.cindex "port" "465 and 587"
.cindex "port" "for message submission"
.cindex "message" "submission, ports for"
-.cindex "ssmtp protocol"
+.cindex "submissions protocol"
.cindex "smtps protocol"
+.cindex "ssmtp protocol"
+.cindex "SMTP" "submissions protocol"
.cindex "SMTP" "ssmtp protocol"
.cindex "SMTP" "smtps protocol"
These options provide better support for roaming users who wish to use this
server for message submission. They are not much use unless you have turned on
TLS (as described in the previous paragraph) and authentication (about which
-more in section &<<SECTdefconfauth>>&). The usual SMTP port 25 is often blocked
-on end-user networks, so RFC 4409 specifies that message submission should use
-port 587 instead. However some software (notably Microsoft Outlook) cannot be
-configured to use port 587 correctly, so these settings also enable the
-non-standard &"smtps"& (aka &"ssmtp"&) port 465 (see section
-&<<SECTsupobssmt>>&).
+more in section &<<SECTdefconfauth>>&).
+Mail submission from mail clients (MUAs) should be separate from inbound mail
+to your domain (MX delivery) for various good reasons (eg, ability to impose
+much saner TLS protocol and ciphersuite requirements without unintended
+consequences).
+RFC 6409 (previously 4409) specifies use of port 587 for SMTP Submission,
+which uses STARTTLS, so this is the &"submission"& port.
+RFC 8314 specifies use of port 465 as the &"submissions"& protocol,
+which should be used in preference to 587.
+You should also consider deploying SRV records to help clients find
+these ports.
+Older names for &"submissions"& are &"smtps"& and &"ssmtp"&.
Two more commented-out options settings follow:
.code
separator used for the output list is the same as the one used for the
input, but a separator setting is not included in the output. For example:
.code
-${filter{a:b:c}{!eq{$item}{b}}
+${filter{a:b:c}{!eq{$item}{b}}}
.endd
yields &`a:c`&. At the end of the expansion, the value of &$item$& is restored
to what it was before. See also the &*map*& and &*reduce*& expansion items.
with 256 being the default.
The &%sha3%& expansion item is only supported if Exim has been
-compiled with GnuTLS 3.5.0 or later.
+compiled with GnuTLS 3.5.0 or later,
+.new
+or OpenSSL 1.1.1 or later.
+.wen
.vitem &*${stat:*&<&'string'&>&*}*&
.vindex "&$config_file$&"
The name of the main configuration file Exim is using.
-.vitem &$dkim_verify_status$& &&&
+.vitem &$dkim_verify_status$&
Results of DKIM verification.
-For details see chapter &<<CHAPdkim>>&.
+For details see section &<<SECDKIMVFY>>&.
.vitem &$dkim_cur_signer$& &&&
&$dkim_verify_reason$& &&&
&$dkim_key_notes$& &&&
&$dkim_key_length$&
These variables are only available within the DKIM ACL.
-For details see chapter &<<CHAPdkim>>&.
+For details see section &<<SECDKIMVFY>>&.
.vitem &$dkim_signers$&
.vindex &$dkim_signers$&
When a message has been received this variable contains
a colon-separated list of signer domains and identities for the message.
-For details see chapter &<<CHAPdkim>>&.
+For details see section &<<SECDKIMVFY>>&.
.vitem &$dnslist_domain$& &&&
&$dnslist_matched$& &&&
is compiled with the content-scanning extension. For details, see section
&<<SECTscanspamass>>&.
+.new
+.vitem &$spf_header_comment$& &&&
+ &$spf_received$& &&&
+ &$spf_result$& &&&
+ &$spf_smtp_comment$&
+These variables are only available if Exim is built with SPF support.
+For details see section &<<SECSPF>>&.
