Import Upstream version 4.89
[hcoop/debian/exim4.git] / doc / exim.8
CommitLineData
420a0d19
CE
1.TH EXIM 8
2.SH NAME
3exim \- a Mail Transfer Agent
4.SH SYNOPSIS
5.nf
6.B exim [options] arguments ...
7.B mailq [options] arguments ...
8.B rsmtp [options] arguments ...
9.B rmail [options] arguments ...
10.B runq [options] arguments ...
11.B newaliases [options] arguments ...
12.fi
13.
14.SH DESCRIPTION
15.rs
16.sp
17Exim is a mail transfer agent (MTA) developed at the University of Cambridge.
18It is a large program with very many facilities. For a full specification, see
19the reference manual. This man page contains only a description of the command
20line options. It has been automatically generated from the reference manual
21source, hopefully without too much mangling.
22.P
23Like other MTAs, Exim replaces Sendmail, and is normally called by user agents
24(MUAs) using the path \fI/usr/sbin/sendmail\fP when they submit messages for
25delivery (some operating systems use \fI/usr/lib/sendmail\fP). This path is
26normally set up as a symbolic link to the Exim binary. It may also be used by
27boot scripts to start the Exim daemon. Many of Exim's command line options are
28compatible with Sendmail so that it can act as a drop-in replacement.
29.
30.SH "DEFAULT ACTION"
31.rs
32.sp
33If no options are present that require a specific action (such as starting the
34daemon or a queue runner, testing an address, receiving a message in a specific
35format, or listing the queue), and there are no arguments on the command line,
36Exim outputs a brief message about itself and exits.
37.sp
38However, if there is at least one command line argument, \fB-bm\fR (accept a
39local message on the standard input, with the arguments specifying the
40recipients) is assumed. Thus, for example, if Exim is installed in
41\fI/usr/sbin\fP, you can send a message from the command line like this:
42.sp
43 /usr/sbin/exim -i <recipient-address(es)>
44 <message content, including all the header lines>
45 CTRL-D
46.sp
47The \fB-i\fP option prevents a line containing just a dot from terminating
48the message. Only an end-of-file (generated by typing CTRL-D if the input is
49from a terminal) does so.
50.
51.SH "SETTING OPTIONS BY PROGRAM NAME"
52.rs
53.sp
54If an Exim binary is called using one of the names listed in this section
55(typically via a symbolic link), certain options are assumed.
56.TP
57\fBmailq\fR
58Behave as if the option \fB\-bp\fP were present before any other options.
59The \fB\-bp\fP option requests a listing of the contents of the mail queue
60on the standard output.
61.TP
62\fBrsmtp\fR
63Behaves as if the option \fB\-bS\fP were present before any other options,
64for compatibility with Smail. The \fB\-bS\fP option is used for reading in a
65number of messages in batched SMTP format.
66.TP
67\fBrmail\fR
68Behave as if the \fB\-i\fP and \fB\-oee\fP options were present before
69any other options, for compatibility with Smail. The name \fBrmail\fR is used
70as an interface by some UUCP systems. The \fB\-i\fP option specifies that a
71dot on a line by itself does not terminate a non\-SMTP message; \fB\-oee\fP
72requests that errors detected in non\-SMTP messages be reported by emailing
73the sender.
74.TP
75\fBrunq\fR
76Behave as if the option \fB\-q\fP were present before any other options, for
77compatibility with Smail. The \fB\-q\fP option causes a single queue runner
78process to be started. It processes the queue once, then exits.
79.TP
80\fBnewaliases\fR
81Behave as if the option \fB\-bi\fP were present before any other options,
82for compatibility with Sendmail. This option is used for rebuilding Sendmail's
83alias file. Exim does not have the concept of a single alias file, but can be
84configured to run a specified command if called with the \fB\-bi\fP option.
85.
86.SH "OPTIONS"
87.rs
88.TP 10
89\fB\-\-\fP
90This is a pseudo\-option whose only purpose is to terminate the options and
91therefore to cause subsequent command line items to be treated as arguments
92rather than options, even if they begin with hyphens.
93.TP 10
94\fB\-\-help\fP
95This option causes Exim to output a few sentences stating what it is.
96The same output is generated if the Exim binary is called with no options and
97no arguments.
98.TP 10
99\fB\-\-version\fP
100This option is an alias for \fB\-bV\fP and causes version information to be
101displayed.
102.TP 10
103\fB\-Ac\fP
104\fB\-Am\fP
105These options are used by Sendmail for selecting configuration files and are
106ignored by Exim.
107.TP 10
108\fB\-B\fP<\fItype\fP>
109This is a Sendmail option for selecting 7 or 8 bit processing. Exim is 8\-bit
110clean; it ignores this option.
111.TP 10
112\fB\-bd\fP
113This option runs Exim as a daemon, awaiting incoming SMTP connections. Usually
114the \fB\-bd\fP option is combined with the \fB\-q\fP<\fItime\fP> option, to specify
115that the daemon should also initiate periodic queue runs.
116.sp
117The \fB\-bd\fP option can be used only by an admin user. If either of the \fB\-d\fP
118(debugging) or \fB\-v\fP (verifying) options are set, the daemon does not
119disconnect from the controlling terminal. When running this way, it can be
120stopped by pressing ctrl\-C.
121.sp
122By default, Exim listens for incoming connections to the standard SMTP port on
123all the host's running interfaces. However, it is possible to listen on other
124ports, on multiple ports, and only on specific interfaces.
125.sp
126When a listening daemon
127is started without the use of \fB\-oX\fP (that is, without overriding the normal
128configuration), it writes its process id to a file called exim\-daemon.pid
129in Exim's spool directory. This location can be overridden by setting
130PID_FILE_PATH in Local/Makefile. The file is written while Exim is still
131running as root.
132.sp
133When \fB\-oX\fP is used on the command line to start a listening daemon, the
134process id is not written to the normal pid file path. However, \fB\-oP\fP can be
135used to specify a path on the command line if a pid file is required.
136.sp
137The SIGHUP signal
138can be used to cause the daemon to re\-execute itself. This should be done
139whenever Exim's configuration file, or any file that is incorporated into it by
140means of the \fB.include\fP facility, is changed, and also whenever a new version
141of Exim is installed. It is not necessary to do this when other files that are
142referenced from the configuration (for example, alias files) are changed,
143because these are reread each time they are used.
144.TP 10
145\fB\-bdf\fP
146This option has the same effect as \fB\-bd\fP except that it never disconnects
147from the controlling terminal, even when no debugging is specified.
148.TP 10
149\fB\-be\fP
150Run Exim in expansion testing mode. Exim discards its root privilege, to
151prevent ordinary users from using this mode to read otherwise inaccessible
152files. If no arguments are given, Exim runs interactively, prompting for lines
153of data. Otherwise, it processes each argument in turn.
154.sp
155If Exim was built with USE_READLINE=yes in Local/Makefile, it tries
156to load the \fBlibreadline\fP library dynamically whenever the \fB\-be\fP option is
157used without command line arguments. If successful, it uses the readline()
158function, which provides extensive line\-editing facilities, for reading the
159test data. A line history is supported.
160.sp
161Long expansion expressions can be split over several lines by using backslash
162continuations. As in Exim's run time configuration, white space at the start of
163continuation lines is ignored. Each argument or data line is passed through the
164string expansion mechanism, and the result is output. Variable values from the
165configuration file (for example, \fI$qualify_domain\fP) are available, but no
2813c06e 166message\-specific values (such as \fI$message_exim_id\fP) are set, because no message
420a0d19
CE
167is being processed (but see \fB\-bem\fP and \fB\-Mset\fP).
168.sp
169\fBNote\fP: If you use this mechanism to test lookups, and you change the data
170files or databases you are using, you must exit and restart Exim before trying
171the same lookup again. Otherwise, because each Exim process caches the results
172of lookups, you will just get the same result as before.
173.TP 10
174\fB\-bem\fP <\fIfilename\fP>
175This option operates like \fB\-be\fP except that it must be followed by the name
176of a file. For example:
177.sp
178 exim \-bem /tmp/testmessage
179.sp
180The file is read as a message (as if receiving a locally\-submitted non\-SMTP
181message) before any of the test expansions are done. Thus, message\-specific
182variables such as \fI$message_size\fP and \fI$header_from:\fP are available. However,
183no \fIReceived:\fP header is added to the message. If the \fB\-t\fP option is set,
184recipients are read from the headers in the normal way, and are shown in the
185\fI$recipients\fP variable. Note that recipients cannot be given on the command
186line, because further arguments are taken as strings to expand (just like
187\fB\-be\fP).
188.TP 10
189\fB\-bF\fP <\fIfilename\fP>
190This option is the same as \fB\-bf\fP except that it assumes that the filter being
191tested is a system filter. The additional commands that are available only in
192system filters are recognized.
193.TP 10
194\fB\-bf\fP <\fIfilename\fP>
195This option runs Exim in user filter testing mode; the file is the filter file
196to be tested, and a test message must be supplied on the standard input. If
197there are no message\-dependent tests in the filter, an empty file can be
198supplied.
199.sp
200If you want to test a system filter file, use \fB\-bF\fP instead of \fB\-bf\fP. You
201can use both \fB\-bF\fP and \fB\-bf\fP on the same command, in order to test a system
202filter and a user filter in the same run. For example:
203.sp
204 exim \-bF /system/filter \-bf /user/filter </test/message
205.sp
206This is helpful when the system filter adds header lines or sets filter
207variables that are used by the user filter.
208.sp
209If the test filter file does not begin with one of the special lines
210.sp
211 # Exim filter
212 # Sieve filter
213.sp
214it is taken to be a normal .forward file, and is tested for validity under
215that interpretation.
216.sp
217The result of an Exim command that uses \fB\-bf\fP, provided no errors are
218detected, is a list of the actions that Exim would try to take if presented
219with the message for real. More details of filter testing are given in the
220separate document entitled \fIExim's interfaces to mail filtering\fP.
221.sp
222When testing a filter file,
223the envelope sender can be set by the \fB\-f\fP option,
224or by a "From " line at the start of the test message. Various parameters
225that would normally be taken from the envelope recipient address of the message
226can be set by means of additional command line options (see the next four
227options).
228.TP 10
229\fB\-bfd\fP <\fIdomain\fP>
230This sets the domain of the recipient address when a filter file is being
231tested by means of the \fB\-bf\fP option. The default is the value of
232\fI$qualify_domain\fP.
