-. $Cambridge: exim/doc/doc-docbook/spec.xfpt,v 1.77 2010/06/05 11:13:29 pdp Exp $
+. $Cambridge: exim/doc/doc-docbook/spec.xfpt,v 1.88 2010/06/14 18:51:09 pdp Exp $
.
. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
. This is the primary source of the Exim Manual. It is an xfpt document that is
. the <bookinfo> element must also be updated for each new edition.
. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-.set previousversion "4.71"
-.set version "4.72"
+.set previousversion "4.72"
+.set version "4.74"
.set ACL "access control lists (ACLs)"
.set I " "
<bookinfo>
<title>Specification of the Exim Mail Transfer Agent</title>
<titleabbrev>The Exim MTA</titleabbrev>
-<date>29 May 2010</date>
+<date>21 Jan 2011</date>
<author><firstname>Exim</firstname><surname>Maintainers</surname></author>
<authorinitials>EM</authorinitials>
<revhistory><revision>
- <revnumber>4.72</revnumber>
- <date>29 May 2010</date>
+ <revnumber>4.74</revnumber>
+ <date>21 Jan 2011</date>
<authorinitials>EM</authorinitials>
</revision></revhistory>
-<copyright><year>2009</year><holder>University of Cambridge</holder></copyright>
+<copyright><year>2011</year><holder>University of Cambridge</holder></copyright>
</bookinfo>
.literal off
.section "Exim documentation" "SECID1"
. Keep this example change bar when updating the documentation!
+
.new
.cindex "documentation"
This edition of the Exim specification applies to version &version; of Exim.
impose its own quotas on local mailboxes; where system quotas are set they will
also apply.
+.new
If a host is unreachable for a period of time, a number of messages may be
waiting for it by the time it recovers, and sending them in a single SMTP
connection is clearly beneficial. Whenever a delivery to a remote host is
deferred,
-
.cindex "hints database"
Exim makes a note in its hints database, and whenever a successful
SMTP delivery has happened, it looks to see if any other messages are waiting
for the same host. If any are found, they are sent over the same SMTP
connection, subject to a configuration limit as to the maximum number in any
one connection.
-
+.wen
+.new
.section "Use of tcpwrappers" "SECID27"
+
.cindex "tcpwrappers, building Exim to support"
.cindex "USE_TCP_WRAPPERS"
+.cindex "TCP_WRAPPERS_DAEMON_NAME"
+.cindex "tcp_wrappers_daemon_name"
Exim can be linked with the &'tcpwrappers'& library in order to check incoming
SMTP calls using the &'tcpwrappers'& control files. This may be a convenient
alternative to Exim's own checking facilities for installations that are
CFLAGS=-O -I/usr/local/include
EXTRALIBS_EXIM=-L/usr/local/lib -lwrap
.endd
-in &_Local/Makefile_&. The name to use in the &'tcpwrappers'& control files is
-&"exim"&. For example, the line
+in &_Local/Makefile_&. The daemon name to use in the &'tcpwrappers'& control
+files is &"exim"&. For example, the line
.code
exim : LOCAL 192.168.1. .friendly.domain.example
.endd
in your &_/etc/hosts.allow_& file allows connections from the local host, from
the subnet 192.168.1.0/24, and from all hosts in &'friendly.domain.example'&.
-All other connections are denied. Consult the &'tcpwrappers'& documentation for
+All other connections are denied. The daemon name used by &'tcpwrappers'&
+can be changed at build time by setting TCP_WRAPPERS_DAEMON_NAME in
+in &_Local/Makefile_&, or by setting tcp_wrappers_daemon_name in the
+configure file. Consult the &'tcpwrappers'& documentation for
further details.
-
+.wen
.section "Including support for IPv6" "SECID28"
+.new
+.section "Dynamically loaded lookup module support" "SECTdynamicmodules"
+.cindex "lookup modules"
+.cindex "dynamic modules"
+.cindex ".so building"
+On some platforms, Exim supports not compiling all lookup types directly into
+the main binary, instead putting some into external modules which can be loaded
+on demand.
+This permits packagers to build Exim with support for lookups with extensive
+library dependencies without requiring all users to install all of those
+dependencies.
+Most, but not all, lookup types can be built this way.
+
+Set &`LOOKUP_MODULE_DIR`& to the directory into which the modules will be
+installed; Exim will only load modules from that directory, as a security
+measure. You will need to set &`CFLAGS_DYNAMIC`& if not already defined
+for your OS; see &_OS/Makefile-Linux_& for an example.
+Some other requirements for adjusting &`EXTRALIBS`& may also be necessary,
+see &_src/EDITME_& for details.
+
+Then, for each module to be loaded dynamically, define the relevant
+&`LOOKUP_`&<&'lookup_type'&> flags to have the value "2" instead of "yes".
+For example, this will build in lsearch but load sqlite and mysql support
+on demand:
+.code
+LOOKUP_LSEARCH=yes
+LOOKUP_SQLITE=2
+LOOKUP_MYSQL=2
+.endd
+.wen
+
.section "The building process" "SECID29"
.cindex "build directory"
Once &_Local/Makefile_& (and &_Local/eximon.conf_&, if required) have been
The same output is generated if the Exim binary is called with no options and
no arguments.
+.new
+.vitem &%--version%&
+.oindex "&%--version%&"
+This option is an alias for &%-bV%& and causes version information to be
+displayed.
+.wen
+
.vitem &%-B%&<&'type'&>
.oindex "&%-B%&"
.cindex "8-bit characters"
Exim behaves in exactly the same way as it does when receiving a message via
the listening daemon.
+.new
.vitem &%-bmalware%&&~<&'filename'&>
.oindex "&%-bmalware%&"
.cindex "testing", "malware"
.cindex "malware scan test"
This debugging option causes Exim to scan the given file,
-using the malware scanning framework. The option of av_scanner influences
-this option, so if av_scanner's value is dependent upon an expansion then
-the expansion should have defaults which apply to this invocation. Exim will
-have changed working directory before resolving the filename, so using fully
-qualified pathnames is advisable. This option requires admin privileges.
