spamd child max

m_pahlevanzadeh · Jun 7, 2025

I have the following information:
posfix + dovecot + spamassisan , So:

Code:

unix
root@mail:~ # ps ax |grep spam
18914  -  Ss       12:10.69 spamd (perl)
74489  -  Ss        0:00.36 /usr/local/sbin/spamass-milter -f -p /var/run/spamass-milter.sock
80859  -  I         0:01.79 spamd child (perl)
84587  -  I         0:00.92 spamd child (perl)

I have the following info in /var/log/maillog:

Code:

warning: milter inet:127.0.0.1:783: unreasonable packet length: 1397768525 > 1073741823
spamd[18914]: prefork: child states: MANY_TYPE_SUCH_AS_BBB_OR_BI_AND_SO_ON
warning: milter inet:127.0.0.1:783: can't read SMFIC_OPTNEG reply packet header: Operation timed out

An instance of my maillog:

Code:

Jun  6 14:19:18 mail spamd[18914]: prefork: child states: IBIBB
Jun  6 14:19:18 mail postfix/smtpd[84968]: warning: milter inet:127.0.0.1:783: can't read SMFIC_OPTNEG reply packet header: Operation timed out
Jun  6 14:19:18 mail postfix/smtpd[84968]: warning: milter inet:127.0.0.1:783: read error in initial handshake
Jun  6 14:19:18 mail postfix/smtpd[84968]: lost connection after CONNECT from unknown[66.63.187.8]
Jun  6 14:19:18 mail spamd[84972]: spamd: bad protocol: header error: \x{00}\x{00}\x{00}\rO\x{00}\x{00}\x{00}\x{06}\x{00}\x{00}\x{01}\x{FF}\x{00}\x{1F}\x{FF}\x{FF}
Jun  6 14:19:18 mail postfix/smtpd[84968]: disconnect from unknown[66.63.187.8] commands=0/0
Jun  6 14:19:18 mail spamd[18914]: prefork: child states: IBIIB
Jun  6 14:19:18 mail spamd[18914]: prefork: adjust: 3 idle children more than 2 maximum idle children. Decreasing spamd children: 84972 killed.
Jun  6 14:19:18 mail spamd[18914]: prefork: child states: IBIKB
Jun  6 14:19:18 mail spamd[18914]: spamd: handled cleanup of child pid [84972] due to SIGCHLD: interrupted, signal 2 (0002)
Jun  6 14:19:27 mail spamd[84973]: spamd: timeout: (30 second socket timeout reading input from client)
Jun  6 14:19:27 mail postfix/smtpd[84969]: warning: milter inet:127.0.0.1:783: unreasonable packet length: 1397768525 > 1073741823
Jun  6 14:19:27 mail postfix/smtpd[84969]: warning: milter inet:127.0.0.1:783: read error in initial handshake
Jun  6 14:19:27 mail postfix/smtpd[84969]: lost connection after CONNECT from unknown[212.120.163.110]
Jun  6 14:19:27 mail postfix/smtpd[84969]: disconnect from unknown[212.120.163.110] commands=0/0
Jun  6 14:19:27 mail spamd[18914]: prefork: child states: IBII
Jun  6 14:19:27 mail spamd[18914]: prefork: adjust: 3 idle children more than 2 maximum idle children. Decreasing spamd children: 84973 killed.
Jun  6 14:19:27 mail spamd[18914]: prefork: child states: IBIK
Jun  6 14:19:27 mail spamd[18914]: spamd: handled cleanup of child pid [84973] due to SIGCHLD: interrupted, signal 2 (0002)
Jun  6 14:19:37 mail postfix/smtpd[84971]: connect from unknown[182.204.177.94]
Jun  6 14:19:37 mail spamd[80859]: spamd: connection from localhost [127.0.0.1]:32591 to port 783, fd 6
Jun  6 14:19:41 mail spamd[84587]: spamd: timeout: (30 second socket timeout reading input from client)
Jun  6 14:19:41 mail postfix/smtpd[84970]: warning: milter inet:127.0.0.1:783: unreasonable packet length: 1397768525 > 1073741823
Jun  6 14:19:41 mail postfix/smtpd[84970]: warning: milter inet:127.0.0.1:783: read error in initial handshake
Jun  6 14:19:41 mail postfix/smtpd[84970]: lost connection after CONNECT from unknown[182.204.177.94]
Jun  6 14:19:41 mail postfix/smtpd[84970]: disconnect from unknown[182.204.177.94] commands=0/0
Jun  6 14:19:41 mail spamd[18914]: prefork: child states: BII
Jun  6 14:20:03 mail postfix/smtpd[84965]: connect from unknown[182.204.177.94]