+.wen
.vitem &$spool_directory$&
.vindex "&$spool_directory$&"
-.section "Support for the obsolete SSMTP (or SMTPS) protocol" "SECTsupobssmt"
+.section "Support for the submissions (aka SSMTP or SMTPS) protocol" "SECTsupobssmt"
+.cindex "submissions protocol"
.cindex "ssmtp protocol"
.cindex "smtps protocol"
.cindex "SMTP" "ssmtp protocol"
.cindex "SMTP" "smtps protocol"
-Exim supports the obsolete SSMTP protocol (also known as SMTPS) that was used
-before the STARTTLS command was standardized for SMTP. Some legacy clients
-still use this protocol. If the &%tls_on_connect_ports%& option is set to a
-list of port numbers or service names,
-connections to those ports must use SSMTP. The most
-common use of this option is expected to be
+Exim supports the use of TLS-on-connect, used by mail clients in the
+&"submissions"& protocol, historically also known as SMTPS or SSMTP.
+For some years, IETF Standards Track documents only blessed the
+STARTTLS-based Submission service (port 587) while common practice was to support
+the same feature set on port 465, but using TLS-on-connect.
+If your installation needs to provide service to mail clients
+(Mail User Agents, MUAs) then you should provide service on both the 587 and
+the 465 TCP ports.
+
+If the &%tls_on_connect_ports%& option is set to a list of port numbers or
+service names, connections to those ports must first establish TLS, before
+proceeding to the application layer use of the SMTP protocol.
+
+The common use of this option is expected to be
.code
tls_on_connect_ports = 465
.endd
-because 465 is the usual port number used by the legacy clients. There is also
-a command line option &%-tls-on-connect%&, which forces all ports to behave in
-this way when a daemon is started.
+per RFC 8314.
+There is also a command line option &%-tls-on-connect%&, which forces all ports
+to behave in this way when a daemon is started.
&*Warning*&: Setting &%tls_on_connect_ports%& does not of itself cause the
daemon to listen on those ports. You must still specify them in
This option defines the ACL that is run for each DKIM signature
(by default, or as specified in the dkim_verify_signers option)
of a received message.
-See chapter &<<CHAPdkim>>& for further details.
+See section &<<SECDKIMVFY>>& for further details.
.option acl_smtp_etrn main string&!! unset
.cindex "ETRN" "ACL for"
This option gives a list of DKIM domains for which the DKIM ACL is run.
It is expanded after the message is received; by default it runs
the ACL once for each signature in the message.
-See chapter &<<CHAPdkim>>&.
+See section &<<SECDKIMVFY>>&.
.option dns_again_means_nonexist main "domain list&!!" unset
.option dns_ipv4_lookup main "domain list&!!" unset
.cindex "IPv6" "DNS lookup for AAAA records"
.cindex "DNS" "IPv6 lookup for AAAA records"
+.cindex DNS "IPv6 disabling"
When Exim is compiled with IPv6 support and &%disable_ipv6%& is not set, it
looks for IPv6 address records (AAAA records) as well as IPv4 address records
(A records) when trying to find IP addresses for hosts, unless the host's
chapter &<<CHAPi18n>>& for details of Exim's support for internationalisation.
-.option spamd_address main string "see below"
+.option spamd_address main string "127.0.0.1 783"
This option is available when Exim is compiled with the content-scanning
extension. It specifies how Exim connects to SpamAssassin's &%spamd%& daemon.
-The default value is
-.code
-127.0.0.1 783
-.endd
See section &<<SECTscanspamass>>& for more details.
+.new
+.option spf_guess main string "v=spf1 a/24 mx/24 ptr ?all"
+This option is available when Exim is compiled with SPF support.
+See section &<<SECSPF>>& for more details.
+.wen
+
+
+
.option split_spool_directory main boolean false
.cindex "multiple spool directories"
.cindex "spool directory" "split"
MX records of equal priority are sorted by Exim into a random order. Exim then
looks for address records for the host names obtained from MX or SRV records.
When a host has more than one IP address, they are sorted into a random order,
-except that IPv6 addresses are always sorted before IPv4 addresses. If all the
+.new
+except that IPv6 addresses are sorted before IPv4 addresses. If all the
+.wen
IP addresses found are discarded by a setting of the &%ignore_target_hosts%&
generic option, the router declines.
also being queued.
+.new
+.option ipv4_only "string&!!" unset
+.cindex IPv6 disabling
+.cindex DNS "IPv6 disabling"
+The string is expanded, and if the result is anything but a forced failure,
+or an empty string, or one of the strings “0” or “no” or “false”
+(checked without regard to the case of the letters),
+only A records are used.