233.TP 10
234\fB\-bfl\fP <\fIlocal part\fP>
235This sets the local part of the recipient address when a filter file is being
236tested by means of the \fB\-bf\fP option. The default is the username of the
237process that calls Exim. A local part should be specified with any prefix or
238suffix stripped, because that is how it appears to the filter when a message is
239actually being delivered.
240.TP 10
241\fB\-bfp\fP <\fIprefix\fP>
242This sets the prefix of the local part of the recipient address when a filter
243file is being tested by means of the \fB\-bf\fP option. The default is an empty
244prefix.
245.TP 10
246\fB\-bfs\fP <\fIsuffix\fP>
247This sets the suffix of the local part of the recipient address when a filter
248file is being tested by means of the \fB\-bf\fP option. The default is an empty
249suffix.
250.TP 10
251\fB\-bh\fP <\fIIP address\fP>
252This option runs a fake SMTP session as if from the given IP address, using the
253standard input and output. The IP address may include a port number at the end,
254after a full stop. For example:
255.sp
256 exim \-bh 10.9.8.7.1234
257 exim \-bh fe80::a00:20ff:fe86:a061.5678
258.sp
259When an IPv6 address is given, it is converted into canonical form. In the case
260of the second example above, the value of \fI$sender_host_address\fP after
261conversion to the canonical form is
262fe80:0000:0000:0a00:20ff:fe86:a061.5678.
263.sp
264Comments as to what is going on are written to the standard error file. These
265include lines beginning with "LOG" for anything that would have been logged.
266This facility is provided for testing configuration options for incoming
267messages, to make sure they implement the required policy. For example, you can
268test your relay controls using \fB\-bh\fP.
269.sp
270\fBWarning 1\fP:
271You can test features of the configuration that rely on ident (RFC 1413)
272information by using the \fB\-oMt\fP option. However, Exim cannot actually perform
273an ident callout when testing using \fB\-bh\fP because there is no incoming SMTP
274connection.
275.sp
276\fBWarning 2\fP: Address verification callouts
277are also skipped when testing using \fB\-bh\fP. If you want these callouts to
278occur, use \fB\-bhc\fP instead.
279.sp
280Messages supplied during the testing session are discarded, and nothing is
281written to any of the real log files. There may be pauses when DNS (and other)
282lookups are taking place, and of course these may time out. The \fB\-oMi\fP option
283can be used to specify a specific IP interface and port if this is important,
284and \fB\-oMaa\fP and \fB\-oMai\fP can be used to set parameters as if the SMTP
285session were authenticated.
286.sp
287The \fIexim_checkaccess\fP utility is a "packaged" version of \fB\-bh\fP whose
288output just states whether a given recipient address from a given host is
289acceptable or not.
290.sp
291Features such as authentication and encryption, where the client input is not
292plain text, cannot easily be tested with \fB\-bh\fP. Instead, you should use a
293specialized SMTP test program such as
294\fBswaks\fP.
295.TP 10
296\fB\-bhc\fP <\fIIP address\fP>
297This option operates in the same way as \fB\-bh\fP, except that address
298verification callouts are performed if required. This includes consulting and
299updating the callout cache database.
300.TP 10
301\fB\-bi\fP
302Sendmail interprets the \fB\-bi\fP option as a request to rebuild its alias file.
303Exim does not have the concept of a single alias file, and so it cannot mimic
304this behaviour. However, calls to /usr/lib/sendmail with the \fB\-bi\fP option
305tend to appear in various scripts such as NIS make files, so the option must be
306recognized.
307.sp
308If \fB\-bi\fP is encountered, the command specified by the \fBbi_command\fP
309configuration option is run, under the uid and gid of the caller of Exim. If
310the \fB\-oA\fP option is used, its value is passed to the command as an argument.
311The command set by \fBbi_command\fP may not contain arguments. The command can
312use the \fIexim_dbmbuild\fP utility, or some other means, to rebuild alias files
313if this is required. If the \fBbi_command\fP option is not set, calling Exim with
314\fB\-bi\fP is a no\-op.
315.TP 10
316\fB\-bI:help\fP
317We shall provide various options starting \-bI: for querying Exim for
318information. The output of many of these will be intended for machine
319consumption. This one is not. The \fB\-bI:help\fP option asks Exim for a
320synopsis of supported options beginning \-bI:. Use of any of these
321options shall cause Exim to exit after producing the requested output.
322.TP 10
323\fB\-bI:dscp\fP
324This option causes Exim to emit an alphabetically sorted list of all
325recognised DSCP names.
326.TP 10
327\fB\-bI:sieve\fP
328This option causes Exim to emit an alphabetically sorted list of all supported
329Sieve protocol extensions on stdout, one per line. This is anticipated to be
330useful for ManageSieve (RFC 5804) implementations, in providing that protocol's
331SIEVE capability response line. As the precise list may depend upon
332compile\-time build options, which this option will adapt to, this is the only
333way to guarantee a correct response.
334.TP 10
335\fB\-bm\fP
336This option runs an Exim receiving process that accepts an incoming,
337locally\-generated message on the standard input. The recipients are given as the
338command arguments (except when \fB\-t\fP is also present \- see below). Each
339argument can be a comma\-separated list of RFC 2822 addresses. This is the
340default option for selecting the overall action of an Exim call; it is assumed
341if no other conflicting option is present.
342.sp
343If any addresses in the message are unqualified (have no domain), they are
344qualified by the values of the \fBqualify_domain\fP or \fBqualify_recipient\fP
345options, as appropriate. The \fB\-bnq\fP option (see below) provides a way of
346suppressing this for special cases.
347.sp
348Policy checks on the contents of local messages can be enforced by means of
349the non\-SMTP ACL.
350.sp
351The return code is zero if the message is successfully accepted. Otherwise, the
352action is controlled by the \fB\-oe\fP\fIx\fP option setting \- see below.
353.sp
354The format
355of the message must be as defined in RFC 2822, except that, for
356compatibility with Sendmail and Smail, a line in one of the forms
357.sp
358 From sender Fri Jan 5 12:55 GMT 1997
359 From sender Fri, 5 Jan 97 12:55:01
360.sp
361(with the weekday optional, and possibly with additional text after the date)
362is permitted to appear at the start of the message. There appears to be no
363authoritative specification of the format of this line. Exim recognizes it by
364matching against the regular expression defined by the \fBuucp_from_pattern\fP
365option, which can be changed if necessary.
366.sp
367The specified sender is treated as if it were given as the argument to the
368\fB\-f\fP option, but if a \fB\-f\fP option is also present, its argument is used in
369preference to the address taken from the message. The caller of Exim must be a
370trusted user for the sender of a message to be set in this way.
371.TP 10
372\fB\-bmalware\fP <\fIfilename\fP>
2813c06e
CE
373This debugging option causes Exim to scan the given file or directory
374(depending on the used scanner interface),
420a0d19
CE
375using the malware scanning framework. The option of \fBav_scanner\fP influences
376this option, so if \fBav_scanner\fP's value is dependent upon an expansion then
377the expansion should have defaults which apply to this invocation. ACLs are
378not invoked, so if \fBav_scanner\fP references an ACL variable then that variable
379will never be populated and \fB\-bmalware\fP will fail.
380.sp
381Exim will have changed working directory before resolving the filename, so
382using fully qualified pathnames is advisable. Exim will be running as the Exim
383user when it tries to open the file, rather than as the invoking user.
384This option requires admin privileges.
385.sp
386The \fB\-bmalware\fP option will not be extended to be more generally useful,
387there are better tools for file\-scanning. This option exists to help
388administrators verify their Exim and AV scanner configuration.
389.TP 10
390\fB\-bnq\fP
391By default, Exim automatically qualifies unqualified addresses (those
392without domains) that appear in messages that are submitted locally (that
393is, not over TCP/IP). This qualification applies both to addresses in
394envelopes, and addresses in header lines. Sender addresses are qualified using
395\fBqualify_domain\fP, and recipient addresses using \fBqualify_recipient\fP (which
396defaults to the value of \fBqualify_domain\fP).
397.sp
398Sometimes, qualification is not wanted. For example, if \fB\-bS\fP (batch SMTP) is
399being used to re\-submit messages that originally came from remote hosts after
400content scanning, you probably do not want to qualify unqualified addresses in
401header lines. (Such lines will be present only if you have not enabled a header
402syntax check in the appropriate ACL.)
403.sp
404The \fB\-bnq\fP option suppresses all qualification of unqualified addresses in
405messages that originate on the local host. When this is used, unqualified
406addresses in the envelope provoke errors (causing message rejection) and
407unqualified addresses in header lines are left alone.
408.TP 10
409\fB\-bP\fP
410If this option is given with no arguments, it causes the values of all Exim's
411main configuration options to be written to the standard output. The values
412of one or more specific options can be requested by giving their names as
413arguments, for example:
414.sp
415 exim \-bP qualify_domain hold_domains
416.sp
417However, any option setting that is preceded by the word "hide" in the
418configuration file is not shown in full, except to an admin user. For other
419users, the output is as in this example:
420.sp
421 mysql_servers = <value not displayable>
422.sp
2813c06e
CE
423If \fBconfig\fP is given as an argument, the config is
424output, as it was parsed, any include file resolved, any comment removed.
425.sp
426If \fBconfig_file\fP is given as an argument, the name of the run time
427configuration file is output. (\fBconfigure_file\fP works too, for
428backward compatibility.)
420a0d19
CE
429If a list of configuration files was supplied, the value that is output here
430is the name of the file that was actually used.
431.sp
432If the \fB\-n\fP flag is given, then for most modes of \fB\-bP\fP operation the
433name will not be output.
434.sp
435If \fBlog_file_path\fP or \fBpid_file_path\fP are given, the names of the
436directories where log files and daemon pid files are written are output,
437respectively. If these values are unset, log files are written in a
438sub\-directory of the spool directory called \fBlog\fP, and the pid file is
439written directly into the spool directory.
440.sp
441If \fB\-bP\fP is followed by a name preceded by +, for example,
442.sp
443 exim \-bP +local_domains
444.sp
445it searches for a matching named list of any type (domain, host, address, or
446local part) and outputs what it finds.
447.sp
448If one of the words \fBrouter\fP, \fBtransport\fP, or \fBauthenticator\fP is given,
449followed by the name of an appropriate driver instance, the option settings for
450that driver are output. For example:
451.sp
452 exim \-bP transport local_delivery
453.sp
454The generic driver options are output first, followed by the driver's private
455options. A list of the names of drivers of a particular type can be obtained by
456using one of the words \fBrouter_list\fP, \fBtransport_list\fP, or
457\fBauthenticator_list\fP, and a complete list of all drivers with their option
458settings can be obtained by using \fBrouters\fP, \fBtransports\fP, or
459\fBauthenticators\fP.
