Postfix-3.4.6

#### Beyond Linux® From Scratch (systemd Edition) - Version 9.0

### Chapter 21. Mail Server Software

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# Postfix-3.4.6

## Introduction to Postfix

The Postfix package contains a Mail Transport Agent (MTA). This is useful for sending email to other users of your host machine. It can also be configured to be a central mail server for your domain, a mail relay agent or simply a mail delivery agent to your local Internet Service Provider.

This package is known to build and work properly using an LFS-9.0 platform.

### Package Information

- Download (FTP): ftp://ftp.porcupine.org/mirrors/postfix-release/official/postfix-3.4.6.tar.gz

- Download MD5 sum: 5aa930a8ce3cc6f82247dbd9f536380c

- Download size: 4.4 MB

- Estimated disk space required: 200 MB

- Estimated build time: 0.5 SBU

### Additional Downloads

- Required patch: http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/patches/blfs/9.0/postfix-3.4.6-glibc230_fix-1.patch

### Postfix Dependencies

#### Recommended

Berkeley DB-5.3.28, Cyrus SASL-2.1.27, and libnsl-1.2.0

#### Optional

ICU-64.2 for Email Address Internationalization (SMTPUTF8) support, MariaDB-10.4.7 or MySQL, OpenLDAP-2.4.48, PCRE-8.43, PostgreSQL-11.5, SQLite-3.29.0, and CDB or TinyCDB

Note that SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL and CDB are only useful if there is a known need for them.

User Notes: http://wiki.linuxfromscratch.org/blfs/wiki/postfix

## Installation of Postfix

### Adding Users and Groups

Before you compile the program, you need to create users and groups that will be expected to be in place during the installation. Add the users and groups with the following commands issued by the `root` user:

    groupadd -g 32 postfix &&
    groupadd -g 33 postdrop &&
    useradd -c "Postfix Daemon User" -d /var/spool/postfix -g postfix \
            -s /bin/false -u 32 postfix &&
    chown -v postfix:postfix /var/mail

### Configuring the Build

The README files are formatted to be read with a pager like Less or More. If you want to use a text editor, make them legible with the following sed:

    sed -i 's/.\x08//g' README_FILES/*

Apply a patch to allow Postfix to compile on Glibc-2.30 where some macros were dropped:

    patch -Np1 -i ../postfix-3.4.6-glibc230_fix-1.patch

The Postfix source tree does not contain a `configure` script, rather the makefile in the top-level directory contains a `makefiles` target that regenerates all the other makefiles in the build tree. If you wish to use additional software such as a database back-end for virtual users, or TLS/SSL authentication, you will need to regenerate the makefiles using one or more of the appropriate `CCARGS` and `AUXLIBS` settings listed below.

For more details read the readme files.

##### Cyrus-SASL

To use Cyrus-SASL with Postfix, use the following arguments:

    CCARGS='-DUSE_SASL_AUTH -DUSE_CYRUS_SASL -I/usr/include/sasl'
    AUXLIBS='-lsasl2'

##### OpenLDAP

To use OpenLDAP with Postfix, use the following arguments:

    CCARGS='-DHAS_LDAP'
    AUXLIBS='-lldap -llber'

##### Sqlite

To use Sqlite with Postfix, use the following arguments:

    CCARGS='-DHAS_SQLITE'
    AUXLIBS='-lsqlite3 -lpthread'

##### MySQL

To use MySQL with Postfix, use the following arguments:

    CCARGS='-DHAS_MYSQL -I/usr/include/mysql'
    AUXLIBS='-lmysqlclient -lz -lm'

##### PostgreSQL

To use PostgreSQL with Postfix, use the following arguments:

    CCARGS='-DHAS_PGSQL -I/usr/include/postgresql'
    AUXLIBS='-lpq -lz -lm'

##### CDB/TinyCDB

To use CDB or TinyCDB with Postfix, use the following arguments:

    CCARGS='-DHAS_CDB'
    AUXLIBS='</path/to/CDB>/libcdb.a'

##### StartTLS Authentication

To use OpenSSL with Postfix, use the following arguments:

    CCARGS='-DUSE_TLS -I/usr/include/openssl/'
    AUXLIBS='-lssl -lcrypto'

### Installing Postfix

Now fix a file to work with Linux-5.x.

    sed -i -e 's/\$RELEASE_MAJOR/3/' \
           -e '/Linux..3/s/34/345/' makedefs

If you have Cyrus SASL and OpenSSL installed, install Postfix by running the following commands:

    make CCARGS="-DUSE_TLS -I/usr/include/openssl/                     \
                 -DUSE_SASL_AUTH -DUSE_CYRUS_SASL -I/usr/include/sasl" \
         AUXLIBS="-lssl -lcrypto -lsasl2"                              \
         makefiles &&
    make

This package does not come with a useful test suite.