+using the malware scanning framework. The option of &%av_scanner%& influences
+this option, so if &%av_scanner%&'s value is dependent upon an expansion then
+the expansion should have defaults which apply to this invocation. ACLs are
+not invoked, so if &%av_scanner%& references an ACL variable then that variable
+will never be populated and &%-bmalware%& will fail.
+
+Exim will have changed working directory before resolving the filename, so
+using fully qualified pathnames is advisable. Exim will be running as the Exim
+user when it tries to open the file, rather than as the invoking user.
+This option requires admin privileges.
+
+The &%-bmalware%& option will not be extended to be more generally useful,
+there are better tools for file-scanning. This option exists to help
+administrators verify their Exim and AV scanner configuration.
+.wen
.vitem &%-bt%&
.oindex "&%-bt%&"
those conditions using &%-bt%&. The &%-N%& option provides a possible way of
doing such tests.
+.new
.vitem &%-bV%&
.oindex "&%-bV%&"
.cindex "version number of Exim"
This option causes Exim to write the current version number, compilation
number, and compilation date of the &'exim'& binary to the standard output.
-It also lists the DBM library this is being used, the optional modules (such as
+It also lists the DBM library that is being used, the optional modules (such as
specific lookup types), the drivers that are included in the binary, and the
name of the run time configuration file that is in use.
-
+.wen
As part of its operation, &%-bV%& causes Exim to read and syntax check its
configuration file. However, this is a static check only. It cannot check
values that are to be expanded. For example, although a misspelt ACL verb is
file that exists is used. Failure to open an existing file stops Exim from
proceeding any further along the list, and an error is generated.
-When this option is used by a caller other than root or the Exim user, and the
-list is different from the compiled-in list, Exim gives up its root privilege
-immediately, and runs with the real and effective uid and gid set to those of
-the caller. However, if ALT_CONFIG_ROOT_ONLY is defined in
-&_Local/Makefile_&, root privilege is retained for &%-C%& only if the caller of
-Exim is root.
-
-That is, the Exim user is no longer privileged in this regard. This build-time
-option is not set by default in the Exim source distribution tarbundle.
-However, if you are using a &"packaged"& version of Exim (source or binary),
-the packagers might have enabled it.
-
-Setting ALT_CONFIG_ROOT_ONLY locks out the possibility of testing a
-configuration using &%-C%& right through message reception and delivery, even
-if the caller is root. The reception works, but by that time, Exim is running
-as the Exim user, so when it re-executes to regain privilege for the delivery,
-the use of &%-C%& causes privilege to be lost. However, root can test reception
-and delivery using two separate commands (one to put a message on the queue,
-using &%-odq%&, and another to do the delivery, using &%-M%&).
-
+.new
+When this option is used by a caller other than root, and the list is different
+from the compiled-in list, Exim gives up its root privilege immediately, and
+runs with the real and effective uid and gid set to those of the caller.
+However, if a TRUSTED_CONFIG_LIST file is defined in &_Local/Makefile_&, that
+file contains a list of full pathnames, one per line, for configuration files
+which are trusted. Root privilege is retained for any configuration file so
+listed, as long as the caller is the Exim user (or the user specified in the
+CONFIGURE_OWNER option, if any), and as long as the configuration file is
+not writeable by inappropriate users or groups.
+
+Leaving TRUSTED_CONFIG_LIST unset precludes the possibility of testing a
+configuration using &%-C%& right through message reception and delivery,
+even if the caller is root. The reception works, but by that time, Exim is
+running as the Exim user, so when it re-executes to regain privilege for the
+delivery, the use of &%-C%& causes privilege to be lost. However, root can
+test reception and delivery using two separate commands (one to put a message
+on the queue, using &%-odq%&, and another to do the delivery, using &%-M%&).
+.wen
If ALT_CONFIG_PREFIX is defined &_in Local/Makefile_&, it specifies a
prefix string with which any file named in a &%-C%& command line option
must start. In addition, the file name must not contain the sequence &`/../`&.
require privilege. No check is made on the owner or group of the files
specified by this option.
+
.vitem &%-D%&<&'macro'&>=<&'value'&>
.oindex "&%-D%&"
.cindex "macro" "setting on command line"
If DISABLE_D_OPTION is defined in &_Local/Makefile_&, the use of &%-D%& is
completely disabled, and its use causes an immediate error exit.
+.new
+If WHITELIST_D_MACROS is defined in &_Local/Makefile_& then it should be a
+colon-separated list of macros which are considered safe and, if &%-D%& only
+supplies macros from this list, and the values are acceptable, then Exim will
+not give up root privilege if the caller is root, the Exim run-time user, or
+the CONFIGURE_OWNER, if set. This is a transition mechanism and is expected
+to be removed in the future. Acceptable values for the macros satisfy the
+regexp: &`^[A-Za-z0-9_/.-]*$`&
+.wen
The entire option (including equals sign if present) must all be within one
command line item. &%-D%& can be used to set the value of a macro to the empty
string, in which case the equals sign is optional. These two commands are
.endd
&%-D%& may be repeated up to 10 times on a command line.
+
.vitem &%-d%&<&'debug&~options'&>
.oindex "&%-d%&"
.cindex "debugging" "list of selectors"
This option causes the contents of the message body (-D) spool file to be
written to the standard output. This option can be used only by an admin user.
+.new
.vitem &%-Mvc%&&~<&'message&~id'&>
.oindex "&%-Mvc%&"
.cindex "message" "listing in RFC 2822 format"
-.cindex "listing" "message in RFC 2922 format"
+.cindex "listing" "message in RFC 2822 format"
This option causes a copy of the complete message (header lines plus body) to
be written to the standard output in RFC 2822 format. This option can be used
only by an admin user.
-
+.wen
.vitem &%-Mvh%&&~<&'message&~id'&>
.oindex "&%-Mvh%&"
.cindex "listing" "message headers"
give a colon-separated list of file names, in which case Exim uses the first
existing file in the list.