460.sp
2813c06e
CE
461If \fBenvironment\fP is given as an argument, the set of environment
462variables is output, line by line. Using the \fB\-n\fP flag suppresses the value of the
463variables.
464.sp
420a0d19
CE
465If invoked by an admin user, then \fBmacro\fP, \fBmacro_list\fP and \fBmacros\fP
466are available, similarly to the drivers. Because macros are sometimes used
467for storing passwords, this option is restricted.
468The output format is one item per line.
469.TP 10
470\fB\-bp\fP
471This option requests a listing of the contents of the mail queue on the
472standard output. If the \fB\-bp\fP option is followed by a list of message ids,
473just those messages are listed. By default, this option can be used only by an
474admin user. However, the \fBqueue_list_requires_admin\fP option can be set false
475to allow any user to see the queue.
476.sp
477Each message on the queue is displayed as in the following example:
478.sp
479 25m 2.9K 0t5C6f\-0000c8\-00 <alice@wonderland.fict.example>
480 red.king@looking\-glass.fict.example
481 <other addresses>
482.sp
483The first line contains the length of time the message has been on the queue
484(in this case 25 minutes), the size of the message (2.9K), the unique local
485identifier for the message, and the message sender, as contained in the
486envelope. For bounce messages, the sender address is empty, and appears as
487"<>". If the message was submitted locally by an untrusted user who overrode
488the default sender address, the user's login name is shown in parentheses
489before the sender address.
490.sp
491If the message is frozen (attempts to deliver it are suspended) then the text
492"*** frozen ***" is displayed at the end of this line.
493.sp
494The recipients of the message (taken from the envelope, not the headers) are
495displayed on subsequent lines. Those addresses to which the message has already
496been delivered are marked with the letter D. If an original address gets
497expanded into several addresses via an alias or forward file, the original is
498displayed with a D only when deliveries for all of its child addresses are
499complete.
500.TP 10
501\fB\-bpa\fP
502This option operates like \fB\-bp\fP, but in addition it shows delivered addresses
503that were generated from the original top level address(es) in each message by
504alias or forwarding operations. These addresses are flagged with "+D" instead
505of just "D".
506.TP 10
507\fB\-bpc\fP
508This option counts the number of messages on the queue, and writes the total
509to the standard output. It is restricted to admin users, unless
510\fBqueue_list_requires_admin\fP is set false.
511.TP 10
512\fB\-bpr\fP
513This option operates like \fB\-bp\fP, but the output is not sorted into
514chronological order of message arrival. This can speed it up when there are
515lots of messages on the queue, and is particularly useful if the output is
516going to be post\-processed in a way that doesn't need the sorting.
517.TP 10
518\fB\-bpra\fP
519This option is a combination of \fB\-bpr\fP and \fB\-bpa\fP.
520.TP 10
521\fB\-bpru\fP
522This option is a combination of \fB\-bpr\fP and \fB\-bpu\fP.
523.TP 10
524\fB\-bpu\fP
525This option operates like \fB\-bp\fP but shows only undelivered top\-level
526addresses for each message displayed. Addresses generated by aliasing or
527forwarding are not shown, unless the message was deferred after processing by a
528router with the \fBone_time\fP option set.
529.TP 10
530\fB\-brt\fP
531This option is for testing retry rules, and it must be followed by up to three
532arguments. It causes Exim to look for a retry rule that matches the values
533and to write it to the standard output. For example:
534.sp
535 exim \-brt bach.comp.mus.example
536 Retry rule: *.comp.mus.example F,2h,15m; F,4d,30m;
537.sp
538 The first
539argument, which is required, can be a complete address in the form
540\fIlocal_part@domain\fP, or it can be just a domain name. If the second argument
541contains a dot, it is interpreted as an optional second domain name; if no
542retry rule is found for the first argument, the second is tried. This ties in
543with Exim's behaviour when looking for retry rules for remote hosts \- if no
544rule is found that matches the host, one that matches the mail domain is
545sought. Finally, an argument that is the name of a specific delivery error, as
546used in setting up retry rules, can be given. For example:
547.sp
548 exim \-brt haydn.comp.mus.example quota_3d
549 Retry rule: *@haydn.comp.mus.example quota_3d F,1h,15m
550.TP 10
551\fB\-brw\fP
552This option is for testing address rewriting rules, and it must be followed by
553a single argument, consisting of either a local part without a domain, or a
554complete address with a fully qualified domain. Exim outputs how this address
555would be rewritten for each possible place it might appear.
556.TP 10
557\fB\-bS\fP
558This option is used for batched SMTP input, which is an alternative interface
559for non\-interactive local message submission. A number of messages can be
560submitted in a single run. However, despite its name, this is not really SMTP
561input. Exim reads each message's envelope from SMTP commands on the standard
562input, but generates no responses. If the caller is trusted, or
563\fBuntrusted_set_sender\fP is set, the senders in the SMTP MAIL commands are
564believed; otherwise the sender is always the caller of Exim.
565.sp
566The message itself is read from the standard input, in SMTP format (leading
567dots doubled), terminated by a line containing just a single dot. An error is
568provoked if the terminating dot is missing. A further message may then follow.
569.sp
570As for other local message submissions, the contents of incoming batch SMTP
571messages can be checked using the non\-SMTP ACL.
572Unqualified addresses are automatically qualified using \fBqualify_domain\fP and
573\fBqualify_recipient\fP, as appropriate, unless the \fB\-bnq\fP option is used.
574.sp
575Some other SMTP commands are recognized in the input. HELO and EHLO act
576as RSET; VRFY, EXPN, ETRN, and HELP act as NOOP;
577QUIT quits, ignoring the rest of the standard input.
578.sp
579If any error is encountered, reports are written to the standard output and
580error streams, and Exim gives up immediately. The return code is 0 if no error
581was detected; it is 1 if one or more messages were accepted before the error
582was detected; otherwise it is 2.
583.sp
584.TP 10
585\fB\-bs\fP
586This option causes Exim to accept one or more messages by reading SMTP commands
587on the standard input, and producing SMTP replies on the standard output. SMTP
588policy controls, as defined in ACLs are applied.
589Some user agents use this interface as a way of passing locally\-generated
590messages to the MTA.
591.sp
592In
593this usage, if the caller of Exim is trusted, or \fBuntrusted_set_sender\fP is
594set, the senders of messages are taken from the SMTP MAIL commands.
595Otherwise the content of these commands is ignored and the sender is set up as
596the calling user. Unqualified addresses are automatically qualified using
597\fBqualify_domain\fP and \fBqualify_recipient\fP, as appropriate, unless the
598\fB\-bnq\fP option is used.
599.sp
600The
601\fB\-bs\fP option is also used to run Exim from \fIinetd\fP, as an alternative to
602using a listening daemon. Exim can distinguish the two cases by checking
603whether the standard input is a TCP/IP socket. When Exim is called from
604\fIinetd\fP, the source of the mail is assumed to be remote, and the comments
605above concerning senders and qualification do not apply. In this situation,
606Exim behaves in exactly the same way as it does when receiving a message via
607the listening daemon.
608.TP 10
609\fB\-bt\fP
610This option runs Exim in address testing mode, in which each argument is taken
611as a recipient address to be tested for deliverability. The results are
612written to the standard output. If a test fails, and the caller is not an admin
613user, no details of the failure are output, because these might contain
614sensitive information such as usernames and passwords for database lookups.
615.sp
616If no arguments are given, Exim runs in an interactive manner, prompting with a
617right angle bracket for addresses to be tested.
618.sp
619Unlike the \fB\-be\fP test option, you cannot arrange for Exim to use the
620readline() function, because it is running as \fIroot\fP and there are
621security issues.
622.sp
623Each address is handled as if it were the recipient address of a message
624(compare the \fB\-bv\fP option). It is passed to the routers and the result is
625written to the standard output. However, any router that has
626\fBno_address_test\fP set is bypassed. This can make \fB\-bt\fP easier to use for
627genuine routing tests if your first router passes everything to a scanner
628program.
629.sp
630The return code is 2 if any address failed outright; it is 1 if no address
631failed outright but at least one could not be resolved for some reason. Return
632code 0 is given only when all addresses succeed.
633.sp
634\fBNote\fP: When actually delivering a message, Exim removes duplicate recipient
635addresses after routing is complete, so that only one delivery takes place.
636This does not happen when testing with \fB\-bt\fP; the full results of routing are
637always shown.
638.sp
639\fBWarning\fP: \fB\-bt\fP can only do relatively simple testing. If any of the
640routers in the configuration makes any tests on the sender address of a
641message,
642you can use the \fB\-f\fP option to set an appropriate sender when running
643\fB\-bt\fP tests. Without it, the sender is assumed to be the calling user at the
644default qualifying domain. However, if you have set up (for example) routers
645whose behaviour depends on the contents of an incoming message, you cannot test
646those conditions using \fB\-bt\fP. The \fB\-N\fP option provides a possible way of
647doing such tests.
648.TP 10
649\fB\-bV\fP
650This option causes Exim to write the current version number, compilation
651number, and compilation date of the \fIexim\fP binary to the standard output.
652It also lists the DBM library that is being used, the optional modules (such as
653specific lookup types), the drivers that are included in the binary, and the
654name of the run time configuration file that is in use.
655.sp
656As part of its operation, \fB\-bV\fP causes Exim to read and syntax check its
657configuration file. However, this is a static check only. It cannot check
658values that are to be expanded. For example, although a misspelt ACL verb is
659detected, an error in the verb's arguments is not. You cannot rely on \fB\-bV\fP
660alone to discover (for example) all the typos in the configuration; some
661realistic testing is needed. The \fB\-bh\fP and \fB\-N\fP options provide more
662dynamic testing facilities.
663.TP 10
664\fB\-bv\fP
665This option runs Exim in address verification mode, in which each argument is
666taken as a recipient address to be verified by the routers. (This does
667not involve any verification callouts). During normal operation, verification
668happens mostly as a consequence processing a \fBverify\fP condition in an ACL. If you want to test an entire ACL, possibly
669including callouts, see the \fB\-bh\fP and \fB\-bhc\fP options.
670.sp
671If verification fails, and the caller is not an admin user, no details of the
672failure are output, because these might contain sensitive information such as
673usernames and passwords for database lookups.
