Q. How do I bind Postfix MTA to specific IP address such as 127.0.0.1 or 202.5.1.2?
A. Postfix allows you to listen on a particular IP address. By default MTA will list on all network interfaces and loopback. You need to setup inet_interfaces parameter. You need Postfix version 2.2 and later to use this feature. The parameter also controls delivery of mail to user@[ip.address].
Postfix IP address bind configuration
Open /etc/postfix/main.cf file:
# vi /etc/postfix/main.cf
Append / modify line as follows to bind to localhost (127.0.0.1) only:
inet_interfaces = 127.0.0.1
If you need to bind to 127.0.0.1 and 202.5.1.2, enter:
inet_interfaces = 202.5.1.2,127.0.0.1
Save and close the file. You need to stop and start Postfix when this parameter changes. So type the following to restart Postfix:
# /etc/init.d/postfix restart
Verify that everything is working fine:
# netstat -tulpn | grep 25
# tail -f /var/log/maillog
Featured Articles:
- 20 Linux System Monitoring Tools Every SysAdmin Should Know
- 20 Linux Server Hardening Security Tips
- My 10 UNIX Command Line Mistakes
- Linux: 20 Iptables Examples For New SysAdmins

- 25 PHP Security Best Practices For Sys Admins
- The Novice Guide To Buying A Linux Laptop
- 10 Greatest Open Source Software Of 2009
- Top 5 Email Client For Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows Users
- Top 20 OpenSSH Server Best Security Practices
- Top 10 Open Source Web-Based Project Management Software
- Top 5 Linux Video Editor Software
Facebook it - Tweet it - Print it -


{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
OK.
But what about this :
OPenVPN client is active and a new tap0 interface has been created.
Even if you have specified the parameters in main.cf, your Postfix will not receive nor send any email…
How to fix this ?
Thank you for the great explanation. I would like to segragate my email domains, can you give you an expand on this a bit further and explain how you bind 1 unique ip address to 10 domains in Postfix, rather than 1 ip’d domain with 9 virtual addresses?
Thank you in advance for any tips.