+
+.option ipv4_prefer "string&!!" unset
+.cindex IPv4 preference
+.cindex DNS "IPv4 preference"
+The string is expanded, and if the result is anything but a forced failure,
+or an empty string, or one of the strings “0” or “no” or “false”
+(checked without regard to the case of the letters),
+A records are sorted before AAAA records (inverting the default).
+.wen
+
.option mx_domains dnslookup "domain list&!!" unset
.cindex "MX record" "required to exist"
.cindex "SRV record" "required to exist"
.section "How the options are used" "SECThowoptused"
-The options are a sequence of words; in practice no more than three are ever
-present. One of the words can be the name of a transport; this overrides the
+The options are a sequence of words, space-separated.
+One of the words can be the name of a transport; this overrides the
&%transport%& option on the router for this particular routing rule only. The
other words (if present) control randomization of the list of hosts on a
per-rule basis, and how the IP addresses of the hosts are to be found when
&%bydns%&: look up address records for the hosts directly in the DNS; fail if
no address records are found. If there is a temporary DNS error (such as a
timeout), delivery is deferred.
+.new
+.next
+&%ipv4_only%&: in direct DNS lookups, look up only A records.
+.next
+&%ipv4_prefer%&: in direct DNS lookups, sort A records before AAAA records.
+.wen
.endlist
For example:
-.section "Support for the legacy &""ssmtp""& (aka &""smtps""&) protocol" &&&
+.section "Support for the &""submissions""& (aka &""ssmtp""& and &""smtps""&) protocol" &&&
"SECID284"
+.cindex "submissions protocol"
.cindex "ssmtp protocol"
.cindex "smtps protocol"
+.cindex "SMTP" "submissions protocol"
.cindex "SMTP" "ssmtp protocol"
.cindex "SMTP" "smtps protocol"
-Early implementations of encrypted SMTP used a different TCP port from normal
-SMTP, and expected an encryption negotiation to start immediately, instead of
-waiting for a STARTTLS command from the client using the standard SMTP
-port. The protocol was called &"ssmtp"& or &"smtps"&, and port 465 was
-allocated for this purpose.
-
-This approach was abandoned when encrypted SMTP was standardized, but there are
-still some legacy clients that use it. Exim supports these clients by means of
-the &%tls_on_connect_ports%& global option. Its value must be a list of port
-numbers; the most common use is expected to be:
+The history of port numbers for TLS in SMTP is a little messy and has been
+contentious. As of RFC 8314, the common practice of using the historically
+allocated port 465 for "email submission but with TLS immediately upon connect
+instead of using STARTTLS" is officially blessed by the IETF, and recommended
+in preference to STARTTLS.
+
+The name originally assigned to the port was &"ssmtp"& or &"smtps"&, but as
+clarity emerged over the dual roles of SMTP, for MX delivery and Email
+Submission, nomenclature has shifted. The modern name is now &"submissions"&.
+
+This approach was, for a while, officially abandoned when encrypted SMTP was
+standardized, but many clients kept using it, even as the TCP port number was
+reassigned for other use.
+Thus you may encounter guidance claiming that you shouldn't enable use of
+this port.
+In practice, a number of mail-clients have only supported submissions, not
+submission with STARTTLS upgrade.
+Ideally, offer both submission (587) and submissions (465) service.
+
+Exim supports TLS-on-connect by means of the &%tls_on_connect_ports%&
+global option. Its value must be a list of port numbers;
+the most common use is expected to be:
.code
tls_on_connect_ports = 465
.endd
defined elsewhere.
There is also a &%-tls-on-connect%& command line option. This overrides
-&%tls_on_connect_ports%&; it forces the legacy behaviour for all ports.
+&%tls_on_connect_ports%&; it forces the TLS-only behaviour for all ports.
during TLS session handshake, to permit alternative values to be chosen:
.ilist
-.vindex "&%tls_certificate%&"
&%tls_certificate%&
.next
-.vindex "&%tls_crl%&"
&%tls_crl%&
.next
-.vindex "&%tls_privatekey%&"
&%tls_privatekey%&
.next
-.vindex "&%tls_verify_certificates%&"
&%tls_verify_certificates%&
.next
-.vindex "&%tls_ocsp_file%&"
&%tls_ocsp_file%&
.endlist
This ACL is evaluated before &%acl_smtp_mime%& and &%acl_smtp_data%&.