674.sp
675If no arguments are given, Exim runs in an interactive manner, prompting with a
676right angle bracket for addresses to be verified.
677.sp
678Unlike the \fB\-be\fP test option, you cannot arrange for Exim to use the
679readline() function, because it is running as \fIexim\fP and there are
680security issues.
681.sp
682Verification differs from address testing (the \fB\-bt\fP option) in that routers
683that have \fBno_verify\fP set are skipped, and if the address is accepted by a
684router that has \fBfail_verify\fP set, verification fails. The address is
685verified as a recipient if \fB\-bv\fP is used; to test verification for a sender
686address, \fB\-bvs\fP should be used.
687.sp
688If the \fB\-v\fP option is not set, the output consists of a single line for each
689address, stating whether it was verified or not, and giving a reason in the
690latter case. Without \fB\-v\fP, generating more than one address by redirection
691causes verification to end successfully, without considering the generated
692addresses. However, if just one address is generated, processing continues,
693and the generated address must verify successfully for the overall verification
694to succeed.
695.sp
696When \fB\-v\fP is set, more details are given of how the address has been handled,
697and in the case of address redirection, all the generated addresses are also
698considered. Verification may succeed for some and fail for others.
699.sp
700The
701return code is 2 if any address failed outright; it is 1 if no address
702failed outright but at least one could not be resolved for some reason. Return
703code 0 is given only when all addresses succeed.
704.sp
705If any of the routers in the configuration makes any tests on the sender
706address of a message, you should use the \fB\-f\fP option to set an appropriate
707sender when running \fB\-bv\fP tests. Without it, the sender is assumed to be the
708calling user at the default qualifying domain.
709.TP 10
710\fB\-bvs\fP
711This option acts like \fB\-bv\fP, but verifies the address as a sender rather
712than a recipient address. This affects any rewriting and qualification that
713might happen.
714.TP 10
715\fB\-bw\fP
716This option runs Exim as a daemon, awaiting incoming SMTP connections,
717similarly to the \fB\-bd\fP option. All port specifications on the command\-line
718and in the configuration file are ignored. Queue\-running may not be specified.
719.sp
720In this mode, Exim expects to be passed a socket as fd 0 (stdin) which is
721listening for connections. This permits the system to start up and have
722inetd (or equivalent) listen on the SMTP ports, starting an Exim daemon for
723each port only when the first connection is received.
724.sp
725If the option is given as \fB\-bw\fP<\fItime\fP> then the time is a timeout, after
726which the daemon will exit, which should cause inetd to listen once more.
727.TP 10
728\fB\-C\fP <\fIfilelist\fP>
729This option causes Exim to find the run time configuration file from the given
730list instead of from the list specified by the CONFIGURE_FILE
731compile\-time setting. Usually, the list will consist of just a single file
732name, but it can be a colon\-separated list of names. In this case, the first
733file that exists is used. Failure to open an existing file stops Exim from
734proceeding any further along the list, and an error is generated.
735.sp
736When this option is used by a caller other than root, and the list is different
737from the compiled\-in list, Exim gives up its root privilege immediately, and
738runs with the real and effective uid and gid set to those of the caller.
739However, if a TRUSTED_CONFIG_LIST file is defined in Local/Makefile, that
740file contains a list of full pathnames, one per line, for configuration files
741which are trusted. Root privilege is retained for any configuration file so
742listed, as long as the caller is the Exim user (or the user specified in the
743CONFIGURE_OWNER option, if any), and as long as the configuration file is
744not writeable by inappropriate users or groups.
745.sp
746Leaving TRUSTED_CONFIG_LIST unset precludes the possibility of testing a
747configuration using \fB\-C\fP right through message reception and delivery,
748even if the caller is root. The reception works, but by that time, Exim is
749running as the Exim user, so when it re\-executes to regain privilege for the
750delivery, the use of \fB\-C\fP causes privilege to be lost. However, root can
751test reception and delivery using two separate commands (one to put a message
752on the queue, using \fB\-odq\fP, and another to do the delivery, using \fB\-M\fP).
753.sp
754If ALT_CONFIG_PREFIX is defined in Local/Makefile, it specifies a
755prefix string with which any file named in a \fB\-C\fP command line option
756must start. In addition, the file name must not contain the sequence /../.
757However, if the value of the \fB\-C\fP option is identical to the value of
758CONFIGURE_FILE in Local/Makefile, Exim ignores \fB\-C\fP and proceeds as
759usual. There is no default setting for ALT_CONFIG_PREFIX; when it is
760unset, any file name can be used with \fB\-C\fP.
761.sp
762ALT_CONFIG_PREFIX can be used to confine alternative configuration files
763to a directory to which only root has access. This prevents someone who has
764broken into the Exim account from running a privileged Exim with an arbitrary
765configuration file.
766.sp
767The \fB\-C\fP facility is useful for ensuring that configuration files are
768syntactically correct, but cannot be used for test deliveries, unless the
769caller is privileged, or unless it is an exotic configuration that does not
770require privilege. No check is made on the owner or group of the files
771specified by this option.
772.TP 10
773\fB\-D\fP<\fImacro\fP>=<\fIvalue\fP>
774This option can be used to override macro definitions in the configuration file. However, like \fB\-C\fP, if it is used by an
775unprivileged caller, it causes Exim to give up its root privilege.
776If DISABLE_D_OPTION is defined in Local/Makefile, the use of \fB\-D\fP is
777completely disabled, and its use causes an immediate error exit.
778.sp
779If WHITELIST_D_MACROS is defined in Local/Makefile then it should be a
780colon\-separated list of macros which are considered safe and, if \fB\-D\fP only
781supplies macros from this list, and the values are acceptable, then Exim will
782not give up root privilege if the caller is root, the Exim run\-time user, or
783the CONFIGURE_OWNER, if set. This is a transition mechanism and is expected
784to be removed in the future. Acceptable values for the macros satisfy the
785regexp: ^[A\-Za\-z0\-9_/.\-]*$
786.sp
787The entire option (including equals sign if present) must all be within one
788command line item. \fB\-D\fP can be used to set the value of a macro to the empty
789string, in which case the equals sign is optional. These two commands are
790synonymous:
791.sp
792 exim \-DABC ...
793 exim \-DABC= ...
794.sp
795To include spaces in a macro definition item, quotes must be used. If you use
796quotes, spaces are permitted around the macro name and the equals sign. For
797example:
798.sp
799 exim '\-D ABC = something' ...
800.sp
801\fB\-D\fP may be repeated up to 10 times on a command line.
2813c06e 802Only macro names up to 22 letters long can be set.
420a0d19
CE
803.TP 10
804\fB\-d\fP<\fIdebug options\fP>
805This option causes debugging information to be written to the standard
806error stream. It is restricted to admin users because debugging output may show
807database queries that contain password information. Also, the details of users'
808filter files should be protected. If a non\-admin user uses \fB\-d\fP, Exim
809writes an error message to the standard error stream and exits with a non\-zero
810return code.
811.sp
812When \fB\-d\fP is used, \fB\-v\fP is assumed. If \fB\-d\fP is given on its own, a lot of
813standard debugging data is output. This can be reduced, or increased to include
814some more rarely needed information, by directly following \fB\-d\fP with a string
815made up of names preceded by plus or minus characters. These add or remove sets
816of debugging data, respectively. For example, \fB\-d+filter\fP adds filter
817debugging, whereas \fB\-d\-all+filter\fP selects only filter debugging. Note that
818no spaces are allowed in the debug setting. The available debugging categories
819are:
820.sp
821 acl ACL interpretation
822 auth authenticators
823 deliver general delivery logic
824 dns DNS lookups (see also resolver)
825 dnsbl DNS black list (aka RBL) code
826 exec arguments for execv() calls
827 expand detailed debugging for string expansions
828 filter filter handling
829 hints_lookup hints data lookups
830 host_lookup all types of name\-to\-IP address handling
831 ident ident lookup
832 interface lists of local interfaces
833 lists matching things in lists
834 load system load checks
835 local_scan can be used by local_scan()
836 lookup general lookup code and all lookups
837 memory memory handling
838 pid add pid to debug output lines
839 process_info setting info for the process log
840 queue_run queue runs
841 receive general message reception logic
842 resolver turn on the DNS resolver's debugging output
843 retry retry handling
844 rewrite address rewriting
845 route address routing
846 timestamp add timestamp to debug output lines
847 tls TLS logic
848 transport transports
849 uid changes of uid/gid and looking up uid/gid
850 verify address verification logic
851 all almost all of the above (see below), and also \fB\-v\fP
852.sp
853The all option excludes memory when used as +all, but includes it
854for \-all. The reason for this is that +all is something that people
855tend to use when generating debug output for Exim maintainers. If +memory
856is included, an awful lot of output that is very rarely of interest is
857generated, so it now has to be explicitly requested. However, \-all does
858turn everything off.
859.sp
860The resolver option produces output only if the DNS resolver was compiled
861with DEBUG enabled. This is not the case in some operating systems. Also,
862unfortunately, debugging output from the DNS resolver is written to stdout
863rather than stderr.
864.sp
865The default (\fB\-d\fP with no argument) omits expand, filter,
866interface, load, memory, pid, resolver, and timestamp.
867However, the pid selector is forced when debugging is turned on for a
868daemon, which then passes it on to any re\-executed Exims. Exim also
869automatically adds the pid to debug lines when several remote deliveries are
870run in parallel.
871.sp
872The timestamp selector causes the current time to be inserted at the start
873of all debug output lines. This can be useful when trying to track down delays
874in processing.
875.sp
876If the \fBdebug_print\fP option is set in any driver, it produces output whenever
877any debugging is selected, or if \fB\-v\fP is used.
878.TP 10
879\fB\-dd\fP<\fIdebug options\fP>
880This option behaves exactly like \fB\-d\fP except when used on a command that
881starts a daemon process. In that case, debugging is turned off for the
882subprocesses that the daemon creates. Thus, it is useful for monitoring the
883behaviour of the daemon without creating as much output as full debugging does.
884.TP 10
885\fB\-dropcr\fP
886This is an obsolete option that is now a no\-op. It used to affect the way Exim
887handled CR and LF characters in incoming messages.
888.TP 10
889\fB\-E\fP
890This option specifies that an incoming message is a locally\-generated delivery
891failure report. It is used internally by Exim when handling delivery failures
892and is not intended for external use. Its only effect is to stop Exim
893generating certain messages to the postmaster, as otherwise message cascades
894could occur in some situations. As part of the same option, a message id may
895follow the characters \fB\-E\fP. If it does, the log entry for the receipt of the
896new message contains the id, following "R=", as a cross\-reference.
