Postfix
Replacements for Deprecated FeaturesPostfix
Replacements for Deprecated FeaturesThis document describes Postfix features that are deprecated (will be removed) or that have already been removed. It also has tips for making an existing Postfix configuration more future-proof.
Overview:
Sometimes, a Postfix feature needs to be replaced with a different one. To give an example:
The initial Postfix TLS implementation used multiple boolean parameters: one parameter to enable opportunistic TLS (for example, "smtp_enforce_tls = yes") and one parameter to enable mandatory TLS (for example, "smtp_require_tls = yes").
As we added support more features such as fingerprint, dane, and so on, we decided not to add more boolean parameters. Instead we introduced one configuration parameter to select from multiple deployment models (for example, smtp_tls_security_level = may | encrypt | dane, etc...).
Having both the "old" and "new" way to configure Postfix is convenient for existing Postfix installations, because their configuration does not break after an upgrade to a new version. Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages. Having multiple ways to do similar things is not only confusing for newcomers, it also makes Postfix harder to change.
The basic process steps are:
Inform humans that a feature will be removed, and suggest replacements, in logging and documentation.
Remove the feature, and update logging and documentation.
Disclaimer: it has taken 20 years for some features to be removed. This past is not a guarantee for the future.
The table summarizes removed or deprecated features and replacements. Click on the "obsolete feature" name for a more detailed description.
Obsolete feature name Warning as
of versionRemoved
in versionReplacement disable_dns_lookups 3.9 - smtp_dns_support_level xxx_use_tls 3.9 - xxx_tls_security_level xxx_enforce_tls 3.9 - xxx_tls_security_level xxx_per_site 3.9 - xxx_policy_maps smtpd_tls_dh1024_param_file 3.9 - do not specify (leave at default) smtpd_tls_eecdh_grade 3.9 - do not specify (leave at default) permit_mx_backup 3.9 - relay_domains check_relay_domains 2.2 3.9 permit_mynetworks, reject_unauth_destination reject_maps_rbl 2.1 3.9 reject_rbl_client permit_naked_ip_address 2.0 3.9 permit_mynetworks, permit_sasl_authenticated
The postconf(1) command logs the following:
Replace obsolete configuration with its replacement:
Goal Obsolete configuration Replacement configuration To disable DNS lookups in the Postfix SMTP/LMTP client disable_dns_lookups = yes smtp_dns_support_level = disabled To enable DNS lookups in the Postfix SMTP/LMTP client disable_dns_lookups = no Leave smtp_dns_support_level at the implicit default which is empty, unless you need a higher support level such as DNSSEC.
The postconf(1) command logs one of the following:
There are similarly-named parameters and warnings for postscreen(8) and tlsproxy(8), but those parameters should rarely be specified by hand.
Replace obsolete configuration with its replacement:
Goal Obsolete configuration Replacement configuration To turn off TLS xxx_use_tls = no xxx_security_level = none To turn on opportunistic TLS xxx_use_tls = yes xxx_security_level = may
The postconf(1) command logs one of the following:
There are similarly-named parameters and warnings for postscreen(8) and tlsproxy(8), but those parameters should rarely be specified by hand.
Replace obsolete configuration with its replacement:
Goal Obsolete configuration Replacement configuration To turn off mandatory TLS xxx_enforce_tls = no xxx_security_level = may To turn on mandatory TLS xxx_enforce_tls = yes xxx_security_level = encrypt
The postconf(1) command logs one of the following:
There is similarly-named parameter and warning for tlsproxy(8), but that parameter should rarely be specified by hand.
Unfortunately, this is more than a name change: the table format has changed too, as has the table search process. There is no simple conversion of the obsolete form to its replacement.
Depending on the Postfix version, the Postfix SMTP daemon logs following warning:
This feature was removed because it would relay based on the client domain name, which is not robust.
Recommended configuration to prevent an "open relay" problem with the SMTP service on port 25:
main.cf:
smtpd_recipient_restrictions =
permit_mynetworks,
permit_sasl_authenticated,
reject_unauth_destination
...other restrictions...
Or equivalent in smtpd_relay_restrictions.
The Postfix version 3.9 and later SMTP daemon logs the following warning:
This feature will be removed because it is too difficult to configure recipient address validation, making Postfix a source of backscatter bounces.
To specify the domains that Postfix will provide MX backup service for, see Configuring Postfix as primary or backup MX host for a remote site.
Depending on the Postfix version, the SMTP daemon logs one of the following warnings:
This feature was replaced because "MAPS RBL" is the name of a specific reputation service. The reject_rbl_client feature provides a superset of the reject_maps_rbl functionality.
Recommended configuration:
main.cf:
smtpd_recipient_restrictions =
permit_mynetworks,
permit_sasl_authenticated,
reject_unauth_destination
reject_rbl_client domain-name
...other restrictions...
Where domain-name is the domain name of a DNS reputation service.
Depending on the Postfix version, the SMTP daemon logs one of the following warnings:
This feature was removed because it was easy to get a false match when smtpd_recipient_restrictions was intended to match a remote SMTP client IP address.
Recommended configuration:
main.cf:
smtpd_recipient_restrictions =
permit_mynetworks,
permit_sasl_authenticated,
reject_unauth_destination
reject_rbl_client domain-name
...other restrictions...
That is, no restriction on HELO or EHLO syntax. Such restrictions ar rarely useful nowadays.