Now, as the `root` user:

    sh postfix-install -non-interactive \
       daemon_directory=/usr/lib/postfix \
       manpage_directory=/usr/share/man \
       html_directory=/usr/share/doc/postfix-3.4.6/html \
       readme_directory=/usr/share/doc/postfix-3.4.6/readme

## Command Explanations

make makefiles: This command rebuilds the makefiles throughout the source tree to use the options contained in the `CCARGS` and `AUXLIBS` variables.

sh postfix-install -non-interactive: This keeps the install script from asking any questions, thereby accepting default destination directories in all but the few cases. If the `html_directory` and `readme_directory` options are not set then the documentation will not be installed.

`CCARGS="-DNO_EAI ..."`: this will turn off SMTPUTF8 support, for example if the rest of your email address infrastructure cannot handle UTF-8 email addresses and message header values.

## Configuring Postfix

### Config Files

`/etc/aliases`, `/etc/postfix/main.cf`, and `/etc/postfix/master.cf`

### Configuration Information

Create (or append to an existing) `/etc/aliases` with the following command. Change `<LOGIN>` for your non-root login identity so mail addressed to `root` can be forwarded to you. As the `root` user:

    cat >> /etc/aliases << "EOF"
    # Begin /etc/aliases

    MAILER-DAEMON:    postmaster
    postmaster:       root

    root:             <LOGIN>
    # End /etc/aliases
    EOF

To protect an existing `/etc/aliases` file, the above command appends these aliases to it if it exists. This file should be checked and duplicate aliases removed, if present.

### Note

The `/etc/postfix/main.cf` and `/etc/postfix/master.cf` files must be personalized for your system. The `main.cf` file needs your fully qualified hostname. You will find that `main.cf` is self documenting, so load it into your editor to make the changes you need for your situation.

### Note

Postfix can also be set up to run in a chroot jail. See the file in the source `examples/chroot-setup/LINUX2` for details.

If you have an existing configuration, you can run the postfix utility to add any necessary definitions to your existing files. As the `root` user:

    /usr/sbin/postfix upgrade-configuration

Before starting Postfix, you should check that your configuration and file permissions will work properly. Run the following commands as the `root` user to check and start your Postfix server:

    /usr/sbin/postfix check &&
    /usr/sbin/postfix start

### Systemd Unit

To automate the running of Postfix at startup, install the `postfix.service` unit included in the blfs-systemd-units-20180105 package.

    make install-postfix

## Contents

Installed Programs: mailq (symlink), newaliases (symlink), postalias, postcat, postconf, postdrop, postfix, postkick, postlock, postlog, postmap, postmulti, postqueue, postsuper, and sendmail
Installed Libraries: None
Installed Directories: /{etc,usr/lib}/postfix, /usr/share/doc/postfix-3.4.6 and /var/{lib,spool}/postfix

### Short Descriptions

mailq | A symlink to `sendmail`.
newaliases | A symlink to `sendmail`.
postalias | is a utility for Postfix alias database maintenance
postcat | Prints the contents of files from the Postfix queue in human readable format.
postconf | Displays or changes the value of Postfix configuration parameters.
postdrop | Creates a file in the maildrop directory and copies its standard input to the file.
postfix | is the Postfix control program.
postkick | Sends requests to the specified service over a local transport channel.
postlock | Locks a mail folder for exclusive use, and executes commands passed to it.
postlog | A Postfix-compatible logging interface for use in, for example, shell scripts.
postmap | Creates or queries one or more Postfix lookup tables, or updates an existing one.
postmulti | is the Postfix multi-instance manager. It allows a system administrator to manage multiple Postfix instances on a single host.
postqueue | The Postfix user interface for queue management.
postsuper | The Postfix user interface for superuser queue management.
sendmail | is the Postfix to Sendmail compatibility interface.

Last updated on 2019-08-17 15:07:08 -0700

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