897.TP 10
898\fB\-e\fP\fIx\fP
899There are a number of Sendmail options starting with \fB\-oe\fP which seem to be
900called by various programs without the leading \fBo\fP in the option. For
901example, the \fBvacation\fP program uses \fB\-eq\fP. Exim treats all options of the
902form \fB\-e\fP\fIx\fP as synonymous with the corresponding \fB\-oe\fP\fIx\fP options.
903.TP 10
904\fB\-F\fP <\fIstring\fP>
905This option sets the sender's full name for use when a locally\-generated
906message is being accepted. In the absence of this option, the user's \fIgecos\fP
907entry from the password data is used. As users are generally permitted to alter
908their \fIgecos\fP entries, no security considerations are involved. White space
909between \fB\-F\fP and the <\fIstring\fP> is optional.
910.TP 10
911\fB\-f\fP <\fIaddress\fP>
912This option sets the address of the envelope sender of a locally\-generated
913message (also known as the return path). The option can normally be used only
914by a trusted user, but \fBuntrusted_set_sender\fP can be set to allow untrusted
915users to use it.
916.sp
917Processes running as root or the Exim user are always trusted. Other
918trusted users are defined by the \fBtrusted_users\fP or \fBtrusted_groups\fP
919options. In the absence of \fB\-f\fP, or if the caller is not trusted, the sender
920of a local message is set to the caller's login name at the default qualify
921domain.
922.sp
923There is one exception to the restriction on the use of \fB\-f\fP: an empty sender
924can be specified by any user, trusted or not, to create a message that can
925never provoke a bounce. An empty sender can be specified either as an empty
926string, or as a pair of angle brackets with nothing between them, as in these
927examples of shell commands:
928.sp
929 exim \-f '<>' user@domain
930 exim \-f "" user@domain
931.sp
932In addition, the use of \fB\-f\fP is not restricted when testing a filter file
933with \fB\-bf\fP or when testing or verifying addresses using the \fB\-bt\fP or
934\fB\-bv\fP options.
935.sp
936Allowing untrusted users to change the sender address does not of itself make
937it possible to send anonymous mail. Exim still checks that the \fIFrom:\fP header
938refers to the local user, and if it does not, it adds a \fISender:\fP header,
939though this can be overridden by setting \fBno_local_from_check\fP.
940.sp
941White
942space between \fB\-f\fP and the <\fIaddress\fP> is optional (that is, they can be
943given as two arguments or one combined argument). The sender of a
944locally\-generated message can also be set (when permitted) by an initial
945"From " line in the message \- see the description of \fB\-bm\fP above \- but
946if \fB\-f\fP is also present, it overrides "From ".
947.TP 10
948\fB\-G\fP
949This option is equivalent to an ACL applying:
950.sp
951 control = suppress_local_fixups
952.sp
953for every message received. Note that Sendmail will complain about such
954bad formatting, where Exim silently just does not fix it up. This may change
955in future.
956.sp
957As this affects audit information, the caller must be a trusted user to use
958this option.
959.TP 10
960\fB\-h\fP <\fInumber\fP>
961This option is accepted for compatibility with Sendmail, but has no effect. (In
962Sendmail it overrides the "hop count" obtained by counting \fIReceived:\fP
963headers.)
964.TP 10
965\fB\-i\fP
966This option, which has the same effect as \fB\-oi\fP, specifies that a dot on a
967line by itself should not terminate an incoming, non\-SMTP message. I can find
968no documentation for this option in Solaris 2.4 Sendmail, but the \fImailx\fP
969command in Solaris 2.4 uses it. See also \fB\-ti\fP.
970.TP 10
971\fB\-L\fP <\fItag\fP>
972This option is equivalent to setting \fBsyslog_processname\fP in the config
973file and setting \fBlog_file_path\fP to syslog.
974Its use is restricted to administrators. The configuration file has to be
975read and parsed, to determine access rights, before this is set and takes
976effect, so early configuration file errors will not honour this flag.
977.sp
978The tag should not be longer than 32 characters.
979.TP 10
980\fB\-M\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fImessage id\fP> ...
981This option requests Exim to run a delivery attempt on each message in turn. If
982any of the messages are frozen, they are automatically thawed before the
983delivery attempt. The settings of \fBqueue_domains\fP, \fBqueue_smtp_domains\fP,
984and \fBhold_domains\fP are ignored.
985.sp
986Retry
987hints for any of the addresses are overridden \- Exim tries to deliver even if
988the normal retry time has not yet been reached. This option requires the caller
989to be an admin user. However, there is an option called \fBprod_requires_admin\fP
990which can be set false to relax this restriction (and also the same requirement
991for the \fB\-q\fP, \fB\-R\fP, and \fB\-S\fP options).
992.sp
993The deliveries happen synchronously, that is, the original Exim process does
994not terminate until all the delivery attempts have finished. No output is
995produced unless there is a serious error. If you want to see what is happening,
996use the \fB\-v\fP option as well, or inspect Exim's main log.
997.TP 10
998\fB\-Mar\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fIaddress\fP> <\fIaddress\fP> ...
999This option requests Exim to add the addresses to the list of recipients of the
1000message ("ar" for "add recipients"). The first argument must be a message
1001id, and the remaining ones must be email addresses. However, if the message is
1002active (in the middle of a delivery attempt), it is not altered. This option
1003can be used only by an admin user.
1004.TP 10
1005\fB\-MC\fP <\fItransport\fP> <\fIhostname\fP> <\fIsequence number\fP> <\fImessage id\fP>
1006This option is not intended for use by external callers. It is used internally
1007by Exim to invoke another instance of itself to deliver a waiting message using
1008an existing SMTP connection, which is passed as the standard input. This must be the final option, and the caller
1009must be root or the Exim user in order to use it.
1010.TP 10
1011\fB\-MCA\fP
1012This option is not intended for use by external callers. It is used internally
1013by Exim in conjunction with the \fB\-MC\fP option. It signifies that the
1014connection to the remote host has been authenticated.
1015.TP 10
2813c06e
CE
1016\fB\-MCD\fP
1017This option is not intended for use by external callers. It is used internally
1018by Exim in conjunction with the \fB\-MC\fP option. It signifies that the
1019remote host supports the ESMTP DSN extension.
1020.TP 10
1021\fB\-MCG\fP
1022This option is not intended for use by external callers. It is used internally
1023by Exim in conjunction with the \fB\-MC\fP option. It signifies that an
1024alternate queue is used, named by the following option.
1025.TP 10
420a0d19
CE
1026\fB\-MCP\fP
1027This option is not intended for use by external callers. It is used internally
1028by Exim in conjunction with the \fB\-MC\fP option. It signifies that the server to
1029which Exim is connected supports pipelining.
1030.TP 10
1031\fB\-MCQ\fP <\fIprocess id\fP> <\fIpipe fd\fP>
1032This option is not intended for use by external callers. It is used internally
1033by Exim in conjunction with the \fB\-MC\fP option when the original delivery was
1034started by a queue runner. It passes on the process id of the queue runner,
1035together with the file descriptor number of an open pipe. Closure of the pipe
1036signals the final completion of the sequence of processes that are passing
1037messages through the same SMTP connection.
1038.TP 10
1039\fB\-MCS\fP
1040This option is not intended for use by external callers. It is used internally
1041by Exim in conjunction with the \fB\-MC\fP option, and passes on the fact that the
1042SMTP SIZE option should be used on messages delivered down the existing
1043connection.
1044.TP 10
1045\fB\-MCT\fP
1046This option is not intended for use by external callers. It is used internally
1047by Exim in conjunction with the \fB\-MC\fP option, and passes on the fact that the
1048host to which Exim is connected supports TLS encryption.
1049.TP 10
1050\fB\-Mc\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fImessage id\fP> ...
1051This option requests Exim to run a delivery attempt on each message in turn,
1052but unlike the \fB\-M\fP option, it does check for retry hints, and respects any
1053that are found. This option is not very useful to external callers. It is
1054provided mainly for internal use by Exim when it needs to re\-invoke itself in
1055order to regain root privilege for a delivery.
1056However, \fB\-Mc\fP can be useful when testing, in order to run a delivery that
1057respects retry times and other options such as \fBhold_domains\fP that are
1058overridden when \fB\-M\fP is used. Such a delivery does not count as a queue run.
1059If you want to run a specific delivery as if in a queue run, you should use
1060\fB\-q\fP with a message id argument. A distinction between queue run deliveries
1061and other deliveries is made in one or two places.
1062.TP 10
1063\fB\-Mes\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fIaddress\fP>
1064This option requests Exim to change the sender address in the message to the
1065given address, which must be a fully qualified address or "<>" ("es" for
1066"edit sender"). There must be exactly two arguments. The first argument must
1067be a message id, and the second one an email address. However, if the message
1068is active (in the middle of a delivery attempt), its status is not altered.
1069This option can be used only by an admin user.
1070.TP 10
1071\fB\-Mf\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fImessage id\fP> ...
1072This option requests Exim to mark each listed message as "frozen". This
1073prevents any delivery attempts taking place until the message is "thawed",
1074either manually or as a result of the \fBauto_thaw\fP configuration option.
1075However, if any of the messages are active (in the middle of a delivery
1076attempt), their status is not altered. This option can be used only by an admin
1077user.
1078.TP 10
1079\fB\-Mg\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fImessage id\fP> ...
1080This option requests Exim to give up trying to deliver the listed messages,
1081including any that are frozen. However, if any of the messages are active,
1082their status is not altered. For non\-bounce messages, a delivery error message
1083is sent to the sender, containing the text "cancelled by administrator".
1084Bounce messages are just discarded. This option can be used only by an admin
1085user.
1086.TP 10
1087\fB\-Mmad\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fImessage id\fP> ...
1088This option requests Exim to mark all the recipient addresses in the messages
1089as already delivered ("mad" for "mark all delivered"). However, if any
1090message is active (in the middle of a delivery attempt), its status is not
1091altered. This option can be used only by an admin user.
1092.TP 10
1093\fB\-Mmd\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fIaddress\fP> <\fIaddress\fP> ...
1094This option requests Exim to mark the given addresses as already delivered
1095("md" for "mark delivered"). The first argument must be a message id, and
1096the remaining ones must be email addresses. These are matched to recipient
1097addresses in the message in a case\-sensitive manner. If the message is active
1098(in the middle of a delivery attempt), its status is not altered. This option
1099can be used only by an admin user.
