sendmail Performance Tuning
Published on 12. September 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-321-11570-6 (ISBN)
Description
As e-mail traffic continues to increase, system administrators must be able to guarantee that their e-mail servers can deliver reliable performance today and bear larger loads tomorrow. sendmail Performance Tuning is a handbook for building, tuning, and testing e-mail servers using sendmail to function more efficiently, handle more messages, and resist both accidental and malicious load-related incidents. This practical guide begins with an introduction to sendmail and performance tuning. Author Nick Christenson describes best practices for building, installing, and maintaining a system and then details proven techniques for tuning e-mail relaying, reception, and sending. His strategic guide to configuration and security is followed by precise directions for managing bottlenecks and load testing. By the book's end, readers know exactly how to optimize system performance.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Harlow
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pearson Education Limited
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
Illustrations
ISBN-13
978-0-321-11570-6 (9780321115706)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Nick Christenson designed and implemented Internet systems, including email, for EarthLink Network, Inc., during its period of rapid growth. He also worked for Sendmail, Inc., as a senior software engineer and senior technical consultant. Nick is currently a senior analyst for Sistina Software. He has given talks at the USENIX Symposium on Internet Technologies and Systems and at the O'Reilly Open Source Conference. He has written articles for ;login:, the Erlang/OTP User Conference, and USENIX LISA.
0321115708AB08232002
0321115708AB08232002
Content
(NOTE: Each chapter concludes with a Summary.)
Preface.
1. Introduction.
Performance Tuning Examples.
sendmail Versions Covered.
Definitions.
Email Server Tasks.
Tuning Isn't Always Necessary.
Not So Fast.
Email System Profiling.
General Tuning Ideas.
2. sendmail Introduction.
Obtaining sendmail.
Building sendmail.
Creating a .cf file.
Why Use M4?
System Setup.
3. Tuning Email Relaying.
What Happens During Relaying.
Synchronization.
Filesystems.
File Space.
Networking.
4. Tuning Email Reception.
What Happens During Email Reception.
Recipient Verification.
Storage Systems.
Disks.
Solid State Disks.
POP Tuning Specifics.
Message Store Hashing.
IMAP Tuning Specifics.
5. Tuning Email Sending.
Mailing Lists.
Command-Line Message Generation.
Draining Queues.
Another Mailing List Strategy.
SMTP PIPELINING.
More Notes on Mass Mailing.
6. Configuration, Security, and Architecture.
Configuration.
Security and Performance.
Other General Strategies.
7. Finding and Removing Bottlenecks.
Kernel Parameters Run Amok.
The Quick Fix.
Tools.
syslog.
Removing Bottlenecks.
8. Load Generation and Testing.
Test System Setup.
Testing Tools.
Load Testing Pitfalls.
9. Conclusion.
Bibliography.
Index. 0321115708T08292002
Preface.
1. Introduction.
Performance Tuning Examples.
sendmail Versions Covered.
Definitions.
Email Server Tasks.
Tuning Isn't Always Necessary.
Not So Fast.
Email System Profiling.
General Tuning Ideas.
2. sendmail Introduction.
Obtaining sendmail.
Building sendmail.
Creating a .cf file.
Why Use M4?
System Setup.
3. Tuning Email Relaying.
What Happens During Relaying.
Synchronization.
Filesystems.
File Space.
Networking.
4. Tuning Email Reception.
What Happens During Email Reception.
Recipient Verification.
Storage Systems.
Disks.
Solid State Disks.
POP Tuning Specifics.
Message Store Hashing.
IMAP Tuning Specifics.
5. Tuning Email Sending.
Mailing Lists.
Command-Line Message Generation.
Draining Queues.
Another Mailing List Strategy.
SMTP PIPELINING.
More Notes on Mass Mailing.
6. Configuration, Security, and Architecture.
Configuration.
Security and Performance.
Other General Strategies.
7. Finding and Removing Bottlenecks.
Kernel Parameters Run Amok.
The Quick Fix.
Tools.
syslog.
Removing Bottlenecks.
8. Load Generation and Testing.
Test System Setup.
Testing Tools.
Load Testing Pitfalls.
9. Conclusion.
Bibliography.
Index. 0321115708T08292002