Postfix
Postfix
Plugin: go.d.plugin Module: postfix
Overview
This collector retrieves statistics about the Postfix mail queue using the postqueue command-line tool.
It periodically executes the postqueue -p command. The collection interval is set to 10 seconds by default, but this can be configurable.
This collector is supported on all platforms.
This collector only supports collecting metrics from a single instance of this integration.
Postfix has internal access controls for the mail queue. By default, all users can view the queue. If your system has stricter controls, grant the netdata user access by adding it to authorized_mailq_users in the /etc/postfix/main.cf file. For more details, refer to the authorized_mailq_users setting in the Postfix documentation.
Default Behavior
Auto-Detection
The collector executes postqueue -p to get Postfix queue statistics.
Limits
The default configuration for this integration does not impose any limits on data collection.
Performance Impact
The default configuration for this integration is not expected to impose a significant performance impact on the system.
Setup
Prerequisites
No action required.
Configuration
File
The configuration file name for this integration is go.d/postfix.conf.
You can edit the configuration file using the edit-config script from the
Netdata config directory.
cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/postfix.conf
Options
The following options can be defined globally: update_every.
| Name | Description | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| update_every | Data collection frequency. | 10 | no |
| binary_path | Path to the postqueue binary. If an absolute path is provided, the collector will use it directly; otherwise, it will search for the binary in directories specified in the PATH environment variable. |
/usr/sbin/postqueue | yes |
| timeout | Timeout for executing the binary, specified in seconds. | 2 | no |
Examples
Custom binary path
The executable is not in the directories specified in the PATH environment variable.
jobs:
- name: custom_path
binary_path: /usr/local/sbin/postqueue
Metrics
Metrics grouped by scope.
The scope defines the instance that the metric belongs to. An instance is uniquely identified by a set of labels.
Per Postfix instance
These metrics refer to the entire monitored application.
This scope has no labels.
Metrics:
| Metric | Dimensions | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| postfix.qemails | emails | emails |
| postfix.qsize | size | KiB |
Alerts
There are no alerts configured by default for this integration.
Troubleshooting
Debug Mode
Important: Debug mode is not supported for data collection jobs created via the UI using the Dyncfg feature.
To troubleshoot issues with the postfix collector, run the go.d.plugin with the debug option enabled. The output
should give you clues as to why the collector isn’t working.
-
Navigate to the
plugins.ddirectory, usually at/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/. If that’s not the case on your system, opennetdata.confand look for thepluginssetting under[directories].cd /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/ -
Switch to the
netdatauser.sudo -u netdata -s -
Run the
go.d.pluginto debug the collector:./go.d.plugin -d -m postfix
Getting Logs
If you’re encountering problems with the postfix collector, follow these steps to retrieve logs and identify potential issues:
- Run the command specific to your system (systemd, non-systemd, or Docker container).
- Examine the output for any warnings or error messages that might indicate issues. These messages should provide clues about the root cause of the problem.
System with systemd
Use the following command to view logs generated since the last Netdata service restart:
journalctl _SYSTEMD_INVOCATION_ID="$(systemctl show --value --property=InvocationID netdata)" --namespace=netdata --grep postfix
System without systemd
Locate the collector log file, typically at /var/log/netdata/collector.log, and use grep to filter for collector’s name:
grep postfix /var/log/netdata/collector.log
Note: This method shows logs from all restarts. Focus on the latest entries for troubleshooting current issues.
Docker Container
If your Netdata runs in a Docker container named “netdata” (replace if different), use this command:
docker logs netdata 2>&1 | grep postfix