+.new
.cindex "EXIM_USER"
.cindex "EXIM_GROUP"
.cindex "CONFIGURE_OWNER"
.cindex "configuration file" "ownership"
.cindex "ownership" "configuration file"
The run time configuration file must be owned by root or by the user that is
-specified at compile time by the EXIM_USER option, or by the user that is
specified at compile time by the CONFIGURE_OWNER option (if set). The
-configuration file must not be world-writeable or group-writeable, unless its
-group is the one specified at compile time by the EXIM_GROUP option or by the
+configuration file must not be world-writeable, or group-writeable unless its
+group is the root group or the one specified at compile time by the
CONFIGURE_GROUP option.
&*Warning*&: In a conventional configuration, where the Exim binary is setuid
to root, anybody who is able to edit the run time configuration file has an
-easy way to run commands as root. If you make your mail administrators members
-of the Exim group, but do not trust them with root, make sure that the run time
-configuration is not group writeable.
-
+easy way to run commands as root. If you specify a user or group in the
+CONFIGURE_OWNER or CONFIGURE_GROUP options, then that user and/or any users
+who are members of that group will trivially be able to obtain root privileges.
+
+Up to Exim version 4.72, the run time configuration file was also permitted to
+be writeable by the Exim user and/or group. That has been changed in Exim 4.73
+since it offered a simple privilege escalation for any attacker who managed to
+compromise the Exim user account.
+.wen
A default configuration file, which will work correctly in simple situations,
is provided in the file &_src/configure.default_&. If CONFIGURE_FILE
defines just one file name, the installation process copies the default
+.new
.section "Using a different configuration file" "SECID40"
.cindex "configuration file" "alternate"
A one-off alternate configuration can be specified by the &%-C%& command line
option, which may specify a single file or a list of files. However, when
-&%-C%& is used, Exim gives up its root privilege, unless called by root or the
-Exim user (or unless the argument for &%-C%& is identical to the built-in value
-from CONFIGURE_FILE). &%-C%& is useful mainly for checking the syntax of
-configuration files before installing them. No owner or group checks are done
-on a configuration file specified by &%-C%&.
-
-The privileged use of &%-C%& by the Exim user can be locked out by setting
-ALT_CONFIG_ROOT_ONLY in &_Local/Makefile_& when building Exim. However,
-if you do this, you also lock out the possibility of testing a
-configuration using &%-C%& right through message reception and delivery, even
-if the caller is root. The reception works, but by that time, Exim is running
-as the Exim user, so when it re-execs to regain privilege for the delivery, the
-use of &%-C%& causes privilege to be lost. However, root can test reception and
-delivery using two separate commands (one to put a message on the queue, using
-&%-odq%&, and another to do the delivery, using &%-M%&).
-
+&%-C%& is used, Exim gives up its root privilege, unless called by root (or
+unless the argument for &%-C%& is identical to the built-in value from
+CONFIGURE_FILE), or is listed in the TRUSTED_CONFIG_LIST file and the caller
+is the Exim user or the user specified in the CONFIGURE_OWNER setting. &%-C%&
+is useful mainly for checking the syntax of configuration files before
+installing them. No owner or group checks are done on a configuration file
+specified by &%-C%&, if root privilege has been dropped.
+
+Even the Exim user is not trusted to specify an arbitrary configuration file
+with the &%-C%& option to be used with root privileges, unless that file is
+listed in the TRUSTED_CONFIG_LIST file. This locks out the possibility of
+testing a configuration using &%-C%& right through message reception and
+delivery, even if the caller is root. The reception works, but by that time,
+Exim is running as the Exim user, so when it re-execs to regain privilege for
+the delivery, the use of &%-C%& causes privilege to be lost. However, root
+can test reception and delivery using two separate commands (one to put a
+message on the queue, using &%-odq%&, and another to do the delivery, using
+&%-M%&).
+.wen
If ALT_CONFIG_PREFIX is defined &_in Local/Makefile_&, it specifies a
prefix string with which any file named in a &%-C%& command line option must
start. In addition, the file name must not contain the sequence &"&`/../`&"&.
If DISABLE_D_OPTION is defined in &_Local/Makefile_&, the use of &%-D%& is
completely disabled, and its use causes an immediate error exit.
+.new
+The WHITELIST_D_MACROS option in &_Local/Makefile_& permits the binary builder
+to declare certain macro names trusted, such that root privilege will not
+necessarily be discarded.
+WHITELIST_D_MACROS defines a colon-separated list of macros which are
+considered safe and, if &%-D%& only supplies macros from this list, and the
+values are acceptable, then Exim will not give up root privilege if the caller
+is root, the Exim run-time user, or the CONFIGURE_OWNER, if set. This is a
+transition mechanism and is expected to be removed in the future. Acceptable
+values for the macros satisfy the regexp: &`^[A-Za-z0-9_/.-]*$`&
+.wen
+
Some sites may wish to use the same Exim binary on different machines that
share a file system, but to use different configuration files on each machine.
If CONFIGURE_FILE_USE_NODE is defined in &_Local/Makefile_&, Exim first
It is permitted to specify a space as the separator character. Further
white space is ignored.
-.new
.cindex "TXT record" "in &(dnsdb)& lookup"
For TXT records with multiple items of data, only the first item is returned,
unless a separator for them is specified using a comma after the separator
.endd
It is permitted to specify a space as the separator character. Further
white space is ignored.
-.wen
.section "Pseudo dnsdb record types" "SECID66"
.cindex "MX record" "in &(dnsdb)& lookup"
secure (encrypted) LDAP connections. The second of these ensures that an
encrypted TLS connection is used.
+.new
+With sufficiently modern LDAP libraries, Exim supports forcing TLS over regular
+LDAP connections, rather than the SSL-on-connect &`ldaps`&.
+See the &%ldap_start_tls%& option.
+.wen
+
.section "LDAP quoting" "SECID68"
.cindex "LDAP" "quoting"
random().
