PMDF System Manager's Guide

In addition to immediate channel jobs created automatically when messages are first submitted into PMDF, or to manually created delivery jobs as described above in Section 35.2.7, PMDF also has periodic jobs that perform clean up tasks, and retry delivery of previously undelivered messages.

The command

$ SHOW QUEUE/ALL MAIL$BATCH

lists all jobs pending and executing in the default PMDF processing queue, MAIL$BATCH. Under idle conditions the command should result in output similar to that seen in Figure 35-2 or Figure 35-3.

Figure 35-2 Output of SHOW QUEUE/ALL MAIL$BATCH on a Basic PMDF System

$ SHOW QUEUE/ALL MAIL$BATCH Generic server queue MAIL$BATCH Entry Jobname Username Blocks Status ----- ------- -------- ------ ------ 153 PMDF delivery SYSTEM 11 Holding until 18-NOV-2012 15:13 (1) 56 PMDF message bouncer SYSTEM 12 Holding until 19-NOV-2012 00:30 (2)

Figure 35-3 Output of SHOW QUEUE/ALL MAIL$BATCH on a System With Optional Jobs

$ show queu/all mail$batch Generic server queue MAIL$BATCH Entry Jobname Username Blocks Status ----- ------- -------- ------ ------ 95 PMDF delivery SYSTEM 14 Holding until 18-NOV-2012 15:52:00 (1) 810 PMDF message bouncer SYSTEM 14 Holding until 19-NOV-2012 00:30:00 (2) 399 PMDF PC Post SYSTEM 8 Holding until 18-NOV-2012 13:05:03 (3) 811 PMDF popstore message bouncer SYSTEM 5 Holding until 19-NOV-2012 00:30:00 (4)

The two holding jobs indicated in the figures as (1) and (2) should always be present during normal operation of PMDF. They run periodically and resubmit themselves automatically. If you are using the PMDF popstore, you should also see a popstore return job, (4), either holding or running (perhaps in an execution queue, if MAIL$BATCH is a generic queue). If you are using PMDF-LAN channels, then depending on just how you have configured it you can also see an additional job, the PMDF PC post job, (3); if you are using DECUS UUCP and have defined the PMDF_DO_RETURN_VN logical so that pmdf_submit_jobs.com also submits the DECUS UUCP message bouncer job, then you should see that job as well.

1. The "PMDF delivery" job is responsible for scanning the message queues and retrying delivery of messages waiting in the queues. The period defaults to four hours and can be changed with the PMDF_POST_INTERVAL logical name. If the PMDF delivery job is lost, messages that are not immediately deliverable will tend to collect in the queue and never be retried. In addition, channels marked with the periodic channel keyword, which defers immediate delivery, will not function reliably.
2. The "PMDF message bouncer" job checks the message queues for messages which do not appear to get through in a timely fashion and generates warning messages to the sender as well as the Postmaster. If such a message sits long enough, the PMDF message bouncer will eventually return the message to the sender and remove it from the message queue. This job usually runs once a day at 12:30 AM. If PMDF is configured for an hourly return interval (see Section 1.4.4) then the PMDF message bouncer will run every hour. The number of intervals between warnings is controlled by the notices channel keyword. If the PMDF message bouncer job is not running, messages that cannot be delivered will sit in the message queue indefinitely and no notification will be sent to either the sender or the local Postmaster.
3. The "PMDF PC Post" job is responsible for periodically polling for incoming messages from PC-LAN mail systems such as cc:Mail, Microsoft Mail, GroupWise (WordPerfect Office), and Novell MHS mail systems through PMDF-LAN channels, as well as for re-trying delivery of messages to those mail systems. Some PMDF-LAN configurations will use such a job; some will manage the running of PMDF-LAN channel jobs using other mechanisms.
4. The "PMDF popstore message bouncer" job deletes old, stored PMDF popstore messages which have exceeded their alloted storage time, and sends notification messages back to the senders of messages which were never downloaded by their recipients. The job usually runs once a day around midnight. See the PMDF popstore & MessageStore Manager's Guide for full details.

If one or both of the PMDF delivery job and the PMDF message bouncer job is not present in the queue, (or if one of the other periodic jobs that your site uses is missing), it should be resubmitted using the pmdf_submit_jobs.com procedure

$ @SYS$STARTUP:pmdf_submit_jobs.com

The procedure is safe to run at any time, as it will not submit a job that is already present. As indicated in the OpenVMS Edition of the PMDF Installation Guide, Process Software recommends that pmdf_submit_jobs.com be executed as part of your normal system startup procedure to ensure that the basic PMDF periodic jobs are properly submitted and holding.