fetchmail linux command

fetchmail

fetchmail [options] [servers]

System administration command. Retrieve mail from mail servers and forward it to the local mail delivery system. fetchmail retrieves mail from servers that support the common mail protocols POP2, POP3, IMAP2bis, and IMAP4. Messages are delivered via SMTP through port 25 on the local host and through your system's mail delivery agent (such as sendmail), where they can be read through the user's mail client. fetchmail settings are stored in the ~/.fetchmailrc file. Parameters and servers can also be set on the command line, which will override settings in the .fetchmailrc file. fetchmail is compatible with the popclient program, and users can use both without having to adjust file settings.

Options

-a, --all

Retrieve all messages from server, even ones that have already been seen but left on the server. The default is to only retrieve new messages.

-A type, --auth type

Specify the type of authentication. type may be: password, kerberos_v5, or kerberos. Authentication type is usually established by fetchmail by default, so this option isn't very useful.

-B n, --fetchlimit n

Set the maximum number of messages (n) accepted from a server per query.

-b n, --batchlimit n

Set the maximum number of messages sent to an SMTP listener per connection. When this limit is reached, the connection will be broken and reestablished. The default of 0 means no limit.

-c, --check

Check for mail on a single server without retrieving or deleting messages. Works with IMAP but not well with other protocols, if at all.

-D [domain], --smtpaddress [domain]

Specify the domain name placed in RCPT TO lines sent to SMTP. The default is the local host.

-E header, --envelope header

Change the header assumed to contain the mail's envelope address (usually 'X-Envelope-to:') to header.

-e n, --expunge n

Tell an IMAP server to EXPUNGE (i.e., purge messages marked for deletion) after n deletes. A setting of 0 indicates expunging only at the end of the session. Normally, an expunge occurs after each delete.

-F, --flush

For POP3 and IMAP servers, remove previously retrieved messages from the server before retrieving new ones.

-f file, --fetchmailrc file

Specify a nondefault name for the fetchmail configuration file.

-I specification, --interface specification

Require that the mail server machine is up and running at a specified IP address (or range) before polling. The specification is given as interface/ipaddress/mask. The first part indicates the type of TCP connection expected (sl0, ppp0, etc.), the second is the IP address, and the third is the bit mask for the IP, assumed to be 255.255.255.255.

-K, --nokeep

Delete all retrieved messages from the mail server.

-k, --keep

Keep copies of all retrieved messages on the mail server.

-l size, --limit size

Set the maximum message size that will be retrieved from a server. Messages larger than this size will be left on the server and marked unread.

-M interface, --monitor interface

In daemon mode, monitor the specified TCP/IP interface for any activity besides itself, and skip the poll if there is no other activity. Useful for PPP connections that automatically time out with no activity.

-m command, --mda command

Pass mail directly to mail delivery agent, rather than send to port 25. The command is the path and options for the mailer, such as /usr/lib/sendmail -oem. A %T in the command will be replaced with the local delivery address, and an %F will be replaced with the message's From address.

-n, --norewrite

Do not expand local mail IDs to full addresses. This option will disable expected addressing and should only be used to find problems.

-P n, --port n

Specify a port to connect to on the mail server. The default port numbers for supported protocols are usually sufficient.

-p proto, --protocol proto

Specify the protocol to use when polling a mail server. proto can be:

POP2

Post Office Protocol 2.

POP3

Post Office Protocol 3.

APOP

POP3 with MD5 authentication.

RPOP

POP3 with RPOP authentication.

KPOP

POP3 with Kerberos v4 authentication on port 1109.

IMAP

IMAP2bis, IMAP4, or IMAP4rev1. fetchmail autodetects their capabilities.

IMAP-K4

IMAP4 or IMAP4rev1 with Kerberos v4 authentication.

IMAP-GSS

IMAP4 or IMAP4rev1 with GSSAPI authentication.

ETRN

ESMTP.

-Q string, --qvirtual string

Remove the prefix string, which is the local user's hostid, from the address in the envelope header (such as 'Delivered-To:').

-r folder, --folder folder

Retrieve the specified mail folder from the mail server.

-s, --silent

Suppress status messages during a fetch.

-U, --uidl

For POP3, track the age of kept messages via unique ID listing.

-u name, --username name

Specify the user name to use when logging into the mail server.

-V, --version

Print the version information for fetchmail and display the options set for each mail server. Performs no fetch.

-v, --verbose

Display all status messages during a fetch.

-Z nnn, --antispam nnn

Specify the SMTP error nnn to signal a spam block from the client. If nnn is -1, this option is disabled.