+.new
+.vitem &*${reverse_ip:*&<&'ipaddr'&>&*}*&
+.cindex "expansion" "IP address"
+This operator reverses an IP address; for IPv4 addresses, the result is in
+dotted-quad decimal form, while for IPv6 addreses the result is in
+dotted-nibble hexadecimal form. In both cases, this is the "natural" form
+for DNS. For example,
+.code
+${reverse_ip:192.0.2.4} and ${reverse_ip:2001:0db8:c42:9:1:abcd:192.0.2.3}
+.endd
+returns
+.code
+4.2.0.192 and 3.0.2.0.0.0.0.c.d.c.b.a.1.0.0.0.9.0.0.0.2.4.c.0.8.b.d.0.1.0.0.2
+.endd
+.wen
+
+
.vitem &*${rfc2047:*&<&'string'&>&*}*&
.cindex "expansion" "RFC 2047"
.cindex "RFC 2047" "expansion operator"
As a special case, the numerical value of an empty string is taken as
zero.
+
+.new
.vitem &*bool&~{*&<&'string'&>&*}*&
.cindex "expansion" "boolean parsing"
.cindex "&%bool%& expansion condition"
This condition turns a string holding a true or false representation into
a boolean state. It parses &"true"&, &"false"&, &"yes"& and &"no"&
(case-insensitively); also positive integer numbers map to true if non-zero,
-false if zero. Leading whitespace is ignored.
+false if zero. Leading and trailing whitespace is ignored.
All other string values will result in expansion failure.
When combined with ACL variables, this expansion condition will let you
make decisions in one place and act on those decisions in another place.
-For example,
+For example:
.code
${if bool{$acl_m_privileged_sender} ...
.endd
+.wen
+
+.new
+.vitem &*bool_lax&~{*&<&'string'&>&*}*&
+.cindex "expansion" "boolean parsing"
+.cindex "&%bool_lax%& expansion condition"
+Like &%bool%&, this condition turns a string into a boolean state. But
+where &%bool%& accepts a strict set of strings, &%bool_lax%& uses the same
+loose definition that the Router &%condition%& option uses. The empty string
+and the values &"false"&, &"no"& and &"0"& map to false, all others map to
+true. Leading and trailing whitespace is ignored.
+
+Note that where &"bool{00}"& is false, &"bool_lax{00}"& is true.
+.wen
.vitem &*crypteq&~{*&<&'string1'&>&*}{*&<&'string2'&>&*}*&
.cindex "expansion" "encrypted comparison"
.cindex "encrypted strings, comparing"
.section "Data lookups" "SECID101"
.table2
.row &%ibase_servers%& "InterBase servers"
+.row &%ldap_ca_cert_dir%& "dir of CA certs to verify LDAP server's"
+.row &%ldap_ca_cert_file%& "file of CA certs to verify LDAP server's"
+.row &%ldap_cert_file%& "client cert file for LDAP"
+.row &%ldap_cert_key%& "client key file for LDAP"
+.row &%ldap_cipher_suite%& "TLS negotiation preference control"
.row &%ldap_default_servers%& "used if no server in query"
+.row &%ldap_require_cert%& "action to take without LDAP server cert"
+.row &%ldap_start_tls%& "require TLS within LDAP"
.row &%ldap_version%& "set protocol version"
.row &%lookup_open_max%& "lookup files held open"
.row &%mysql_servers%& "default MySQL servers"
.row &%acl_smtp_auth%& "ACL for AUTH"
.row &%acl_smtp_connect%& "ACL for connection"
.row &%acl_smtp_data%& "ACL for DATA"
+.row &%acl_smtp_dkim%& "ACL for DKIM verification"
.row &%acl_smtp_etrn%& "ACL for ETRN"
.row &%acl_smtp_expn%& "ACL for EXPN"
.row &%acl_smtp_helo%& "ACL for EHLO or HELO"
&%ignore_bounce_errors_after%&. It is retained for compatibility, but it is not
thought to be very useful any more, and its use should probably be avoided.
+.new
.option av_scanner main string "see below"
This option is available if Exim is built with the content-scanning extension.
It specifies which anti-virus scanner to use. The default value is:
.code
sophie:/var/run/sophie
.endd
-If the value of &%av_scanner%& starts with dollar character, it is expanded
+If the value of &%av_scanner%& starts with a dollar character, it is expanded
before use. See section &<<SECTscanvirus>>& for further details.
-
+.wen
.option bi_command main string unset
logged.
+.new
+.option ldap_ca_cert_dir main string unset
+.cindex "LDAP", "TLS CA certificate directory"
+This option indicates which directory contains CA certificates for verifying
+a TLS certificate presented by an LDAP server.
+While Exim does not provide a default value, your SSL library may.
+Analogous to &%tls_verify_certificates%& but as a client-side option for LDAP
+and constrained to be a directory.
+.wen
+
+
+.new
+.option ldap_ca_cert_file main string unset
+.cindex "LDAP", "TLS CA certificate file"
+This option indicates which file contains CA certificates for verifying
+a TLS certificate presented by an LDAP server.
+While Exim does not provide a default value, your SSL library may.
+Analogous to &%tls_verify_certificates%& but as a client-side option for LDAP
+and constrained to be a file.
+.wen
+
+
+.new
+.option ldap_cert_file main string unset
+.cindex "LDAP" "TLS client certificate file"
+This option indicates which file contains an TLS client certificate which
+Exim should present to the LDAP server during TLS negotiation.
+Should be used together with &%ldap_cert_key%&.
+.wen
+
+
+.new
+.option ldap_cert_key main string unset
+.cindex "LDAP" "TLS client key file"
+This option indicates which file contains the secret/private key to use
+to prove identity to the LDAP server during TLS negotiation.
+Should be used together with &%ldap_cert_file%&, which contains the
+identity to be proven.
+.wen
+
+
+.new
+.option ldap_cipher_suite main string unset
+.cindex "LDAP" "TLS cipher suite"
+This controls the TLS cipher-suite negotiation during TLS negotiation with
+the LDAP server. See &<<SECTreqciphssl>>& for more details of the format of
+cipher-suite options with OpenSSL (as used by LDAP client libraries).