1100.TP 10
1101\fB\-Mrm\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fImessage id\fP> ...
1102This option requests Exim to remove the given messages from the queue. No
1103bounce messages are sent; each message is simply forgotten. However, if any of
1104the messages are active, their status is not altered. This option can be used
1105only by an admin user or by the user who originally caused the message to be
1106placed on the queue.
1107.TP 10
1108\fB\-Mset\fP <\fImessage id\fP>
1109This option is useful only in conjunction with \fB\-be\fP (that is, when testing
1110string expansions). Exim loads the given message from its spool before doing
1111the test expansions, thus setting message\-specific variables such as
1112\fI$message_size\fP and the header variables. The \fI$recipients\fP variable is made
1113available. This feature is provided to make it easier to test expansions that
1114make use of these variables. However, this option can be used only by an admin
1115user. See also \fB\-bem\fP.
1116.TP 10
1117\fB\-Mt\fP <\fImessage id\fP> <\fImessage id\fP> ...
1118This option requests Exim to "thaw" any of the listed messages that are
1119"frozen", so that delivery attempts can resume. However, if any of the
1120messages are active, their status is not altered. This option can be used only
1121by an admin user.
1122.TP 10
1123\fB\-Mvb\fP <\fImessage id\fP>
1124This option causes the contents of the message body (\-D) spool file to be
1125written to the standard output. This option can be used only by an admin user.
1126.TP 10
1127\fB\-Mvc\fP <\fImessage id\fP>
1128This option causes a copy of the complete message (header lines plus body) to
1129be written to the standard output in RFC 2822 format. This option can be used
1130only by an admin user.
1131.TP 10
1132\fB\-Mvh\fP <\fImessage id\fP>
1133This option causes the contents of the message headers (\-H) spool file to be
1134written to the standard output. This option can be used only by an admin user.
1135.TP 10
1136\fB\-Mvl\fP <\fImessage id\fP>
1137This option causes the contents of the message log spool file to be written to
1138the standard output. This option can be used only by an admin user.
1139.TP 10
1140\fB\-m\fP
1141This is apparently a synonym for \fB\-om\fP that is accepted by Sendmail, so Exim
1142treats it that way too.
1143.TP 10
1144\fB\-N\fP
1145This is a debugging option that inhibits delivery of a message at the transport
1146level. It implies \fB\-v\fP. Exim goes through many of the motions of delivery \-
1147it just doesn't actually transport the message, but instead behaves as if it
1148had successfully done so. However, it does not make any updates to the retry
1149database, and the log entries for deliveries are flagged with "*>" rather
1150than "=>".
1151.sp
1152Because \fB\-N\fP discards any message to which it applies, only root or the Exim
1153user are allowed to use it with \fB\-bd\fP, \fB\-q\fP, \fB\-R\fP or \fB\-M\fP. In other
1154words, an ordinary user can use it only when supplying an incoming message to
1155which it will apply. Although transportation never fails when \fB\-N\fP is set, an
1156address may be deferred because of a configuration problem on a transport, or a
1157routing problem. Once \fB\-N\fP has been used for a delivery attempt, it sticks to
1158the message, and applies to any subsequent delivery attempts that may happen
1159for that message.
1160.TP 10
1161\fB\-n\fP
1162This option is interpreted by Sendmail to mean "no aliasing".
1163For normal modes of operation, it is ignored by Exim.
2813c06e
CE
1164When combined with \fB\-bP\fP it makes the output more terse (suppresses
1165option names, environment values and config pretty printing).
420a0d19
CE
1166.TP 10
1167\fB\-O\fP <\fIdata\fP>
1168This option is interpreted by Sendmail to mean set option. It is ignored by
1169Exim.
1170.TP 10
1171\fB\-oA\fP <\fIfile name\fP>
1172This option is used by Sendmail in conjunction with \fB\-bi\fP to specify an
1173alternative alias file name. Exim handles \fB\-bi\fP differently; see the
1174description above.
1175.TP 10
1176\fB\-oB\fP <\fIn\fP>
1177This is a debugging option which limits the maximum number of messages that can
1178be delivered down one SMTP connection, overriding the value set in any smtp
1179transport. If <\fIn\fP> is omitted, the limit is set to 1.
1180.TP 10
1181\fB\-odb\fP
1182This option applies to all modes in which Exim accepts incoming messages,
1183including the listening daemon. It requests "background" delivery of such
1184messages, which means that the accepting process automatically starts a
1185delivery process for each message received, but does not wait for the delivery
1186processes to finish.
1187.sp
1188When all the messages have been received, the reception process exits,
1189leaving the delivery processes to finish in their own time. The standard output
1190and error streams are closed at the start of each delivery process.
1191This is the default action if none of the \fB\-od\fP options are present.
1192.sp
1193If one of the queueing options in the configuration file
1194(\fBqueue_only\fP or \fBqueue_only_file\fP, for example) is in effect, \fB\-odb\fP
1195overrides it if \fBqueue_only_override\fP is set true, which is the default
1196setting. If \fBqueue_only_override\fP is set false, \fB\-odb\fP has no effect.
1197.TP 10
1198\fB\-odf\fP
1199This option requests "foreground" (synchronous) delivery when Exim has
1200accepted a locally\-generated message. (For the daemon it is exactly the same as
1201\fB\-odb\fP.) A delivery process is automatically started to deliver the message,
1202and Exim waits for it to complete before proceeding.
1203.sp
1204The original Exim reception process does not finish until the delivery
1205process for the final message has ended. The standard error stream is left open
1206during deliveries.
1207.sp
1208However, like \fB\-odb\fP, this option has no effect if \fBqueue_only_override\fP is
1209false and one of the queueing options in the configuration file is in effect.
1210.sp
1211If there is a temporary delivery error during foreground delivery, the
1212message is left on the queue for later delivery, and the original reception
1213process exits.
1214.TP 10
1215\fB\-odi\fP
1216This option is synonymous with \fB\-odf\fP. It is provided for compatibility with
1217Sendmail.
1218.TP 10
1219\fB\-odq\fP
1220This option applies to all modes in which Exim accepts incoming messages,
1221including the listening daemon. It specifies that the accepting process should
1222not automatically start a delivery process for each message received. Messages
1223are placed on the queue, and remain there until a subsequent queue runner
1224process encounters them. There are several configuration options (such as
1225\fBqueue_only\fP) that can be used to queue incoming messages under certain
1226conditions. This option overrides all of them and also \fB\-odqs\fP. It always
1227forces queueing.
1228.TP 10
1229\fB\-odqs\fP
1230This option is a hybrid between \fB\-odb\fP/\fB\-odi\fP and \fB\-odq\fP.
1231However, like \fB\-odb\fP and \fB\-odi\fP, this option has no effect if
1232\fBqueue_only_override\fP is false and one of the queueing options in the
1233configuration file is in effect.
1234.sp
1235When \fB\-odqs\fP does operate, a delivery process is started for each incoming
1236message, in the background by default, but in the foreground if \fB\-odi\fP is
1237also present. The recipient addresses are routed, and local deliveries are done
1238in the normal way. However, if any SMTP deliveries are required, they are not
1239done at this time, so the message remains on the queue until a subsequent queue
1240runner process encounters it. Because routing was done, Exim knows which
1241messages are waiting for which hosts, and so a number of messages for the same
1242host can be sent in a single SMTP connection. The \fBqueue_smtp_domains\fP
1243configuration option has the same effect for specific domains. See also the
1244\fB\-qq\fP option.
1245.TP 10
1246\fB\-oee\fP
1247If an error is detected while a non\-SMTP message is being received (for
1248example, a malformed address), the error is reported to the sender in a mail
1249message.
1250.sp
1251Provided
1252this error message is successfully sent, the Exim receiving process
1253exits with a return code of zero. If not, the return code is 2 if the problem
1254is that the original message has no recipients, or 1 for any other error.
1255This is the default \fB\-oe\fP\fIx\fP option if Exim is called as \fIrmail\fP.
1256.TP 10
1257\fB\-oem\fP
1258This is the same as \fB\-oee\fP, except that Exim always exits with a non\-zero
1259return code, whether or not the error message was successfully sent.
1260This is the default \fB\-oe\fP\fIx\fP option, unless Exim is called as \fIrmail\fP.
1261.TP 10
1262\fB\-oep\fP
1263If an error is detected while a non\-SMTP message is being received, the
1264error is reported by writing a message to the standard error file (stderr).
1265The return code is 1 for all errors.
1266.TP 10
1267\fB\-oeq\fP
1268This option is supported for compatibility with Sendmail, but has the same
1269effect as \fB\-oep\fP.
1270.TP 10
1271\fB\-oew\fP
1272This option is supported for compatibility with Sendmail, but has the same
1273effect as \fB\-oem\fP.
1274.TP 10
1275\fB\-oi\fP
1276This option, which has the same effect as \fB\-i\fP, specifies that a dot on a
1277line by itself should not terminate an incoming, non\-SMTP message. Otherwise, a
1278single dot does terminate, though Exim does no special processing for other
1279lines that start with a dot. This option is set by default if Exim is called as
1280\fIrmail\fP. See also \fB\-ti\fP.
1281.TP 10
1282\fB\-oitrue\fP
1283This option is treated as synonymous with \fB\-oi\fP.
1284.TP 10
1285\fB\-oMa\fP <\fIhost address\fP>
1286A number of options starting with \fB\-oM\fP can be used to set values associated
1287with remote hosts on locally\-submitted messages (that is, messages not received
1288over TCP/IP). These options can be used by any caller in conjunction with the
1289\fB\-bh\fP, \fB\-be\fP, \fB\-bf\fP, \fB\-bF\fP, \fB\-bt\fP, or \fB\-bv\fP testing options. In
1290other circumstances, they are ignored unless the caller is trusted.
1291.sp
1292The \fB\-oMa\fP option sets the sender host address. This may include a port
1293number at the end, after a full stop (period). For example:
1294.sp
1295 exim \-bs \-oMa 10.9.8.7.1234
1296.sp
1297An alternative syntax is to enclose the IP address in square brackets,
1298followed by a colon and the port number:
1299.sp
1300 exim \-bs \-oMa [10.9.8.7]:1234
1301.sp
1302The IP address is placed in the \fI$sender_host_address\fP variable, and the
1303port, if present, in \fI$sender_host_port\fP. If both \fB\-oMa\fP and \fB\-bh\fP
1304are present on the command line, the sender host IP address is taken from
1305whichever one is last.