-For details on the operation of DKIM, see chapter &<<CHAPdkim>>&.
+For details on the operation of DKIM, see section &<<SECDKIM>>&.
.section "The SMTP MIME ACL" "SECID194"
{acl_check_rcpt} {acl_check_rcpt_submit} }
.endd
In the default configuration file there are some example settings for
-providing an RFC 4409 message submission service on port 587 and a
-non-standard &"smtps"& service on port 465. You can use a string
+providing an RFC 4409 message &"submission"& service on port 587 and
+an RFC 8314 &"submissions"& service on port 465. You can use a string
expansion like this to choose an ACL for MUAs on these ports which is
more appropriate for this purpose than the default ACL on port 25.
.cindex "disable DKIM verify"
.cindex "DKIM" "disable verify"
This control turns off DKIM verification processing entirely. For details on
-the operation and configuration of DKIM, see chapter &<<CHAPdkim>>&.
+the operation and configuration of DKIM, see section &<<SECDKIM>>&.
.vitem &*control&~=&~dscp/*&<&'value'&>
If the value of &%av_scanner%& starts with a dollar character, it is expanded
before use.
The usual list-parsing of the content (see &<<SECTlistconstruct>>&) applies.
-The following scanner types are supported in this release:
+The following scanner types are supported in this release,
+.new
+though individual ones can be included or not at build time:
+.wen
.vlist
.vitem &%avast%&
to be scanned, which will should normally result in less I/O happening and be
more efficient. Normally in the TCP case, the data is streamed to ClamAV as
Exim does not assume that there is a common filesystem with the remote host.
-There is an option WITH_OLD_CLAMAV_STREAM in &_src/EDITME_& available, should
-you be running a version of ClamAV prior to 0.95.
The final example shows that multiple TCP targets can be specified. Exim will
randomly use one for each incoming email (i.e. it load balances them). Note
&` `& command list for &"no mail in SMTP session"&
&`CV `& certificate verification status
&`D `& duration of &"no mail in SMTP session"&
+&`DKIM`& domain verified in incoming message
&`DN `& distinguished name from peer certificate
&`DS `& DNSSEC secured lookups
&`DT `& on &`=>`& lines: time taken for a delivery
&` `& on &"Completed"& lines: time spent on queue
&`R `& on &`<=`& lines: reference for local bounce
&` `& on &`=>`& &`>>`& &`**`& and &`==`& lines: router name
+&`RT `& on &`<=`& lines: time taken for reception
&`S `& size of message in bytes
&`SNI `& server name indication from TLS client hello
&`ST `& shadow transport name
.endd
failed. The delivery was discarded.
.endlist olist
+.next
+.new
+.cindex DKIM "log line"
+&'DKIM: d='&&~&~Verbose results of a DKIM verification attempt, if enabled for
+logging and the message has a DKIM signature header.
+.wen
.endlist ilist
&`*delay_delivery `& immediate delivery delayed
&` deliver_time `& time taken to perform delivery
&` delivery_size `& add &`S=`&&'nnn'& to => lines
+&`*dkim `& DKIM verified domain on <= lines
+&` dkim_verbose `& separate full DKIM verification result line, per signature
&`*dnslist_defer `& defers of DNS list (aka RBL) lookups
&` dnssec `& DNSSEC secured lookups
&`*etrn `& ETRN commands
&` incoming_interface `& local interface on <= and => lines
&` incoming_port `& remote port on <= lines
&`*lost_incoming_connection `& as it says (includes timeouts)
-&` millisec `& millisecond timestamps and QT,DT,D times
+&` millisec `& millisecond timestamps and RT,QT,DT,D times
&` outgoing_interface `& local interface on => lines
&` outgoing_port `& add remote port to => lines
&`*queue_run `& start and end queue runs
&%deliver_time%&: For each delivery, the amount of real time it has taken to
perform the actual delivery is logged as DT=<&'time'&>, for example, &`DT=1s`&.
If millisecond logging is enabled, short times will be shown with greater
-precision, eg. &`DT=0.304`&.
+precision, eg. &`DT=0.304s`&.