+.wen
+
+
.option ldap_default_servers main "string list" unset
.cindex "LDAP" "default servers"
This option provides a list of LDAP servers which are tried in turn when an
with LDAP support.
+.new
+.option ldap_require_cert main string unset.
+.cindex "LDAP" "policy for LDAP server TLS cert presentation"
+This should be one of the values "hard", "demand", "allow", "try" or "never".
+A value other than one of these is interpreted as "never".
+See the entry "TLS_REQCERT" in your system man page for ldap.conf(5).
+Although Exim does not set a default, the LDAP library probably defaults
+to hard/demand.
+.wen
+
+
+.new
+.option ldap_start_tls main boolean false
+.cindex "LDAP" "whether or not to negotiate TLS"
+If set, Exim will attempt to negotiate TLS with the LDAP server when
+connecting on a regular LDAP port. This is the LDAP equivalent of SMTP's
+"STARTTLS". This is distinct from using "ldaps", which is the LDAP form
+of SSL-on-connect.
+In the event of failure to negotiate TLS, the action taken is controlled
+by &%ldap_require_cert%&.
+.wen
+
+
.option ldap_version main integer unset
.cindex "LDAP" "protocol version, forcing"
This option can be used to force Exim to set a specific protocol version for
the generic transport option &%message_size_limit%&, which limits the size of
message that an individual transport can process.
+.new
If you use a virus-scanner and set this option to to a value larger than the
maximum size that your virus-scanner is configured to support, you may get
failures triggered by large mails. The right size to configure for the
probably safest to just set it to a little larger than this value. Eg, with a
default Exim message size of 50M and a default ClamAV StreamMaxLength of 10M,
some problems may result.
+.wen
.option move_frozen_messages main boolean false
transport driver.
+.new
.option openssl_options main "string list" +dont_insert_empty_fragments
.cindex "OpenSSL "compatibility options"
This option allows an administrator to adjust the SSL options applied
.code
openssl_options = -all +microsoft_big_sslv3_buffer
.endd
+.wen
.option oracle_servers main "string list" unset
This specifies the transport driver that is to be used when a &%mail%& command
is used in a system filter.
+.new
.option system_filter_user main string unset
.cindex "uid (user id)" "system filter"
-If this option is not set, the system filter is run in the main Exim delivery
-process, as root. When the option is set, the system filter runs in a separate
-process, as the given user. Unless the string consists entirely of digits, it
+If this option is set to root, the system filter is run in the main Exim
+delivery process, as root. Otherwise, the system filter runs in a separate
+process, as the given user, defaulting to the Exim run-time user.
+Unless the string consists entirely of digits, it
is looked up in the password data. Failure to find the named user causes a
configuration error. The gid is either taken from the password data, or
specified by &%system_filter_group%&. When the uid is specified numerically,
If the system filter generates any pipe, file, or reply deliveries, the uid
under which the filter is run is used when transporting them, unless a
-transport option overrides. Normally you should set &%system_filter_user%& if
-your system filter generates these kinds of delivery.
+transport option overrides.
+.wen
.option tcp_nodelay main boolean true
directory containing certificate files. This does not work with GnuTLS; the
option must be set to the name of a single file if you are using GnuTLS.
+.new
+These certificates should be for the certificate authorities trusted, rather
+than the public cert of individual clients. With both OpenSSL and GnuTLS, if
+the value is a file then the certificates are sent by Exim as a server to
+connecting clients, defining the list of accepted certificate authorities.
+Thus the values defined should be considered public data. To avoid this,
+use OpenSSL with a directory.
+.wen
.option tls_verify_hosts main "host list&!!" unset
.cindex "TLS" "client certificate verification"
If the result is any other value, the router is run (as this is the last
precondition to be evaluated, all the other preconditions must be true).
+.new
+This option is unique in that multiple &%condition%& options may be present.
+All &%condition%& options must succeed.
+.wen
+
+.new
The &%condition%& option provides a means of applying custom conditions to the
running of routers. Note that in the case of a simple conditional expansion,
the default expansion values are exactly what is wanted. For example:
.code
condition = ${if >{$message_age}{600}{true}{}}
.endd
+
+A multiple condition example, which succeeds:
+.code
+condition = ${if >{$message_age}{600}}
+condition = ${if !eq{${lc:$local_part}}{postmaster}}
+condition = foobar
+.endd
+
If the expansion fails (other than forced failure) delivery is deferred. Some
of the other precondition options are common special cases that could in fact
be specified using &%condition%&.
-
+.wen
.option debug_print routers string&!! unset
logged, but are not included in the bounce message, which merely contains
&"local delivery failed"&.
+If the command exits on a signal and the &%freeze_signal%& option is set then
+the message will be frozen in the queue. If that option is not set, a bounce
+will be sent as normal.
+
If the return code is greater than 128 and the command being run is a shell
script, it normally means that the script was terminated by a signal whose
-value is the return code minus 128.
+value is the return code minus 128. The &%freeze_signal%& option does not
+apply in this case.
If Exim is unable to run the command (that is, if &[execve()]& fails), the
return code is set to 127. This is the value that a shell returns if it is
frozen, whatever the setting of &%ignore_status%&.
+.new
+.otion freeze_signal pipe boolean false
+.cindex "signal exit"
+.cidenx "&(pipe)& transport", "signal exit"
+Normally if the process run by a command in a pipe transport exits on a signal,
+a bounce message is sent. If &%freeze_signal%& is set, the message will be
+frozen in Exim's queue instead.
+.wen
+
+
.option ignore_status pipe boolean false
If this option is true, the status returned by the subprocess that is set up to
run the command is ignored, and Exim behaves as if zero had been returned.
apply to a command specified as a transport filter.
