In order to separate the mail logs from the general system logs, I added this line to /etc/postfix/main.cf
maillog_file = /var/log/postfix.log
As expected, a file /var/log/postfix.log is created, and there are no more postfix entries in the var/log/syslog. Unfortunately, it seems that this will also change the contents of the log entries. This is what I get in the postfix.log (changed my original domain name against example.com here)
May 23 17:33:15 example postfix/qmgr[662299]: E7DB742646: from=<[email protected]>, size=549252, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
May 23 17:33:15 example postfix/qmgr[662299]: D7DA646E85: removed
When changing it back (and I changed back and forth several times to be sure), and after sending the same email again, I get this in syslog.
May 23 17:33:52 example2020 postfix/smtp[664151]: DE7EA4265D: to=<[email protected]>, relay=mail.example.com[11.111.11.111]:25, delay=1.7, delays=0.07/0.02/0.11/1.5, dsn=2.0.0, status=sent (250 2.0.0 Ok: queued as 1BC7874B3A)
May 23 17:33:52 example2020 postfix/qmgr[664141]: DE7EA4265D: removed
Obviously, there are a lot of differences. First, a different server name is given after the date (example is set in /etc/mailname, example2020 is specified in /etc/hostname). Second, only the postfix/qmgr entries are logged, but not the postfix/smtp that contain additional information. The same is true for the var/log/mail.log that does not receive these entries any more.
So, here are two question...
(1) Why does postfix (mail_version = 3.4.13) log different information (no more postfix/smtp) as soon as I specify a maillog_file?
(2) Any ideas how to tell postfix that I want my postfix/smtp information back?
Postfix Configuration
$ postconf -n
alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases
alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
append_dot_mydomain = no
biff = no
bounce_queue_lifetime = 24h
compatibility_level = 2
home_mailbox = Maildir/
inet_interfaces = all
inet_protocols = all
mailbox_size_limit = 0
maillog_file = /var/log/postfix.log # This is the trouble maker
maximal_queue_lifetime = 36h
message_size_limit = 67108864
milter_default_action = accept
milter_protocol = 6
mydestination = example2020 # Host name replaced by "example"
myhostname = example.com
mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8 [::ffff:127.0.0.0]/104 [::1]/128
myorigin = /etc/mailname
non_smtpd_milters = inet:localhost:8892
readme_directory = no
recipient_delimiter = +
relayhost =
sender_canonical_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/senders
smtp_bind_address = 11.111.11.111
smtp_bind_address6 = 2a02:xxxx:0:xxxx::xx
smtp_destination_concurrency_limit = 3
smtp_tls_CApath = /etc/ssl/certs
smtp_tls_cert_file = /var/www/ssl/example.cert
smtp_tls_key_file = /var/www/ssl/example.key
smtp_tls_security_level = may
smtp_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtp_scache
smtpd_banner = $myhostname ESMTP $mail_name (Ubuntu)
smtpd_milters = inet:localhost:8892 # This one is for OpenDKIM
smtpd_relay_restrictions = permit_mynetworks permit_sasl_authenticated defer_unauth_destination
smtpd_sasl_security_options = noanonymous
smtpd_tls_cert_file = /var/www/ssl/example.cert
smtpd_tls_exclude_ciphers = ECDHE-RSA-RC4-SHA
smtpd_tls_key_file = /var/www/ssl/example.key
smtpd_tls_mandatory_ciphers = high
smtpd_tls_mandatory_exclude_ciphers = ECDHE-RSA-RC4-SHA
smtpd_tls_mandatory_protocols = !SSLv2, !SSLv3
smtpd_tls_security_level = may
smtpd_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtpd_scache
smtpd_use_tls = yes
tls_high_cipherlist = EDH+CAMELLIA:EDH+aRSA:EECDH+aRSA+AESGCM:EECDH+aRSA+SHA384:EECDH+aRSA+SHA256:EECDH:+CAMELLIA256:+AES256:+CAMELLIA128:+AES128:+SSLv3:!aNULL:!eNULL:!LOW:!3DES:!MD5:!EXP:!PSK:!DSS:!RC4:!SEED:!ECDSA:CAMELLIA256-SHA:AES256-SHA:CAMELLIA128-SHA:AES128-SHA
tls_ssl_options = NO_COMPRESSION
virtual_alias_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/virtual
$ postconf -M
smtp inet n - y - - smtpd
pickup unix n - y 60 1 pickup
cleanup unix n - y - 0 cleanup
qmgr unix n - n 300 1 qmgr
tlsmgr unix - - y 1000? 1 tlsmgr
rewrite unix - - y - - trivial-rewrite
bounce unix - - y - 0 bounce
defer unix - - y - 0 bounce
trace unix - - y - 0 bounce
verify unix - - y - 1 verify
flush unix n - y 1000? 0 flush
proxymap unix - - n - - proxymap
proxywrite unix - - n - 1 proxymap
smtp unix - - y - - smtp
relay unix - - y - - smtp -o syslog_name=postfix/$service_name
showq unix n - y - - showq
error unix - - y - - error
retry unix - - y - - error
discard unix - - y - - discard
local unix - n n - - local
virtual unix - n n - - virtual
lmtp unix - - y - - lmtp
anvil unix - - y - 1 anvil
scache unix - - y - 1 scache
postlog unix-dgram n - n - 1 postlogd
maildrop unix - n n - - pipe flags=DRhu user=vmail argv=/usr/bin/maildrop -d ${recipient}
uucp unix - n n - - pipe flags=Fqhu user=uucp argv=uux -r -n -z -a$sender - $nexthop!rmail ($recipient)
ifmail unix - n n - - pipe flags=F user=ftn argv=/usr/lib/ifmail/ifmail -r $nexthop ($recipient)
bsmtp unix - n n - - pipe flags=Fq. user=bsmtp argv=/usr/lib/bsmtp/bsmtp -t$nexthop -f$sender $recipient
scalemail-backend unix - n n - 2 pipe flags=R user=scalemail argv=/usr/lib/scalemail/bin/scalemail-store ${nexthop} ${user} ${extension}
mailman unix - n n - - pipe flags=FR user=list argv=/usr/lib/mailman/bin/postfix-to-mailman.py ${nexthop} ${user}