1306.TP 10
1307\fB\-oMaa\fP <\fIname\fP>
1308See \fB\-oMa\fP above for general remarks about the \fB\-oM\fP options. The \fB\-oMaa\fP
1309option sets the value of \fI$sender_host_authenticated\fP (the authenticator
1310name).
1311This option can be used with \fB\-bh\fP and \fB\-bs\fP to set up an
1312authenticated SMTP session without actually using the SMTP AUTH command.
1313.TP 10
1314\fB\-oMai\fP <\fIstring\fP>
1315See \fB\-oMa\fP above for general remarks about the \fB\-oM\fP options. The \fB\-oMai\fP
1316option sets the value of \fI$authenticated_id\fP (the id that was authenticated).
1317This overrides the default value (the caller's login id, except with \fB\-bh\fP,
1318where there is no default) for messages from local sources.
1319.TP 10
1320\fB\-oMas\fP <\fIaddress\fP>
1321See \fB\-oMa\fP above for general remarks about the \fB\-oM\fP options. The \fB\-oMas\fP
1322option sets the authenticated sender value in \fI$authenticated_sender\fP. It
1323overrides the sender address that is created from the caller's login id for
1324messages from local sources, except when \fB\-bh\fP is used, when there is no
1325default. For both \fB\-bh\fP and \fB\-bs\fP, an authenticated sender that is
1326specified on a MAIL command overrides this value.
1327.TP 10
1328\fB\-oMi\fP <\fIinterface address\fP>
1329See \fB\-oMa\fP above for general remarks about the \fB\-oM\fP options. The \fB\-oMi\fP
1330option sets the IP interface address value. A port number may be included,
1331using the same syntax as for \fB\-oMa\fP. The interface address is placed in
1332\fI$received_ip_address\fP and the port number, if present, in \fI$received_port\fP.
1333.TP 10
1334\fB\-oMm\fP <\fImessage reference\fP>
1335See \fB\-oMa\fP above for general remarks about the \fB\-oM\fP options. The \fB\-oMm\fP
1336option sets the message reference, e.g. message\-id, and is logged during
1337delivery. This is useful when some kind of audit trail is required to tie
1338messages together. The format of the message reference is checked and will
1339abort if the format is invalid. The option will only be accepted if exim is
1340running in trusted mode, not as any regular user.
1341.sp
1342The best example of a message reference is when Exim sends a bounce message.
1343The message reference is the message\-id of the original message for which Exim
1344is sending the bounce.
1345.TP 10
1346\fB\-oMr\fP <\fIprotocol name\fP>
1347See \fB\-oMa\fP above for general remarks about the \fB\-oM\fP options. The \fB\-oMr\fP
1348option sets the received protocol value that is stored in
1349\fI$received_protocol\fP. However, it does not apply (and is ignored) when \fB\-bh\fP
1350or \fB\-bs\fP is used. For \fB\-bh\fP, the protocol is forced to one of the standard
1351SMTP protocol names. For \fB\-bs\fP, the protocol is always "local\-" followed by
1352one of those same names. For \fB\-bS\fP (batched SMTP) however, the protocol can
1353be set by \fB\-oMr\fP.
1354.TP 10
1355\fB\-oMs\fP <\fIhost name\fP>
1356See \fB\-oMa\fP above for general remarks about the \fB\-oM\fP options. The \fB\-oMs\fP
1357option sets the sender host name in \fI$sender_host_name\fP. When this option is
1358present, Exim does not attempt to look up a host name from an IP address; it
1359uses the name it is given.
1360.TP 10
1361\fB\-oMt\fP <\fIident string\fP>
1362See \fB\-oMa\fP above for general remarks about the \fB\-oM\fP options. The \fB\-oMt\fP
1363option sets the sender ident value in \fI$sender_ident\fP. The default setting for
1364local callers is the login id of the calling process, except when \fB\-bh\fP is
1365used, when there is no default.
1366.TP 10
1367\fB\-om\fP
1368In Sendmail, this option means "me too", indicating that the sender of a
1369message should receive a copy of the message if the sender appears in an alias
1370expansion. Exim always does this, so the option does nothing.
1371.TP 10
1372\fB\-oo\fP
1373This option is ignored. In Sendmail it specifies "old style headers",
1374whatever that means.
1375.TP 10
1376\fB\-oP\fP <\fIpath\fP>
1377This option is useful only in conjunction with \fB\-bd\fP or \fB\-q\fP with a time
1378value. The option specifies the file to which the process id of the daemon is
1379written. When \fB\-oX\fP is used with \fB\-bd\fP, or when \fB\-q\fP with a time is used
1380without \fB\-bd\fP, this is the only way of causing Exim to write a pid file,
1381because in those cases, the normal pid file is not used.
1382.TP 10
1383\fB\-or\fP <\fItime\fP>
1384This option sets a timeout value for incoming non\-SMTP messages. If it is not
1385set, Exim will wait forever for the standard input. The value can also be set
1386by the \fBreceive_timeout\fP option.
1387.TP 10
1388\fB\-os\fP <\fItime\fP>
1389This option sets a timeout value for incoming SMTP messages. The timeout
1390applies to each SMTP command and block of data. The value can also be set by
1391the \fBsmtp_receive_timeout\fP option; it defaults to 5 minutes.
1392.TP 10
1393\fB\-ov\fP
1394This option has exactly the same effect as \fB\-v\fP.
1395.TP 10
1396\fB\-oX\fP <\fInumber or string\fP>
1397This option is relevant only when the \fB\-bd\fP (start listening daemon) option
1398is also given. It controls which ports and interfaces the daemon uses. When \fB\-oX\fP is used to start a daemon, no pid
1399file is written unless \fB\-oP\fP is also present to specify a pid file name.
1400.TP 10
1401\fB\-pd\fP
1402This option applies when an embedded Perl interpreter is linked with Exim. It overrides the setting of the \fBperl_at_start\fP
1403option, forcing the starting of the interpreter to be delayed until it is
1404needed.
1405.TP 10
1406\fB\-ps\fP
1407This option applies when an embedded Perl interpreter is linked with Exim. It overrides the setting of the \fBperl_at_start\fP
1408option, forcing the starting of the interpreter to occur as soon as Exim is
1409started.
1410.TP 10
1411\fB\-p\fP<\fIrval\fP>:<\fIsval\fP>
1412For compatibility with Sendmail, this option is equivalent to
1413.sp
1414 \-oMr <\fIrval\fP> \-oMs <\fIsval\fP>
1415.sp
1416It sets the incoming protocol and host name (for trusted callers). The
1417host name and its colon can be omitted when only the protocol is to be set.
1418Note the Exim already has two private options, \fB\-pd\fP and \fB\-ps\fP, that refer
1419to embedded Perl. It is therefore impossible to set a protocol value of d
1420or s using this option (but that does not seem a real limitation).
1421.TP 10
1422\fB\-q\fP
1423This option is normally restricted to admin users. However, there is a
1424configuration option called \fBprod_requires_admin\fP which can be set false to
1425relax this restriction (and also the same requirement for the \fB\-M\fP, \fB\-R\fP,
1426and \fB\-S\fP options).
1427.sp
2813c06e
CE
1428If other commandline options do not specify an action,
1429the \fB\-q\fP option starts one queue runner process. This scans the queue of
420a0d19
CE
1430waiting messages, and runs a delivery process for each one in turn. It waits
1431for each delivery process to finish before starting the next one. A delivery
1432process may not actually do any deliveries if the retry times for the addresses
1433have not been reached. Use \fB\-qf\fP (see below) if you want to override this.
1434.sp
1435If
1436the delivery process spawns other processes to deliver other messages down
1437passed SMTP connections, the queue runner waits for these to finish before
1438proceeding.
1439.sp
1440When all the queued messages have been considered, the original queue runner
1441process terminates. In other words, a single pass is made over the waiting
1442mail, one message at a time. Use \fB\-q\fP with a time (see below) if you want
1443this to be repeated periodically.
1444.sp
1445Exim processes the waiting messages in an unpredictable order. It isn't very
1446random, but it is likely to be different each time, which is all that matters.
1447If one particular message screws up a remote MTA, other messages to the same
1448MTA have a chance of getting through if they get tried first.
1449.sp
1450It is possible to cause the messages to be processed in lexical message id
1451order, which is essentially the order in which they arrived, by setting the
1452\fBqueue_run_in_order\fP option, but this is not recommended for normal use.
1453.TP 10
1454\fB\-q\fP<\fIqflags\fP>
1455The \fB\-q\fP option may be followed by one or more flag letters that change its
1456behaviour. They are all optional, but if more than one is present, they must
1457appear in the correct order. Each flag is described in a separate item below.
1458.TP 10
1459\fB\-qq...\fP
1460An option starting with \fB\-qq\fP requests a two\-stage queue run. In the first
1461stage, the queue is scanned as if the \fBqueue_smtp_domains\fP option matched
1462every domain. Addresses are routed, local deliveries happen, but no remote
1463transports are run.
1464.sp
1465The hints database that remembers which messages are waiting for specific hosts
1466is updated, as if delivery to those hosts had been deferred. After this is
1467complete, a second, normal queue scan happens, with routing and delivery taking
1468place as normal. Messages that are routed to the same host should mostly be
1469delivered down a single SMTP
1470connection because of the hints that were set up during the first queue scan.
1471This option may be useful for hosts that are connected to the Internet
1472intermittently.
1473.TP 10
1474\fB\-q[q]i...\fP
1475If the \fIi\fP flag is present, the queue runner runs delivery processes only for
1476those messages that haven't previously been tried. (\fIi\fP stands for "initial
1477delivery".) This can be helpful if you are putting messages on the queue using
1478\fB\-odq\fP and want a queue runner just to process the new messages.
1479.TP 10
1480\fB\-q[q][i]f...\fP
1481If one \fIf\fP flag is present, a delivery attempt is forced for each non\-frozen
1482message, whereas without \fIf\fP only those non\-frozen addresses that have passed
1483their retry times are tried.
1484.TP 10
1485\fB\-q[q][i]ff...\fP
1486If \fIff\fP is present, a delivery attempt is forced for every message, whether
1487frozen or not.
1488.TP 10
1489\fB\-q[q][i][f[f]]l\fP
1490The \fIl\fP (the letter "ell") flag specifies that only local deliveries are to
1491be done. If a message requires any remote deliveries, it remains on the queue
1492for later delivery.
