SSMTP(8) SSMTP(8)
NAME
ssmtp, sendmail - send a message using smtp
SYNOPSIS
ssmtp [ flags ] [ address ... ]
/usr/lib/sendmail [ flags ] [ address ... ]
DESCRIPTION
ssmtp is a send-only sendmail emulator for machines which
normally pick their mail up from a centralized mailhub
(via pop, imap, nfs mounts or other means). It provides
the functionality required for humans and programs to send
mail via the standard or /usr/bin/mail user agents.
It accepts a mail stream on standard input with recipients
specified on the command line and synchronously forwards
the message to the mail transfer agent of a mailhub for
the mailhub MTA to process. Failed messages are placed in
dead.letter in the sender's home directory.
Config files allow one to specify the address to receive
mail from root, daemon, etc.; a default mailhub; a default
domain to be used in From: lines; and per-user From:
addresses and mailhub names.
It does not attempt to provide all the functionality of
sendmail: it is intended for use where other programs are
the primary means of at last mail delivery. It is usefull
with pop/imap, or to simulate the Sun shared mail spool
option for non-Sun machines, for machines whose sendmails
are too difficult (or various) to configure, for machines
with known disfeatures in their sendmails or for ones
where there are ``mysterious problems''.
It does not do aliasing, which must be done either in the
user agent or on the mailhub. Nor does it honor .forwards,
which have to be done on the recieving host. It espe-
cially does not deliver to pipelines.
OPTIONS
Most sendmail options are irrelevent to sSMTP. Those
marked ``ignored'' or ``default'' have no effect on mail
transfer. Those marked ``unsupported'' are fatal errors.
Those marked ``simulated'' are not errors, but the result
is for the program to exit with an informative message. A
sort of fatal non-error.
-auusername
Specifies username for login authorization. (only
tested with MS Exchange)
-appassword Specifies password for login authoriza-
tion. (only tested with MS Exchange)
-ba (unsupported) ARPANET mode. All input lines
must end with a LINEFEED, and all messages will be
generated with a CR-LF at the end. Also, the
``From:'' and ``Sender:'' fields are examined for
the name of the sender.
-bd (unsupported) Run as a daemon.
-bi (ignored) Initialize the alias database.
-bm (default) Deliver mail in the usual way.
-bp (simulated) Print a summary of the mail queue.
-bs (unsupported) Read SMTP commands from stdin.
-bt (unsupported) Run in address test mode.
-bv (unsupported) Verify names only.
-bz (unsupported) Create the configuration freeze file.
-Cfile (ignored) Use alternate configuration file.
-dX Set debugging value to X.
-E (ignored) Don't trust userid of sender.
-Ffullname
Set the full name of the sender.
-fname Sets the name of the ``from'' person. This option
is valid only if no From: line is specified within
the header of the email.
-h (ignored) Set the hop count to N.
-m (ignored) Ignore originator in alias.
-Mid (ignored) Attempt to deliver the queued message
with message-id id.
-N dsn (ignored) Set delivery status notification condi-
tions to dsn.
-n (default) Do not do aliasing.
-oAfile
(ignored) Use alternate alias file.
-oc (ignored) Delay ``expensive'' connections.
-od (ignored) Set the delivery mode to interactive/syn-
chronous, background or queue (Always interactive).
-oD (ignored) Run newaliases if required.
-oe (ignored) Set error processing to mail, write,
print or quit. (Always print).
-oFmode
(ignored) The mode to use when creating temporary
files.
-of (ignored) Save UNIX-system-style ``From'' lines at
the front of messages.
-ogN (ignored) Set group ID to use when calling mailers.
-oHfile
(ignored) Set SMTP help file.
-oi (default) Do not take dots on a line by themselves
as a message terminator.
-oLn (ignored) The log level.
-om (default) Send to ``me'' (the sender) also if in an
alias.
-oo (unsupported) If set, this message may have old
style headers.
-oQqueuedir
(ignored) Select the directory in which to queue
messages.
-ortimeout
(ignored) The timeout on reads.
-oSfile
(ignored) Save statistics in the named file.
-os (ignored) Always instantiate the queue.
-oTtime
(ignored) Set timeout on messages.
-otstz,dtz
(ignored) Set the name of the time zone.
-ouN (ignored) Set the default user id for mailers.
-q[time]
(simulated) Process the queue.
-rname Same as -f.
-Rstring
(ignored) Process queue for recipient.
-R return
(ignored) Set the amount of the message to be
returned if the message bounces.
-t Read message, searching for recipients. ``To:'',
`Cc:'', and ``Bcc:'' lines will be scanned for peo-
ple to send to. Any addresses in the argument
list will be suppressed (not supported).
-v Go into verbose mode.
-V Say version and quit.
REVERSE ALIASES
A reverse alias gives the From: address placed on a user's
outgoing messages and (optionally) the mailhub these mes-
sages will be sent through. Example:
root:jdoe@isp.com:mail.isp.com
Messages root sends will be identified as from
jdoe@isp.com and sent through mail.isp.com.
FILES
/etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf - configuration file
/etc/ssmtp/revaliases - reverse aliases file
SEE ALSO
RFC 821, RFC 822.
DIAGNOSTICS
AUTHORS
Hugo Haas (hugo@debian.org) Christoph Lameter (clame-
ter@debian.org) Dave Collier-Brown (davecb@hobbes.ss.org)
BUGS
sSMTP does not support exception lists to the -t option
(never seen it used). Header size is limited to 4K and a
max of 100 addresses.
sSMTP will fail if the mailhub is unreachable.
Last change: 5 February 2000