Ubuntu – Postfix maildir delivery failed – are the mails lost

maildirpostfixUbuntu

I was facing the problem that postfix could not deliver emails to my home-directory. I have a running Ubuntu 14.04 server and due to some problem with encrypted home-drive postfix was not able to access my Maildir.

In mail.log I got the following error:

Apr  4 09:51:35 server postfix/smtpd[13658]: connect from localhost[127.0.0.1]
Apr  4 09:51:35 server postfix/smtpd[13658]: 6FE354360A18: client=localhost[127.0.0.1]
Apr  4 09:51:35 server postfix/cleanup[13661]: 6FE354360A18: message-id=<57021a4f72db3_e5d5127d8cc173209@hermes-1.mail>
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/smtpd[13658]: disconnect from localhost[127.0.0.1]
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/qmgr[2085]: 6FE354360A18: from=<mailrobot@xing.com>, size=87170, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/local[13664]: warning: maildir access problem for UID/GID=1000/1000: create maildir file /home/user/Maildir/tmp/1459756296.P13664.server: Permission denied
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/local[13664]: warning: perhaps you need to create the maildirs in advance
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/local[13664]: 6FE354360A18: to=<andreas@localhost>, relay=local, delay=0.95, delays=0.88/0.01/0/0.06, dsn=5.2.0, status=bounced (maildir delivery failed: create maildir file /home/user/Maildir/tmp/1459756296.P13664.server: Permission denied)
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/cleanup[13661]: 668984360A1A: message-id=<20160404075136.668984360A1A@server>
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/bounce[13665]: 6FE354360A18: sender non-delivery notification: 668984360A1A
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/qmgr[2085]: 668984360A1A: from=<>, size=4544, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/qmgr[2085]: 6FE354360A18: removed
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/smtp[13666]: 668984360A1A: to=<mailrobot@xing.com>, relay=smtp.otherserver.org:587, delay=0.54, delays=0.19/0.05/0.23/0.07, dsn=2.0.0, status=sent (250 2.0.0 Ok: queued as C979113D0138)
Apr  4 09:51:36 server postfix/qmgr[2085]: 668984360A1A: removed

I rebooted the server and hoped to find the emails which were sent in the meantime in /var/mail/xxx but there was only a zero byte file with my username.

Does this mean that the emails which I received in the meantime are lost? How can I configure that emails are saved?

EDIT: mailq shows empty mail queue.
EDIT2: added more log output

Best Answer

It should be in the mail queue

Send a simple email

# echo "Hello world" | swaks -4 --server smtp.example.net --from alex.hha@gmail.com --to sf-768072@example.net --h-Subject "Test message" --body -
=== Trying smtp.example.net:25...
=== Connected to smtp.example.net.
<-  220 smtp.example.net ESMTP Postfix
 -> EHLO tl-resin-node1.example.net
<-  250-smtp.example.net
<-  250-PIPELINING
<-  250-SIZE 10240000
<-  250-VRFY
<-  250-ETRN
<-  250-AUTH LOGIN PLAIN
<-  250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES
<-  250-8BITMIME
<-  250 DSN
 -> MAIL FROM:<alex.hha@gmail.com>
<-  250 2.1.0 Ok
 -> RCPT TO:<sf-768072@example.net>
<-  250 2.1.5 Ok
 -> DATA
<-  354 End data with <CR><LF>.<CR><LF>
 -> Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2016 03:45:43 -0400
 -> To: sf-768072@example.net
 -> From: alex.hha@gmail.com
 -> Subject: Test message
 -> X-Mailer: swaks v20130209.0 jetmore.org/john/code/swaks/
 ->
 -> Hello world
 ->
 ->
 -> .
<-  250 2.0.0 Ok: queued as 581271C1811
 -> QUIT
<-  221 2.0.0 Bye
=== Connection closed with remote host.

Check maillog on the smtp.example.net

# cat /var/log/maillog | grep 581271C1811
Apr  5 07:45:41 ci postfix/smtpd[31639]: 581271C1811: client=smtp.example.com[192.168.88.130]
Apr  5 07:45:41 ci postfix/cleanup[31642]: 581271C1811: message-id=<>
Apr  5 07:45:41 ci postfix/qmgr[31633]: 581271C1811: from=<alex.hha@gmail.com>, size=389, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Apr  5 07:45:41 ci postfix/virtual[31643]: 581271C1811: to=<sf-768072@example.net>, relay=virtual, delay=0.07, delays=0.02/0.01/0/0.04, dsn=4.2.0, status=deferred (maildir delivery failed: create maildir file /var/mail/virtual/example.net/sf-768072@example.net/tmp/1459842341.P31643.ci.example.net: Permission denied)

Check maillog

# postqueue -p
-Queue ID- --Size-- ----Arrival Time---- -Sender/Recipient-------
581271C1811      389 Tue Apr  5 07:45:41  alex.hha@gmail.com
(maildir delivery failed: create maildir file /var/mail/virtual/example.net/sf-768072@example.net/tmp/1459842341.P31643.ci.example.net: Permission denied)
                                         sf-768072@example.net

-- 1 Kbytes in 1 Request.

Fix the permissions

# ls -la
total 16
drwxr-xr-x  4 alex alex 4096 Mar 18 14:32 .
drwxrwxr-x. 3 root mail 4096 Apr  2 03:35 ..
drwx------  3 virtual virtual 4096 Mar 15 09:18 example.com
drwx------  3 root    virtual 4096 Mar 18 14:32 example.net

# chown virtual:virtual example.net

Flush the mail queue and check maillog again 

# postqueue -f

Apr  5 07:49:01 ci postfix/anvil[31640]: statistics: max cache size 1 at Apr  5 07:45:41
Apr  5 07:49:29 ci postfix/qmgr[31633]: 581271C1811: from=<alex.hha@gmail.com>, size=389, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Apr  5 07:49:29 ci postfix/virtual[31894]: 581271C1811: to=<sf-768072@example.net>, relay=virtual, delay=228, delays=228/0.02/0/0.06, dsn=2.0.0, status=sent (delivered to maildir)
Apr  5 07:49:29 ci postfix/qmgr[31633]: 581271C1811: removed
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