.next
.cindex "log" "message size on delivery"
.cindex "size" "of message"
&%delivery_size%&: For each delivery, the size of message delivered is added to
the &"=>"& line, tagged with S=.
.next
+.new
+.cindex log "DKIM verification"
+.cindex DKIM "verification logging"
+&%dkim%&: For message acceptance log lines, when an DKIM signture in the header
+verifies successfully a tag of DKIM is added, with one of the verified domains.
+.next
+.cindex log "DKIM verification"
+.cindex DKIM "verification logging"
+&%dkim_verbose%&: A log entry is written for each attempted DKIM verification.
+.wen
+.next
.cindex "log" "dnslist defer"
.cindex "DNS list" "logging defer"
.cindex "black list (DNS)"
the local host is logged as QT=<&'time'&> on &"Completed"& lines, for
example, &`QT=3m45s`&. The clock starts when Exim starts to receive the
message, so it includes reception time as well as the total delivery time.
+.new
+.next
+.cindex "log" "receive duration"
+&%receive_time%&: For each message, the amount of real time it has taken to
+perform the reception is logged as RT=<&'time'&>, for example, &`RT=1s`&.
+If millisecond logging is enabled, short times will be shown with greater
+precision, eg. &`RT=0.204s`&.
+.wen
.next
.cindex "log" "recipients"
&%received_recipients%&: The recipients of a message are listed in the main log
. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-.chapter "Support for DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)" "CHAPdkim" &&&
- "DKIM Support"
+.chapter "DKIM and SPF" "CHAPdkim" &&&
+ "DKIM and SPF Support"
.cindex "DKIM"
+.section "DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)" SECDKIM
+
DKIM is a mechanism by which messages sent by some entity can be provably
linked to a domain which that entity controls. It permits reputation to
be tracked on a per-domain basis, rather than merely upon source IP address.
DKIM is documented in RFC 4871.
+.new
+As DKIM relies on the message being unchanged in transit, messages handled
+by a mailing-list (which traditionally adds to the message) will not match
+any original DKIM signature.
+.wen
+
DKIM support is compiled into Exim by default if TLS support is present.
It can be disabled by setting DISABLE_DKIM=yes in &_Local/Makefile_&.
default "policy". Instead it enables you to build your own policy using
Exim's standard controls.
+.new
Please note that verification of DKIM signatures in incoming mail is turned
-on by default for logging purposes. For each signature in incoming email,
+on by default for logging (in the <= line) purposes.
+
+Additional log detail can be enabled using the &%dkim_verbose%& log_selector.
+When set, for each signature in incoming email,
exim will log a line displaying the most important signature details, and the
signature status. Here is an example (with line-breaks added for clarity):
.code
c=relaxed/relaxed a=rsa-sha1
i=@facebookmail.com t=1252484542 [verification succeeded]
.endd
+.wen
+
You might want to turn off DKIM verification processing entirely for internal
or relay mail sources. To do that, set the &%dkim_disable_verify%& ACL
control modifier. This should typically be done in the RCPT ACL, at points
.section "Signing outgoing messages" "SECDKIMSIGN"
.cindex "DKIM" "signing"
+.new
+For signing to be usable you must have published a DKIM record in DNS.
+Note that RFC 8301 says:
+.code
+rsa-sha1 MUST NOT be used for signing or verifying.
+
+Signers MUST use RSA keys of at least 1024 bits for all keys.
+Signers SHOULD use RSA keys of at least 2048 bits.
+.endd
+.wen
+.wen
+
Signing is enabled by setting private options on the SMTP transport.
These options take (expandable) strings as arguments.
After expansion, this can be a list.
Each element in turn is put into the &%$dkim_domain%& expansion variable
while expanding the remaining signing options.
-If it is empty after expansion, DKIM signing is not done.
+If it is empty after expansion, DKIM signing is not done,
+and no error will result even if &%dkim_strict%& is set.
.option dkim_selector smtp string list&!! unset
This sets the key selector string.
Each element in turn is put in the expansion
variable &%$dkim_selector%& which may be used in the &%dkim_private_key%&
option along with &%$dkim_domain%&.
-If the option is empty after expansion, DKIM signing is not done for this domain.
+If the option is empty after expansion, DKIM signing is not done for this domain,
+and no error will result even if &%dkim_strict%& is set.
