Michael Tokarev via Postfix-users:
> On 16.05.2026 02:57, Wietse Venema via Postfix-users wrote:
> > David Koski via Postfix-users:
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> I'm using Dovecot LMTP (dovecot-mysql) for local delivery for Postfix
> >> (postfix-mysql) so the local delivery destination is stored in the MySQL
> >> database.? Now I'm getting an error:
> >>
> >> warning: /usr/lib/postfix/sbin/virtual: bad command startup -- throttling
> >
> > Please show the complete logfile record.
> And the logging from the "virtual" process immediately before this.
>
> Hi Wietse!
>
> For over a decade already, people keep posting questions like this one.
> With answers from non-experts spreading, which says "when postfix logs
> ``bad command startup, throttling``, this is because of A and B".
Absent other information, a question with only this:
warning: /usr/lib/postfix/sbin/virtual: bad command startup -- throttling
would have too many possible "this is because of A and B" answers.
Giving tons of possible explanations would not be helpful. This
is why I asked for further information.
The info that I requested showed why the program was unhappy. It
does not yet explain why the virtual daemon was run at all; for
that, futher investigation would be needed.
> Today, some AIs started giving similar answers too.
Like "this because of A and B"?
If they give the AI the above single line, then it has the same
problem. Google search gives only ~3 possible answers (like turning
off chroot, fixing SELinux/Apparmor policy, or running a postmap
command), plus some suggestions for further investigation.
> Maybe it's time to change wording of this message, to add a reference
> to the previous line(s)?
If we add a reference like this:
existing log:
1 - postfix/virtual[42763]: fatal: bad string length 0 < 1:
virtual_mailbox_base =
2 - postfix/master[1714]: warning: process /usr/lib/postfix/sbin/virtual pid
42763 exit status 1
3 - postfix/master[1714]: warning: /usr/lib/postfix/sbin/virtual: bad command
startup -- throttling
new log:
4 - postfix/master[1714]: warning: look for virtual[42763] messages earlier in
the log
Then would they still only report line [3] and miss the reference to previous
lines?
What about appending the reference to the existing lines 2 and 3?
1 - postfix/virtual[42763]: fatal: bad string length 0 < 1:
virtual_mailbox_base =
2 - postfix/master[1714]: warning: process /usr/lib/postfix/sbin/virtual pid
42763 exit status 1; look for virtual[42763] messages earlier in the log
3 - postfix/master[1714]: warning: /usr/lib/postfix/sbin/virtual: bad command
startup -- throttling; look for virtual[42763] messages earlier in the log
Just looking at that hurts my eyes.
> You're the best at inventing very short and clean wording, in my
> opinion, - I love short clarity of your documentation, all of it. But
> it looks like many people need a bit more verbosity here. And it might
> save us all multiple round-trips of questions, too :)
Thanks for the praise.
Much of Postfix code and documentation was written when system
adminstration was a real job with recognized skills, and not
merely annoying overhead to get other work done.
Wietse
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