+.new
.option permit_coredump pipe boolean false
Normally Exim inhibits core-dumps during delivery. If you have a need to get
a core-dump of a pipe command, enable this command. This enables core-dumps
resource consumption can be quite high. Note also that Exim is typically
installed as a setuid binary and most operating systems will inhibit coredumps
of these by default, so further OS-specific action may be required.
+.wen
.option pipe_as_creator pipe boolean false
if the client does not supply it (as is the case for LOGIN clients), the prompt
strings are used to obtain two data items.
+.new
Some clients are very particular about the precise text of the prompts. For
example, Outlook Express is reported to recognize only &"Username:"& and
&"Password:"&. Here is an example of a LOGIN authenticator that uses those
driver = plaintext
public_name = LOGIN
server_prompts = Username:: : Password::
- server_condition = ${if and{{
+ server_condition = ${if and{{ \
!eq{}{$auth1} }{ \
ldapauth{user="cn=${quote_ldap_dn:$auth1},ou=people,o=example.org" \
pass=${quote:$auth2} \
correct one to use for the password, because quoting is needed only to make
the password conform to the Exim syntax. At the LDAP level, the password is an
uninterpreted string.
-
+.wen
.section "Support for different kinds of authentication" "SECID174"
A number of string expansion features are provided for the purpose of
your resources.
+.new
+.section "The SMTP DKIM ACL" "SECTDKIMACL"
+The &%acl_smtp_dkim%& ACL is available only when Exim is compiled with DKIM support
+enabled (which is the default).
+
+The ACL test specified by &%acl_smtp_dkim%& happens after a message has been
+received, and is executed for each DKIM signature found in a message. If not
+otherwise specified, the default action is to accept.
+
+For details on the operation of DKIM, see chapter &<<CHID12>>&.
+.wen
+
+
.section "The SMTP MIME ACL" "SECID194"
The &%acl_smtp_mime%& option is available only when Exim is compiled with the
content-scanning extension. For details, see chapter &<<CHAPexiscan>>&.
Notice that we put back the lower cased version afterwards, assuming that
is what is wanted for subsequent tests.
+.new
+.vitem &*control&~=&~debug/*&<&'options'&>
+.cindex "&ACL;" "enabling debug logging"
+.cindex "debugging" "enabling from an ACL"
+This control turns on debug logging, almost as though Exim had been invoked
+with &`-d`&, with the output going to a new logfile, by default called
+&'debuglog'&. The filename can be adjusted with the &'tag'& option, which
+may access any variables already defined. The logging may be adjusted with
+the &'opts'& option, which takes the same values as the &`-d`& command-line
+option. Some examples (which depend on variables that don't exist in all
+contexts):
+.code
+ control = debug
+ control = debug/tag=.$sender_host_address
+ control = debug/opts=+expand+acl
+ control = debug/tag=.$message_exim_id/opts=+expand
+.endd
+.wen
+
.vitem &*control&~=&~enforce_sync*& &&&
&*control&~=&~no_enforce_sync*&
.cindex "SMTP" "synchronization checking"
specialized interfaces for &"daemon"& type virus scanners, which are resident
in memory and thus are much faster.
+.new
.oindex "&%av_scanner%&"
You can set the &%av_scanner%& option in first part of the Exim configuration
file to specify which scanner to use, together with any additional options that
.code
av_scanner = sophie:/var/run/sophie
.endd
-If the value of &%av_scanner%& starts with dollar character, it is expanded
+If the value of &%av_scanner%& starts with a dollar character, it is expanded
before use. The following scanner types are supported in this release:
-
+.wen
.vlist
.vitem &%aveserver%&
.cindex "virus scanners" "Kaspersky"
av_scanner = aveserver:/var/run/aveserver
.endd
+.new
.vitem &%clamd%&
.cindex "virus scanners" "clamd"
This daemon-type scanner is GPL and free. You can get it at
you be running a version of ClamAV prior to 0.95.
If the option is unset, the default is &_/tmp/clamd_&. Thanks to David Saez for
contributing the code for this scanner.
-
+.wen
.vitem &%cmdline%&
.cindex "virus scanners" "command line interface"
This is the keyword for the generic command line scanner interface. It can be
use the &%demime%& condition (see section &<<SECTdemimecond>>&) before the
&%malware%& condition.
+.new
Beware the interaction of Exim's &%message_size_limit%& with any size limits
imposed by your anti-virus scanner.
+.wen
Here is a very simple scanning example:
.code
&%spam%& condition for its side effects (see the variables below), you can make
it always return &"true"& by appending &`:true`& to the username.
+.new
.cindex "spam scanning" "returned variables"
When the &%spam%& condition is run, it sets up a number of expansion
-variables. With the exception of &$spam_score_int$&, these are usable only
-within ACLs; their values are not retained with the message and so cannot be
-used at delivery time.
+variables. These variables are saved with the received message, thus they are
+available for use at delivery time.
+.wen
.vlist
.vitem &$spam_score$&
The spam score of the message, for example &"3.4"& or &"30.5"&. This is useful
for inclusion in log or reject messages.
+.new
.vitem &$spam_score_int$&
The spam score of the message, multiplied by ten, as an integer value. For
example &"34"& or &"305"&. It may appear to disagree with &$spam_score$&
because &$spam_score$& is rounded and &$spam_score_int$& is truncated.
-The integer value is useful for numeric comparisons in
-conditions. This variable is special; its value is saved with the message, and
-written to Exim's spool file. This means that it can be used during the whole
-life of the message on your Exim system, in particular, in routers or
-transports during the later delivery phase.
+The integer value is useful for numeric comparisons in conditions.
+.wen
.vitem &$spam_bar$&
A string consisting of a number of &"+"& or &"-"& characters, representing the
and EHLO act as RSET; VRFY, EXPN, ETRN and HELP, act
as NOOP; QUIT quits.
-No policy checking is done for BSMTP input. That is, no ACL is run at anytime.
-In this respect it is like non-SMTP local input.
-
+.new
+Minimal policy checking is done for BSMTP input. Only the non-SMTP
+ACL is run in the same way as for non-SMTP local input.
