GoAdmio
GoAdmio Documentation

Restart Mail

From the GoAdmio knowledge base.

Restart Mail Server

This page explains how to restart the mail services in GoAdmio. The mail stack is made of several services that work together — Postfix, Dovecot, Postfwd, DMARC reporting, and DKIM signing. Restarting them is a common step after configuration changes, certificate renewals, or to recover from a stalled mail queue.

Location: Admin Panel → Restart Services → Mail Server (Postfix/Dovecot)


Overview

GoAdmio's mail stack is a set of cooperating services. Restarting the mail service restarts all of them in the correct order:

| Service | Role |
|---|---|
| Postfix | SMTP server — receives and sends email |
| Dovecot | IMAP/POP3 server — stores and serves mailboxes |
| Postfwd | Policy daemon — rate limiting and access control for Postfix |
| OpenDKIM | DKIM signing and verification |
| OpenDMARC | DMARC policy enforcement and reporting |

> Note: The exact set of services depends on your GoAdmio version and configuration. Some versions bundle DKIM/DMARC into Postfix via milters; others run them as separate services. The panel restarts whichever are installed.

Restarting mail services:

  • Reloads Postfix, Dovecot, and milter configurations
  • Applies new TLS certificates
  • Reloads DKIM signing keys
  • Applies rate limits and policy changes
  • Clears a stuck mail queue (if Postfix was hung)
> Warning: Restarting mail services briefly interrupts email delivery. Incoming mail may be deferred by the sending server — it will be retried automatically, so no mail is lost. Active IMAP/POP3 sessions may disconnect. Restart during low-traffic hours when possible.

When to Restart Mail Services

Restart mail services after:

| Change | Why |
|---|---|
| Editing main.cf or master.cf | Applies new Postfix configuration |
| Editing dovecot.conf | Applies new Dovecot configuration |
| Renewing SSL certificates | Loads the new certificate |
| Changing DKIM keys | Reloads the signing key |
| Changing DMARC policy | Reloads the DMARC settings |
| Changing rate limits | Applies new Postfwd rules |
| Email is not being delivered | Recovers a hung mail server |
| Mail queue is growing | Clears stuck messages |
| After installing a mail-related package | Loads the new module |
| After a server crash | Recovers mail services |

> Tip: For configuration changes, reload is often preferable to restart — it applies the config without dropping active sessions. Use systemctl reload postfix and systemctl reload dovecot when possible.


How to Restart Mail Services via the Panel

  1. Log in to the GoAdmio Admin Panel.
  2. Navigate to Restart Services.
  3. Locate Mail Server (Postfix/Dovecot).
  4. Click Restart.
  5. Confirm if prompted.
  6. Wait for the services to restart — typically a few seconds.
The panel restarts the full mail stack (Postfix, Dovecot, and any configured milters).

Verify the restart

  1. Open Service Status — confirm Postfix and Dovecot are running. See Service Status.
  2. Check the mail log:
```bash tail -n 50 /var/log/maillog
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