My postconf:

Code:

root@mail:~ # postconf -m
btree
cidr
environ
fail
hash
inline
internal
ldap
memcache
mysql
pcre
pipemap
proxy
randmap
regexp
socketmap
static
tcp
texthash
unionmap
unix

My master.cf is:

Code:

root@mail:~ # grep -v ^#  /usr/local/etc/postfix/master.cf |grep -v ^$
smtp      inet  n       -       n       -       -       smtpd
smtps     inet  n       -       n       -       -       smtpd
  -o syslog_name=postfix/smtps
  -o smtpd_tls_wrappermode=yes
  -o smtpd_sasl_auth_enable=yes
  -o smtpd_sasl_type=dovecot
  -o smtpd_sasl_path=private/auth
  -o smtpd_client_restrictions=permit_sasl_authenticated,reject
  -o milter_macro_daemon_name=ORIGINATING
  -o content_filter=spamassassin
submission inet n       -       n       -       -       smtpd
  -o syslog_name=postfix/submission
  -o smtpd_tls_security_level=encrypt
  -o smtpd_sasl_auth_enable=yes
  -o smtpd_sasl_type=dovecot
  -o smtpd_sasl_path=private/auth
  -o smtpd_reject_unlisted_recipient=no
  -o smtpd_client_restrictions=permit_sasl_authenticated,reject
  -o milter_macro_daemon_name=ORIGINATING
dovecot   unix  -       n       n       -       -       pipe
  flags=DRhu user=vmail:vmail argv=/usr/local/libexec/dovecot/deliver -f ${sender} -d ${user}@${nexthop}
pickup    unix  n       -       n       60      1       pickup
cleanup   unix  n       -       n       -       0       cleanup
qmgr      unix  n       -       n       300     1       qmgr
tlsmgr    unix  -       -       n       1000?   1       tlsmgr
rewrite   unix  -       -       n       -       -       trivial-rewrite
bounce    unix  -       -       n       -       0       bounce
defer     unix  -       -       n       -       0       bounce
trace     unix  -       -       n       -       0       bounce
verify    unix  -       -       n       -       1       verify
flush     unix  n       -       n       1000?   0       flush
proxymap  unix  -       -       n       -       -       proxymap
proxywrite unix -       -       n       -       1       proxymap
smtp      unix  -       -       n       -       -       smtp
 -o content_filter=spamassassin
relay     unix  -       -       n       -       -       smtp
        -o syslog_name=postfix/$service_name
showq     unix  n       -       n       -       -       showq
error     unix  -       -       n       -       -       error
retry     unix  -       -       n       -       -       error
discard   unix  -       -       n       -       -       discard
local     unix  -       n       n       -       -       local
virtual   unix  -       n       n       -       -       virtual
lmtp      unix  -       -       n       -       -       lmtp
anvil     unix  -       -       n       -       1       anvil
scache    unix  -       -       n       -       1       scache
maildrop   unix  -       n       n       -       -       pipe    
   flags=DRhu user=vmail argv=/usr/local/bin/maildrop -d ${recipient}   
postlog   unix-dgram n  -       n       -       1       postlogd
spf-policy unix -       n       n       -       0       spawn
    user=nobody argv=/usr/local/libexec/postfix-policyd-spf-perl
spamassassin unix -     n       n       -       -       pipe
        user=nobody argv=/usr/local/bin/spamc -u ${recipient} -f -e
        /usr/sbin/sendmail -oi -f ${sender} ${recipient}

How can I run SA correctly?

ShelLuser · Jun 7, 2025

I'm not familiar with the error, but I couldn't help but notice that your master.cf contains a reference to /usr/sbin/sendmail, even though you're using Postfix. Now, this doesn't have to be a problem perse, but that does depend on how you set up mailwrapper(8) which you didn't share.

Even so... why rely on mailwrapper if you don't have to? So, use /usr/local/sbin/sendmail directly...

Once again, this probably doesn't have any effect but it's still worth looking into.

spamd child max

m_pahlevanzadeh

ShelLuser