Exim SMTP Mail Server (Release 4)

I have just recently been asked to support a Exim SMTP mail server (release 4), as I am new to this software I though I would create a web site detailing how SMTP and Exim work, however this site will only be a reference guide which can be used for revision purposes.

The site has been comprised of reading the following book and real world experience, if you are new to Exim I highly recommend that you should purchase this book as it contains far more information than this web site contains and of course the Official Exim web site contains all the documentation you will ever need.

Please feel free to email me any constructive criticism you have with the site as any additional Exim knowledge or mistakes that I have made would be most welcomed.


Exim Cheat Sheet
  Cheat Sheet

Introduction
  Introduction
  MTA and Internet Message Standards
  Message Format Standards
  SMTP Protocol
  Forgery, Authentication and Encryption
  Mail and DNS

Exim Overview
  Exim's Queue
  Receiving and Delivering Messages
  Exim's Processes
  Configuration
  How Exim Delivers Messages
  Processing an Address
  Complete Example
  Complications
  Use of Transports by Routers

Exim Operations Overview
  How Exim identifies Messages
  Runtime Configuration File

Extending the Delivery Configuration
  Multiple Domains
  Mailing Lists
  Using external local delivery agents
  Mixed Local/Remote Domains
  Ignoring the local part in local deliveries
  Handling case-sensitive local parts
  Modifying messages Bodies

Generic Router Options
  Conditional running of Routers
  Changing a Routers successful outcome
  Adding data for subsequent use
  Messages for unrouteable address
  Handling DNS timeouts
  Debugging Routers

Routers
  Accept Router
  DNS Router
  Manualroute Router
  QueryProgram Router
  Redirect Router

Generic Transport Options
  Environment for Running Transports
  Debugging Transports
  Transport Message Options
  Change the Return Path
  Transport Filters

Transports
  SMTP transport
  Address Batching
  Options Common to the appendfile and pipe transports
  Appendfile transport
  Pipe transport
  LMTP transport
  Autoreply transport

Message Filtering
  Examples of filter commands
  User Filter
  System Filter
  Testing Filters
  Format of Exim Filters
  Filter Commands
  Additional Features

Exim Processes
  Messages Files
  Hints Files
  Process Relationships
  Daemon Process
  Reception Processes
  Queue Runner Processes
  Delivery Processes
  Summary

Delivery Errors and Retrying
  Remote Delivery Errors
  Local Delivery Errors
  Routing Errors
  Retry Rules

Encryption, Authentication and other SMTP Processing
  Encrypted SMTP connections
  SMTP Authentication
  SMTP over TCP/IP
  Batched SMTP

Message Reception
  Messages from Local Processes
  Unqualified Addresses from Remote Hosts
  Checking a Remote Host
  Rate Control
  Relay Control

Access Control Lists
  Default ACL configuration
  Using ACLs
  ACL Variables and Verbs
  ACL Modifiers
  Arguments for the Control Modifier
  ACL Conditions

Address Verification
  Basic Sender and Recipient Verification
  Verification Callouts
  Redirection while Verifying
  Testing Address Verification
  Bounce Address TAG Validation (BATV)

Address and Header Processing
  Submission Mode
  Processing Header Lines
  Rewriting Addresses

File and Database Lookups
  Single-Key Lookups
  Query Style Lookups

String Expansion
  Escaping Literal Substrings
  Variable Substitution
  Header Insertion
  Operations on Strings
  Character Translation
  Text Substitution
  Conditional Expansion
  Lookups in Expansion Strings
  Inserting Whole Files
  Extracting Fields from Substrings
  Calling External Code
  Testing String Expansion

Domain, Host and Address List
  List Basics
  Domain Lists
  Host Lists
  Address Lists

Miscellany
  Security Issues
  Privileged Users
  Timestamps
  Checking Pool Space
  Control of DNS lookups
  Bounce Message Handling
  SMTP Banner Strings

Command-Line Interface
  Input Mode Control
  Additional Message Data
  Immediate Delivery Control
  Error Reporting
  Queue Runner Process
  Configuration Overrides
  Watching Exim
  Message Control
  Testing
  Debugging

Administering Exim
  Log Files
  Logging Options
  Log Format
  Exim Utilities
  Hints Database Maintenance

Building and Installing Exim
  Building and Installing Exim

Complete Configuration file breakdown
  Decrypting Exim's Configuration Files - Explaining step by step Exim's config files

Links
  The official Exim web site

Books

Exim Books
The Exim SMTP mail server (release 4) - Philip Hazel This is the up to date Release 4 version of the book. There are not to many books on Exim this one being the better of the bunch.