+.wen
If an error is detected while reading a message, including a missing &"."& at
the end, Exim gives up immediately. It writes details of the error to the
standard output in a stylized way that the calling program should be able to
If you do not specify anything at build time or run time, that is where the
logs are written.
-A log file path may also contain &`%D`& if datestamped log file names are in
-use &-- see section &<<SECTdatlogfil>>& below.
+.new
+A log file path may also contain &`%D`& or &`%M`& if datestamped log file names
+are in use &-- see section &<<SECTdatlogfil>>& below.
+.wen
Here are some examples of possible settings:
.display
+.new
.section "Datestamped log files" "SECTdatlogfil"
.cindex "log" "datestamped files"
Instead of cycling the main and reject log files by renaming them
periodically, some sites like to use files whose names contain a datestamp,
-for example, &_mainlog-20031225_&. The datestamp is in the form &_yyyymmdd_&.
-Exim has support for this way of working. It is enabled by setting the
-&%log_file_path%& option to a path that includes &`%D`& at the point where the
-datestamp is required. For example:
+for example, &_mainlog-20031225_&. The datestamp is in the form &_yyyymmdd_& or
+&_yyyymm_&. Exim has support for this way of working. It is enabled by setting
+the &%log_file_path%& option to a path that includes &`%D`& or &`%M`& at the
+point where the datestamp is required. For example:
.code
log_file_path = /var/spool/exim/log/%slog-%D
log_file_path = /var/log/exim-%s-%D.log
log_file_path = /var/spool/exim/log/%D-%slog
+log_file_path = /var/log/exim/%s.%M
.endd
As before, &`%s`& is replaced by &"main"& or &"reject"&; the following are
examples of names generated by the above examples:
/var/spool/exim/log/mainlog-20021225
/var/log/exim-reject-20021225.log
/var/spool/exim/log/20021225-mainlog
+/var/log/exim/main.200212
.endd
When this form of log file is specified, Exim automatically switches to new
files at midnight. It does not make any attempt to compress old logs; you
The location of the panic log is also determined by &%log_file_path%&, but it
is not datestamped, because rotation of the panic log does not make sense.
-When generating the name of the panic log, &`%D`& is removed from the string.
-In addition, if it immediately follows a slash, a following non-alphanumeric
-character is removed; otherwise a preceding non-alphanumeric character is
-removed. Thus, the three examples above would give these panic log names:
+When generating the name of the panic log, &`%D`& or &`%M`& are removed from
+the string. In addition, if it immediately follows a slash, a following
+non-alphanumeric character is removed; otherwise a preceding non-alphanumeric
+character is removed. Thus, the four examples above would give these panic
+log names:
.code
/var/spool/exim/log/paniclog
/var/log/exim-panic.log
/var/spool/exim/log/paniclog
+/var/log/exim/panic
.endd
+.wen
.section "Logging to syslog" "SECID249"
&_Local/Makefile_&, Exim ignores &%-C%& and proceeds as usual.) There is no
default setting for &%ALT_CONFIG_PREFIX%&.
+.new
If the permitted configuration files are confined to a directory to
which only root has access, this guards against someone who has broken
into the Exim account from running a privileged Exim with an arbitrary
configuration file, and using it to break into other accounts.
.next
-If ALT_CONFIG_ROOT_ONLY is defined, root privilege is retained for &%-C%&
-and &%-D%& only if the caller of Exim is root. Without it, the Exim user may
-also use &%-C%& and &%-D%& and retain privilege. Setting this option locks out
-the possibility of testing a configuration using &%-C%& right through message
-reception and delivery, even if the caller is root. The reception works, but by
-that time, Exim is running as the Exim user, so when it re-execs to regain
-privilege for the delivery, the use of &%-C%& causes privilege to be lost.
-However, root can test reception and delivery using two separate commands.
-ALT_CONFIG_ROOT_ONLY is not set by default.
+
+If a non-trusted configuration file (i.e. not the default configuration file
+or one which is trusted by virtue of being listed in the TRUSTED_CONFIG_LIST
+file) is specified with &%-C%&, or if macros are given with &%-D%& (but see
+the next item), then root privilege is retained only if the caller of Exim is
+root. This locks out the possibility of testing a configuration using &%-C%&
+right through message reception and delivery, even if the caller is root. The
+reception works, but by that time, Exim is running as the Exim user, so when
+it re-execs to regain privilege for the delivery, the use of &%-C%& causes
+privilege to be lost. However, root can test reception and delivery using two
+separate commands.
+
+.next
+The WHITELIST_D_MACROS build option declares some macros to be safe to override
+with &%-D%& if the real uid is one of root, the Exim run-time user or the
+CONFIGURE_OWNER, if defined. The potential impact of this option is limited by
+requiring the run-time value supplied to &%-D%& to match a regex that errs on
+the restrictive side. Requiring build-time selection of safe macros is onerous
+but this option is intended solely as a transition mechanism to permit
+previously-working configurations to continue to work after release 4.73.
.next
If DISABLE_D_OPTION is defined, the use of the &%-D%& command line option
is disabled.
to the list. The default setting is &"root"&; this prevents a non-root user who
is permitted to modify the runtime file from using Exim as a way to get root.
.endlist
-
+.wen
After a new Exim process has interpreted its command line options, it changes
uid and gid in the following cases:
+.new
.ilist
.oindex "&%-C%&"
.oindex "&%-D%&"
If the &%-C%& option is used to specify an alternate configuration file, or if
the &%-D%& option is used to define macro values for the configuration, and the
-calling process is not running as root or the Exim user, the uid and gid are
-changed to those of the calling process.
-However, if ALT_CONFIG_ROOT_ONLY is defined in &_Local/Makefile_&, only
-root callers may use &%-C%& and &%-D%& without losing privilege, and if
-DISABLE_D_OPTION is set, the &%-D%& option may not be used at all.
+calling process is not running as root, the uid and gid are changed to those of
+the calling process.
+However, if DISABLE_D_OPTION is defined in &_Local/Makefile_&, the &%-D%&
+option may not be used at all.
