Sendmail Command Line Tips and Tricks

# 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  
set debug mode.

• -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  
Set senders full name
-f

Set senders address
-h  
Set minimum hop count
-i  
Set IgnoreDots option to true
-M  
Set macro
-N
Set return DNS notify information

• never – Never return the info
• success – Return on successful delivery
• failure – Return on failure
• delay – Return on delayed delivery

-n 
Supresses aliasing  
-O
Set an option (long name)
-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