte.
-B 8bitmime Causes sendmail to preserve the high-bit or every incoming byte.
-ba Uses ARPAnet/Grey-Book protocols to transfer mail.
-bD Runs as daemon, like bd, but does not fork and does not detach from controlling terminal.
-bd Runs as daemon, forks and detaches.
-bH - Purges (zeroes) persistent host status info.
-bh - Prints persistent host status info.
-bi - Initializes the aliases database.
-bm Causes sendmail to read and send message (this is the default)
-bp Prints the contents of the mail queue.
-bs Runs sendmail on standard I/O.
-bt Runs sendmail in rule testing mode.
-bv - Verifies address.
-C /tmp/different.cf Uses different.cf as its configuration file.
-c - Sets HoldExpensive option to true.
-d
-d0 Shows general config
-d0.1 Prints version
-d.04 Prints local hostname and any aliases for it.
-d0.15 Prints the list of delivery agents declared
-d0.20 Prints address of each network interface
-d8 Traces most DNS lookups
-d8.1 Prints failure of low level MX searches.
-d8.2 Prints calls to getcanonname
-d8.3 - Traces dropped local hostnames
-d8.5 Shows hostnames tried in getcanonname
-d8.8 Shows when MX lookups return the wrong type.
-d11 Traces delivery agent calls
-d11.1 Traces arguments passed to the delivery agent
-d11.2 - Prints the user ID that the delivery agent is invoked as
-d21 Traces rewriting of addresses
-d21.1- Traces general ruleset rewriting
-d21.2 Traces use of $& macro
-d21.3 Shows $> subroutines called
-d21.4 Displays result of rewrite
-d21.15 Shows $digit replacement
-d21.35 shows token by token LHS matching
-d27 Traces aliasing
-d27.1 Traces general aliasing
-d27.2 Traces :include: files, alias self-references, and errors on home
-d27.3 Traces the ~/.forward path and the alias wait
-d27.4 Prints "not safe" when a file is unsafe to trust
-d27.9 Shows uid/gid changes when reading :include: files
-d35 Traces macros
-d35.9 shows macro values as they are defined
-d35.14 Shows macro names being converted to integer id’s
-d35.24 Shows macro expansion
-d37 Traces options and class macros
-d37.1 Traces the setting of options
-d37.8 Traces the adding of words to a class
-d41 Traces the queue
-d41.1 Traces queue ordering
-d41.2 Shows failure to open qf files
-d41.49 Shows skipped queue files
-d41.50 Show every file in queue
-F
-f - Set senders address
-h
-i Set IgnoreDots option to true
-M
-N
never Never return the info
success Return on successful delivery
failure Return on failure
delay Return on delayed delivery
-n Supresses aliasing
-O
-o Set an option (short name)
-pUUCP:test Sets protocol in $r macro to UUCP and $s macro to test
-q30m Sets queue processing to every 30 min
-qR@here.com Processes the queue once delivering only mail to @here.com
-R hdrs bounces only the headers
-R full Bounces headers and body
-s Sets SaveFromLine option to true
-T 5d Sets Timeout.queuereturn option to 5 days
-t Gathers a list of recipients from messages headers
-U make this the initial MUA to MTA submission
-V test123456 Sets the DSN ENVID string to test123456
-v Runs sendmail in verbose mode
-X /var/tmp/trace.mail Logs both sides of smtp transactions to trace.mail file.
Rule Testing Mode (/usr/lib/sendmail bt)
? Prints help
.DrUUCP Defines macro r as UUCP
=S5 Prints the contents of ruleset 5
=M Displays list of delivery agents
${name} Prints the value of macro name.
$=w prints the contents of the class macro w
/mx here.com Returns the MX records for here.com in the order they will be utilized
/parse foo Parses the value of the address foo, returns the value of crackaddr(), and the final parsed address including the delivery agent.
/try local foo Rewrites the address foo based on the rules for local delivery
/tryflags HS Sets the flags used by /parse and /try to H for header and S for sender, can also use E for envelope and R for recipient
/canon foo - Transforms the hostname foo into its canonical form
/map aliases foo Looks up foo in the aliases database
3,0 me@foo Runs the address me@foo through rulesets 3 and 0