.option dkim_private_key smtp string&!! unset
This sets the private key to use.
be signed. This case will not result in an error, even if &%dkim_strict%&
is set.
.endlist
-If the option is empty after expansion, DKIM signing is not done.
+
+.new
+Note that RFC 8301 says:
+.code
+Signers MUST use RSA keys of at least 1024 bits for all keys.
+Signers SHOULD use RSA keys of at least 2048 bits.
+.endd
+.wen
.option dkim_hash smtp string&!! sha256
Can be set alternatively to &"sha1"& to use an alternate hash
-method. Note that sha1 is now condidered insecure, and deprecated.
+method.
+
+.new
+Note that RFC 8301 says:
+.code
+rsa-sha1 MUST NOT be used for signing or verifying.
+.endd
+.wen
.option dkim_identity smtp string&!! unset
If set after expansion, the value is used to set an "i=" tag in
name will be appended.
-.section "Verifying DKIM signatures in incoming mail" "SECID514"
+.section "Verifying DKIM signatures in incoming mail" "SECDKIMVFY"
.cindex "DKIM" "verification"
Verification of DKIM signatures in SMTP incoming email is implemented via the
DKIM verification. It may of course also mean that the signature is forged.
.endlist
-This variable can be overwritten using an ACL 'set' modifier.
+This variable can be overwritten, with any value, using an ACL 'set' modifier.
.vitem &%$dkim_domain%&
The signing domain. IMPORTANT: This variable is only populated if there is
.vitem &%$dkim_algo%&
The algorithm used. One of 'rsa-sha1' or 'rsa-sha256'.
+.new
+Note that RFC 8301 says:
+.code
+rsa-sha1 MUST NOT be used for signing or verifying.
+
+DKIM signatures identified as having been signed with historic
+algorithms (currently, rsa-sha1) have permanently failed evaluation
+.endd
+
+To enforce this you must have a DKIM ACL which checks this variable
+and overwrites the &$dkim_verify_status$& variable as discussed above.
+.wen
+
.vitem &%$dkim_canon_body%&
The body canonicalization method. One of 'relaxed' or 'simple'.
.vitem &%$dkim_key_length%&
Number of bits in the key.
+
+.new
+Note that RFC 8301 says:
+.code
+Verifiers MUST NOT consider signatures using RSA keys of
+less than 1024 bits as valid signatures.
+.endd
+
+To enforce this you must have a DKIM ACL which checks this variable
+and overwrites the &$dkim_verify_status$& variable as discussed above.
+.wen
+
.endlist
In addition, two ACL conditions are provided:
for more information of what they mean.
.endlist
+
+
+
+.new
+.section "SPF (Sender Policy Framework)" SECSPF
+.cindex SPF verification
+
+SPF is a mechanism whereby a domain may assert which IP addresses may transmit
+messages with its domain in the envelope from, documented by RFC 7208.
+For more information on SPF see &url(http://www.openspf.org).
+
+Messages sent by a system not authorised will fail checking of such assertions.
+This includes retransmissions done by traditional forwarders.
+
+SPF verification support is built into Exim if SUPPORT_SPF=yes is set in
+&_Local/Makefile_&. The support uses the &_libspf2_& library
+&url(http://www.libspf2.org/).
+There is no Exim involvement on the trasmission of messages; publishing certain
+DNS records is all that is required.
+
+For verification, an ACL condition and an expansion lookup are provided.
+
+.cindex SPF "ACL condition"
+.cindex ACL "spf condition"
+The ACL condition "spf" can be used at or after the MAIL ACL.
+It takes as an argument a list of strings giving the outcome of the SPF check,
+and will succeed for any matching outcome.
+Valid strings are:
+.vlist
+.vitem &%pass%&
+The SPF check passed, the sending host is positively verified by SPF.
+
+.vitem &%fail%&
+The SPF check failed, the sending host is NOT allowed to send mail for the
+domain in the envelope-from address.
+
+.vitem &%softfail%&
+The SPF check failed, but the queried domain can't absolutely confirm that this
+is a forgery.
+
+.vitem &%none%&
+The queried domain does not publish SPF records.
+
+.vitem &%neutral%&
+The SPF check returned a "neutral" state. This means the queried domain has
+published a SPF record, but wants to allow outside servers to send mail under
+its domain as well. This should be treated like "none".
