Most mail servers are tight on resources. The Postfix system is designed to run within a finite memory budget. These limits are imposed on each and every user to avoid resource exhaustion. The idea is pretty simple, keep mail server running under conditions of stress, without making the problem worse.
However some time user sends large attachment and these are rejected by Postfix. The message_size_limit sets the maximal size of a postfix queue file, including envelope information (sender, recipient, etc.). The default is 10240000 bytes. You may see an error message in maillog file:
Sep 21 17:03:53 p5smtp22 postfix/postdrop[528]: warning: uid=2012: Illegal seek Sep 21 12:03:53 p5smtp22 postfix/sendmail[527]: fatal: reports(2012): queue file write error
Postfix version 2.3 or olders reports "illegal seek" instead of "file too large" error. There are two ways to fix this problem:
- First upgrade Postfix to latest stable version such as 2.5
- Set message_size_limit parameter
Set message_size_limit
Open /etc/postfix/main.cf config file:
# vi /etc/postfix/main.cf
Set message_size_limit to 20971520 bytes (20 megabytes):
message_size_limit = 20971520
Restart postfix mail server:
# /etc/init.d/postfix restart
Featured Articles:
- 20 Linux System Monitoring Tools Every SysAdmin Should Know
- 20 Linux Server Hardening Security Tips
- Linux: 20 Iptables Examples For New SysAdmins
- My 10 UNIX Command Line Mistakes
- 25 PHP Security Best Practices For Sys Admins
- The Novice Guide To Buying A Linux Laptop
- 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
Facebook it - Tweet it - Print it -
We're here to help you make the most of sysadmin work. So, subscribe!
