The Queue Control File: qf

A queued mail message is composed of two primary parts. The df file contains the message body. The qf file contains the message header.

In addition to the header, the qf file also contains all the information necessary to:

  • Deliver the message. It contains the sender’s address and a list of recipient addresses.

  • Order message processing. It contains a priority that determines the current message’s position in a queue run of many messages.

  • Expire the message. It contains the date that the message was originally queued. That date is used to time out a message.

  • Explain the message. It contains the reason that the message is in the queue and possibly the error that caused it to be queued.

The qf file is line-oriented, with one item of information per line. Each line begins with a single uppercase character (the code letter), which specifies the contents of the line. Each code letter is then followed by the information appropriate to the letter. The code letters and their meanings are shown in Table 11-6 on page 446.

Here is an example of a version 8 (for V8.14 sendmail) qf file:

V8 T944703473 K0 N0 P1 I7/22/19133 Fwbs $_you@localhost ${daemon_flags}c u Syou@your.domain Ayou@your.domain rRFC822; george@wash.dc.gov RPFD:george@wash.dc.gov H?P?Return-Path: <you> H??Received: (from you@localhost) by your.domain (8.14.1/8.14.1) id g38DcXCL026713 for george@wash.dc.gov; Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:37:53 −0800 (PST) H?D?Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:37:53 −0800 (PST) H?F?From: Your Name ...

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