How To Configure Custom Postfix Bounce Messages

How To Configure Custom Postfix Bounce Messages

Version 1.0
Author: Falko Timme
Last edited 02/26/2008

Since Postfix version 2.3, Postfix supports custom bounce messages. This guide shows how to configure custom Postfix bounce messages.

I do not issue any guarantee that this will work for you!

1 Postfix Version

First you should find out about your Postfix version to make sure it supports custom bounce messages:

postconf -d | grep mail_version

server2:~# postconf -d | grep mail_version
mail_version = 2.3.8
milter_macro_v = $mail_name $mail_version
server2:~#

If your Postfix is 2.3 or newer, then you're good to go.

2 Set maximal_queue_lifetime And delay_warning_time

From http://www.postfix.org/postconf.5.html:

maximal_queue_lifetime: The maximal time a message is queued before it is sent back as undeliverable.

delay_warning_time: The time after which the sender receives the message headers of mail that is still queued.

The postconf -n command shows the settings that are currently configured in /etc/postfix/main.cf, whereas the postconf -d command shows the default settings that are valid unless something else is set in /etc/postfix/main.cf.