+If WHITELIST_D_MACROS is defined in &_Local/Makefile_&, then some macro values
+can be supplied if the calling process is running as root, the Exim run-time
+user or CONFIGURE_OWNER, if defined.
.next
.oindex "&%-be%&"
.oindex "&%-bf%&"
For a daemon, queue runner, delivery, or address testing process, the uid
remains as root at this stage, but the gid is changed to the Exim group.
.endlist
-
+.wen
The processes that initially retain root privilege behave as follows:
.ilist
+.new
+.section "Dynamic module directory" "SECTdynmoddir"
+Any dynamically loadable modules must be installed into the directory
+defined in &`LOOKUP_MODULE_DIR`& in &_Local/Makefile_& for Exim to permit
+loading it.
+.wen
+
+
.section "Use of sprintf()" "SECID279"
.cindex "&[sprintf()]&"
A large number of occurrences of &"sprintf"& in the code are actually calls to
Since version 4.70, DKIM support is compiled into Exim by default. It can be
disabled by setting DISABLE_DKIM=yes in Local/Makefile.
+.new
Exim's DKIM implementation allows to
.olist
Sign outgoing messages: This function is implemented in the SMTP transport.
.next
Verify signatures in incoming messages: This is implemented by an additional
ACL (acl_smtp_dkim), which can be called several times per message, with
-different signature context.
+different signature contexts.
.endlist
-
+.wen
In typical Exim style, the verification implementation does not include any
default "policy". Instead it enables you to build your own policy using
Exim's standard controls.
Signing is implemented by setting private options on the SMTP transport.
These options take (expandable) strings as arguments.
+.new
.option dkim_domain smtp string&!! unset
-MANDATORY
+MANDATORY:
The domain you want to sign with. The result of this expanded
option is put into the &%$dkim_domain%& expansion variable.
.option dkim_selector smtp string&!! unset
-MANDATORY
+MANDATORY:
This sets the key selector string. You can use the &%$dkim_domain%& expansion
variable to look up a matching selector. The result is put in the expansion
variable &%$dkim_selector%& which should be used in the &%dkim_private_key%&
option along with &%$dkim_domain%&.
.option dkim_private_key smtp string&!! unset
-MANDATORY
+MANDATORY:
This sets the private key to use. You can use the &%$dkim_domain%& and
&%$dkim_selector%& expansion variables to determine the private key to use.
The result can either
.endlist
.option dkim_canon smtp string&!! unset
-OPTIONAL
+OPTIONAL:
This option sets the canonicalization method used when signing a message.
The DKIM RFC currently supports two methods: "simple" and "relaxed".
The option defaults to "relaxed" when unset. Note: the current implementation
only supports using the same canonicalization method for both headers and body.
.option dkim_strict smtp string&!! unset
-OPTIONAL
+OPTIONAL:
This option defines how Exim behaves when signing a message that
should be signed fails for some reason. When the expansion evaluates to
either "1" or "true", Exim will defer. Otherwise Exim will send the message
variables here.
.option dkim_sign_headers smtp string&!! unset
-OPTIONAL
+OPTIONAL:
When set, this option must expand to (or be specified as) a colon-separated
list of header names. Headers with these names will be included in the message
signature. When unspecified, the header names recommended in RFC4871 will be
used.
-
+.wen
.section "Verifying DKIM signatures in incoming mail" "SECID514"
.cindex "DKIM" "verification"
&%dkim_verify_signers%&, and a global expansion variable
&%$dkim_signers%& exist.
+.new
The global option &%dkim_verify_signers%& can be set to a colon-separated
list of DKIM domains or identities for which the ACL &%acl_smtp_dkim%& is
called. It is expanded when the message has been received. At this point,
-the expansion variable &%$dkim_signers%& already contains a colon-
-separated list of signer domains and identities for the message. When
+the expansion variable &%$dkim_signers%& already contains a colon-separated
+list of signer domains and identities for the message. When
&%dkim_verify_signers%& is not specified in the main configuration,
it defaults as:
.code
.endd
This would result in &%acl_smtp_dkim%& always being called for "paypal.com"
and "ebay.com", plus all domains and identities that have signatures in the message.
-You can also be more creative in constructing your policy. Example:
+You can also be more creative in constructing your policy. For example:
.code
dkim_verify_signers = $sender_address_domain:$dkim_signers
.endd
-
+.wen
If a domain or identity is listed several times in the (expanded) value of
&%dkim_verify_signers%&, the ACL is only called once for that domain or identity.
Inside the &%acl_smtp_dkim%&, the following expansion variables are
available (from most to least important):
+.new
.vlist
.vitem &%$dkim_cur_signer%&
-The signer that is being evaluated in this ACL run. This can be domain or
+The signer that is being evaluated in this ACL run. This can be a domain or
an identity. This is one of the list items from the expanded main option
&%dkim_verify_signers%& (see above).
.vitem &%$dkim_verify_status%&
if there is an actual signature in the message for the current domain or
identity (as reflected by &%$dkim_cur_signer%&).
.vitem &%$dkim_selector%&
-The key record selector string
+The key record selector string.
.vitem &%$dkim_algo%&
The algorithm used. One of 'rsa-sha1' or 'rsa-sha256'.
.vitem &%$dkim_canon_body%&
Key granularity (tag g=) from the key record. Defaults to "*" if not specified
in the key record.
.vitem &%$dkim_key_notes%&
-Notes from the key record (tag n=)
+Notes from the key record (tag n=).
.endlist
-
+.wen
In addition, two ACL conditions are provided:
+.new
.vlist
.vitem &%dkim_signers%&
ACL condition that checks a colon-separated list of domains or identities
for a match against the domain or identity that the ACL is currently verifying
(reflected by &%$dkim_cur_signer%&). This is typically used to restrict an ACL
-verb to a group of domains or identities, like:
-
+verb to a group of domains or identities. For example:
+.wen
.code
# Warn when message apparently from GMail has no signature at all
warn log_message = GMail sender without DKIM signature