---
name: "update-exim4defaults"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "exim4-config"
version: "4.96-15+deb12u10"
release: "Debian 12 (Bookworm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/update-exim4defaults"
---

# update-exim4defaults(8)

Manage exim4 daemon default file.

## NAME

update-exim4defaults - Manage exim4 daemon default file.

## SYNOPSIS

**update-exim4defaults** *\[ --qflags flags \]* *\[ --queuerunner combined\|queueonly\|separate\|ppp\|no\|nodaemon \]* *\[ --queuetime time \]* *\[ --commonoptions options \]* *\[ --queuerunneroptions options \]* *\[ --smtplisteneroptions options \]* *\[ --remove-common options \]* *\[ --remove-queue options \]* *\[ --remove-smtp options \]* *\[ --force\|-f \]* *\[ --help\|-h \]* *\[ --init \]*

## DESCRIPTION

**update-exim4defaults** allows one to set run parameters for the **Exim** daemon in */etc/default/exim4.* Its main purpose is for interaction with packages enhancing **Exim** like virus-scanners that need to change the way the exim daemon is started.

## OPTIONS

- *--help\|-h*

  Print short usage instructions and exit.

- *--qflags flags*

  Set qflags, special flags given to exim directly after the “-q”. See **[exim(8)](/exim/8.md)** for more information.

- *--queuerunner combined\|queueonly\|separate\|ppp\|no\|nodaemon*

  Should the init script start one daemon that listens on the smtp port for incoming connections and runs the queue at regular intervals *(combined)* , or should it start two separate daemons, one listening on the smtp port, the other running the queue *(separate)* , or should the queue only be run by /etc/ppp/ip-up.d/exim4 *(ppp)* , or shouldn't we run the queue at all, for example if you'd rather do this with **cron** ? Or should we only start a queuerunner *(queueonly)* or no daemon at all *(nodaemon)* ?

- *--queuetime time*

  In which intervals should we run the queue? This passed as option *-q\<qflags\>time* to Exim, e.g. -q30m or -qq1h.

- *--commonoptions options*

  Options passed both to queue-running and listening instances of Exim.

- *--queuerunneroptions options*

  Options only passed to the instance of Exim running the queue.

- *--smtplisteneroptions options*

  Options only passed to the instance of Exim listening on the SMTP port.

- *--force\|-f*

  Without this option **update-exim4defaults** exits with an error if at least one of the options --queuetime, --commonoptions, --queuerunneroptions or --smtplisteneroptions is used and the corresponding value in /etc/default/exim4 is *already* set to a nonempty value.

- *--remove-common option*

  Try to remove the given option from COMMONOPTIONS.

- *--remove-queue option*

  Try to remove the given option from QUEUERUNNEROPTIONS.

- *--remove-smtp option*

  Try to remove the given option from SMTPLISTENEROPTIONS.

The --remove-commands cannot be used at the same time as any of --commonoptions, --queuerunneroptions or --smtplisteneroptions. The --remove-commands will additionally remove whitespace at the beginning and the end of the option and exchange multiple spaces wi a single one.

- *--init*

  create a default /etc/default/exim4 file and exit immediately. Unless *--force* was also specified **update-exim4defaults** exits (successfully) without doing anything if /etc/default/exim4 already exists. All other options are ignored.

## EXIT STATUS

- *0*

  change was successful or nothing needed to be done.

- *1*

  generic error: wrong options, unreadable configuration file, etc.

- *2*

  QUEUEINTERVAL was already set.

- *4*

  COMMONOPTIONS was already set.

- *8*

  QUEUERUNNEROPTIONS was already set.

- *16*

  SMTPLISTENEROPTIONS was already set.

- *32*

  QFLAGS was already set.

- *64*

  \--remove-something failed, i.e. the value of the option was not changed.

Exit codes 2 to 32 will be summed up, if more than one unsuccessful option was given.

## FILES

- */etc/default/exim4*

  The configuration file.

- */etc/init.d/exim4*

  The Exim init-script.

- */etc/ppp/ip-up.d/exim4*

  The queuerunner in this file also uses COMMONOPTIONS and QUEUERUNNEROPTIONS and does not run if QUEUERUNNER=no.

## BUGS

This manual page needs a major re-work. If somebody knows better groff than us and has more experience in writing manual pages, any patches would be greatly appreciated.

## SEE ALSO

[**exim**(8)](/exim/8.md), /usr/share/doc/exim4-base/

## AUTHOR

Andreas Metzler \<ametzler at downhill.at.eu.org\>