Local Queue in MDaemon 8.x

Recently we just upgraded our Mail Server to use the latest version of MDaemon, that is version 8.0.2. It worked great with several additional major features. However after running smoothly for two days, we found out that a lot of messages (950+) stucked in the Local Queue :-(.

Initially I thought it was caused by our more restricted process when receiving messages, because we activated the new features in MDaemon for security purposes, such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), Domain Keys, Spam Assasin 3, etc. But even after deactivating the options, the number of messages in Local Queue keep on increasing :-(.

The next possible reason is the DNS delay, because MDaemon needs to query the DNS extensively for ensuring minimum spam messages. We installed Microsoft DNS Server as a DNS cache-only Server in the same PC, but the problem is still unsolved.

Finally, we found two interesting solutions in the mailing list. First solution is to set the “dns_available” setting to “No” in local.cf file. And the second is to add a system environment variables named “res_nameservers” and fill our DNS Server’s IP Address in it.

We chose the second option and it worked well. Well, for one night ; then MDaemon began to stucked with 99% processor usage. Being confused, we did the first option by modifying local.cf file. Guess what ?? MDaemon is back to normal, however we are watching the console window closely .

So if you face the similar problem with your MDaemon installation, at least you can try both the options and see which one is suitable for you :-D.