1493.TP 10
2813c06e
CE
1494\fB\-q[q][i][f[f]][l][G<name>[/<time>]]]\fP
1495If the \fIG\fP flag and a name is present, the queue runner operates on the
1496queue with the given name rather than the default queue.
1497The name should not contain a \fI/\fP character.
1498For a periodic queue run (see below)
1499append to the name a slash and a time value.
1500.sp
1501If other commandline options specify an action, a \fI\-qG<name>\fP option
1502will specify a queue to operate on.
1503For example:
1504.sp
1505 exim \-bp \-qGquarantine
1506 mailq \-qGquarantine
1507 exim \-qGoffpeak \-Rf @special.domain.example
1508.TP 10
420a0d19
CE
1509\fB\-q\fP<\fIqflags\fP> <\fIstart id\fP> <\fIend id\fP>
1510When scanning the queue, Exim can be made to skip over messages whose ids are
1511lexically less than a given value by following the \fB\-q\fP option with a
1512starting message id. For example:
1513.sp
1514 exim \-q 0t5C6f\-0000c8\-00
1515.sp
1516Messages that arrived earlier than 0t5C6f\-0000c8\-00 are not inspected. If a
1517second message id is given, messages whose ids are lexically greater than it
1518are also skipped. If the same id is given twice, for example,
1519.sp
1520 exim \-q 0t5C6f\-0000c8\-00 0t5C6f\-0000c8\-00
1521.sp
1522just one delivery process is started, for that message. This differs from
1523\fB\-M\fP in that retry data is respected, and it also differs from \fB\-Mc\fP in
1524that it counts as a delivery from a queue run. Note that the selection
1525mechanism does not affect the order in which the messages are scanned. There
1526are also other ways of selecting specific sets of messages for delivery in a
1527queue run \- see \fB\-R\fP and \fB\-S\fP.
1528.TP 10
1529\fB\-q\fP<\fIqflags\fP><\fItime\fP>
1530When a time value is present, the \fB\-q\fP option causes Exim to run as a daemon,
1531starting a queue runner process at intervals specified by the given time value. This form of the
1532\fB\-q\fP option is commonly combined with the \fB\-bd\fP option, in which case a
1533single daemon process handles both functions. A common way of starting up a
1534combined daemon at system boot time is to use a command such as
1535.sp
1536 /usr/exim/bin/exim \-bd \-q30m
1537.sp
1538Such a daemon listens for incoming SMTP calls, and also starts a queue runner
1539process every 30 minutes.
1540.sp
1541When a daemon is started by \fB\-q\fP with a time value, but without \fB\-bd\fP, no
1542pid file is written unless one is explicitly requested by the \fB\-oP\fP option.
1543.TP 10
1544\fB\-qR\fP<\fIrsflags\fP> <\fIstring\fP>
1545This option is synonymous with \fB\-R\fP. It is provided for Sendmail
1546compatibility.
1547.TP 10
1548\fB\-qS\fP<\fIrsflags\fP> <\fIstring\fP>
1549This option is synonymous with \fB\-S\fP.
1550.TP 10
1551\fB\-R\fP<\fIrsflags\fP> <\fIstring\fP>
1552The <\fIrsflags\fP> may be empty, in which case the white space before the string
1553is optional, unless the string is \fIf\fP, \fIff\fP, \fIr\fP, \fIrf\fP, or \fIrff\fP,
1554which are the possible values for <\fIrsflags\fP>. White space is required if
1555<\fIrsflags\fP> is not empty.
1556.sp
1557This option is similar to \fB\-q\fP with no time value, that is, it causes Exim to
1558perform a single queue run, except that, when scanning the messages on the
1559queue, Exim processes only those that have at least one undelivered recipient
1560address containing the given string, which is checked in a case\-independent
1561way. If the <\fIrsflags\fP> start with \fIr\fP, <\fIstring\fP> is interpreted as a
1562regular expression; otherwise it is a literal string.
1563.sp
1564If you want to do periodic queue runs for messages with specific recipients,
1565you can combine \fB\-R\fP with \fB\-q\fP and a time value. For example:
1566.sp
1567 exim \-q25m \-R @special.domain.example
1568.sp
1569This example does a queue run for messages with recipients in the given domain
1570every 25 minutes. Any additional flags that are specified with \fB\-q\fP are
1571applied to each queue run.
1572.sp
1573Once a message is selected for delivery by this mechanism, all its addresses
1574are processed. For the first selected message, Exim overrides any retry
1575information and forces a delivery attempt for each undelivered address. This
1576means that if delivery of any address in the first message is successful, any
1577existing retry information is deleted, and so delivery attempts for that
1578address in subsequently selected messages (which are processed without forcing)
1579will run. However, if delivery of any address does not succeed, the retry
1580information is updated, and in subsequently selected messages, the failing
1581address will be skipped.
1582.sp
1583If the <\fIrsflags\fP> contain \fIf\fP or \fIff\fP, the delivery forcing applies to
1584all selected messages, not just the first; frozen messages are included when
1585\fIff\fP is present.
1586.sp
1587The \fB\-R\fP option makes it straightforward to initiate delivery of all messages
1588to a given domain after a host has been down for some time. When the SMTP
1589command ETRN is accepted by its ACL, its default
1590effect is to run Exim with the \fB\-R\fP option, but it can be configured to run
1591an arbitrary command instead.
1592.TP 10
1593\fB\-r\fP
1594This is a documented (for Sendmail) obsolete alternative name for \fB\-f\fP.
1595.TP 10
1596\fB\-S\fP<\fIrsflags\fP> <\fIstring\fP>
1597This option acts like \fB\-R\fP except that it checks the string against each
1598message's sender instead of against the recipients. If \fB\-R\fP is also set, both
1599conditions must be met for a message to be selected. If either of the options
1600has \fIf\fP or \fIff\fP in its flags, the associated action is taken.
1601.TP 10
1602\fB\-Tqt\fP <\fItimes\fP>
1603This is an option that is exclusively for use by the Exim testing suite. It is not
1604recognized when Exim is run normally. It allows for the setting up of explicit
1605"queue times" so that various warning/retry features can be tested.
1606.TP 10
1607\fB\-t\fP
1608When Exim is receiving a locally\-generated, non\-SMTP message on its standard
1609input, the \fB\-t\fP option causes the recipients of the message to be obtained
1610from the \fITo:\fP, \fICc:\fP, and \fIBcc:\fP header lines in the message instead of
1611from the command arguments. The addresses are extracted before any rewriting
1612takes place and the \fIBcc:\fP header line, if present, is then removed.
1613.sp
1614If the command has any arguments, they specify addresses to which the message
1615is \fInot\fP to be delivered. That is, the argument addresses are removed from
1616the recipients list obtained from the headers. This is compatible with Smail 3
1617and in accordance with the documented behaviour of several versions of
1618Sendmail, as described in man pages on a number of operating systems (e.g.
1619Solaris 8, IRIX 6.5, HP\-UX 11). However, some versions of Sendmail \fIadd\fP
1620argument addresses to those obtained from the headers, and the O'Reilly
1621Sendmail book documents it that way. Exim can be made to add argument addresses
1622instead of subtracting them by setting the option
1623\fBextract_addresses_remove_arguments\fP false.
1624.sp
1625If there are any \fBResent\-\fP header lines in the message, Exim extracts
1626recipients from all \fIResent\-To:\fP, \fIResent\-Cc:\fP, and \fIResent\-Bcc:\fP header
1627lines instead of from \fITo:\fP, \fICc:\fP, and \fIBcc:\fP. This is for compatibility
1628with Sendmail and other MTAs. (Prior to release 4.20, Exim gave an error if
1629\fB\-t\fP was used in conjunction with \fBResent\-\fP header lines.)
1630.sp
1631RFC 2822 talks about different sets of \fBResent\-\fP header lines (for when a
1632message is resent several times). The RFC also specifies that they should be
1633added at the front of the message, and separated by \fIReceived:\fP lines. It is
1634not at all clear how \fB\-t\fP should operate in the present of multiple sets,
1635nor indeed exactly what constitutes a "set".
1636In practice, it seems that MUAs do not follow the RFC. The \fBResent\-\fP lines
1637are often added at the end of the header, and if a message is resent more than
1638once, it is common for the original set of \fBResent\-\fP headers to be renamed as
1639\fBX\-Resent\-\fP when a new set is added. This removes any possible ambiguity.
1640.TP 10
1641\fB\-ti\fP
1642This option is exactly equivalent to \fB\-t\fP \fB\-i\fP. It is provided for
1643compatibility with Sendmail.
1644.TP 10
1645\fB\-tls\-on\-connect\fP
1646This option is available when Exim is compiled with TLS support. It forces all
1647incoming SMTP connections to behave as if the incoming port is listed in the
1648\fBtls_on_connect_ports\fP option.
1649.TP 10
1650\fB\-U\fP
1651Sendmail uses this option for "initial message submission", and its
1652documentation states that in future releases, it may complain about
1653syntactically invalid messages rather than fixing them when this flag is not
1654set. Exim ignores this option.
1655.TP 10
1656\fB\-v\fP
1657This option causes Exim to write information to the standard error stream,
1658describing what it is doing. In particular, it shows the log lines for
1659receiving and delivering a message, and if an SMTP connection is made, the SMTP
1660dialogue is shown. Some of the log lines shown may not actually be written to
1661the log if the setting of \fBlog_selector\fP discards them. Any relevant
1662selectors are shown with each log line. If none are shown, the logging is
1663unconditional.
1664.TP 10
1665\fB\-x\fP
1666AIX uses \fB\-x\fP for a private purpose ("mail from a local mail program has
1667National Language Support extended characters in the body of the mail item").
1668It sets \fB\-x\fP when calling the MTA from its \fBmail\fP command. Exim ignores
1669this option.
1670.TP 10
1671\fB\-X\fP <\fIlogfile\fP>
1672This option is interpreted by Sendmail to cause debug information to be sent
1673to the named file. It is ignored by Exim.
2813c06e
CE
1674.TP 10
1675\fB\-z\fP <\fIlog\-line\fP>
1676This option writes its argument to Exim's logfile.
1677Use is restricted to administrators; the intent is for operational notes.
1678Quotes should be used to maintain a multi\-word item as a single argument,
1679under most shells.
420a0d19
CE
1680.sp
1681.
1682.SH "SEE ALSO"
1683.rs
1684.sp
1685The full Exim specification, the Exim book, and the Exim wiki.