+
+.vitem &%permerror%&
+This indicates a syntax error in the SPF record of the queried domain.
+You may deny messages when this occurs. (Changed in 4.83)
+
+.vitem &%temperror%&
+This indicates a temporary error during all processing, including Exim's
+SPF processing. You may defer messages when this occurs.
+(Changed in 4.83)
+
+.vitem &%err_temp%&
+Same as permerror, deprecated in 4.83, will be removed in a future release.
+
+.vitem &%err_perm%&
+Same as temperror, deprecated in 4.83, will be removed in a future release.
+.endlist
+
+You can prefix each string with an exclamation mark to invert
+its meaning, for example "!fail" will match all results but
+"fail". The string list is evaluated left-to-right, in a
+short-circuit fashion.
+
+Example:
+.code
+deny spf = fail
+ message = $sender_host_address is not allowed to send mail from \
+ ${if def:sender_address_domain \
+ {$sender_address_domain}{$sender_helo_name}}. \
+ Please see http://www.openspf.org/Why?scope=\
+ ${if def:sender_address_domain {mfrom}{helo}};\
+ identity=${if def:sender_address_domain \
+ {$sender_address}{$sender_helo_name}};\
+ ip=$sender_host_address
+.endd
+
+When the spf condition has run, it sets up several expansion
+variables:
+
+.cindex SPF "verification variables"
+.vlist
+.vitem &$spf_header_comment$&
+.vindex &$spf_header_comment$&
+ This contains a human-readable string describing the outcome
+ of the SPF check. You can add it to a custom header or use
+ it for logging purposes.
+
+.vitem &$spf_received$&
+.vindex &$spf_received$&
+ This contains a complete Received-SPF: header that can be
+ added to the message. Please note that according to the SPF
+ draft, this header must be added at the top of the header
+ list. Please see section 10 on how you can do this.
+
+ Note: in case of "Best-guess" (see below), the convention is
+ to put this string in a header called X-SPF-Guess: instead.
+
+.vitem &$spf_result$&
+.vindex &$spf_result$&
+ This contains the outcome of the SPF check in string form,
+ one of pass, fail, softfail, none, neutral, permerror or
+ temperror.
+
+.vitem &$spf_smtp_comment$&
+.vindex &$spf_smtp_comment$&
+ This contains a string that can be used in a SMTP response
+ to the calling party. Useful for "fail".
+.endlist
+
+
+.cindex SPF "ACL condition"
+.cindex ACL "spf_guess condition"
+.cindex SPF "best guess"
+In addition to SPF, you can also perform checks for so-called
+"Best-guess". Strictly speaking, "Best-guess" is not standard
+SPF, but it is supported by the same framework that enables SPF
+capability.
+Refer to &url(http://www.openspf.org/FAQ/Best_guess_record)
+for a description of what it means.
+
+To access this feature, simply use the spf_guess condition in place
+of the spf one. For example:
+
+.code
+deny spf_guess = fail
+ message = $sender_host_address doesn't look trustworthy to me
+.endd
+
+In case you decide to reject messages based on this check, you
+should note that although it uses the same framework, "Best-guess"
+is not SPF, and therefore you should not mention SPF at all in your
+reject message.
+
+When the spf_guess condition has run, it sets up the same expansion
+variables as when spf condition is run, described above.
+
+Additionally, since Best-guess is not standardized, you may redefine
+what "Best-guess" means to you by redefining the main configuration
+&%spf_guess%& option.
+For example, the following:
+
+.code
+spf_guess = v=spf1 a/16 mx/16 ptr ?all
+.endd
+
+would relax host matching rules to a broader network range.
+
+
+.cindex SPF "lookup expansion"
+.cindex lookup spf
+A lookup expansion is also available. It takes an email
+address as the key and an IP address as the database:
+
+.code
+ ${lookup {username@domain} spf {ip.ip.ip.ip}}
+.endd
+
+The lookup will return the same result strings as they can appear in
+&$spf_result$& (pass,fail,softfail,neutral,none,err_perm,err_temp).
+Currently, only IPv4 addresses are supported.
+
+
+. wen-for SPF section
+.wen
+
+
. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////