Postfix is unable to start

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10

Situation

Starting the Postfix service on SuSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) fails

Resolution

Step to fix:-

Go to /etc/postfix and open the file main.cf
Edit the file and search for parameter inet_interfaces
Check to see if an IPv6 address is listed. Remove ;;1 from the last of the line.
The entry should be "localhost" or "127.0.0.1" (without quotes)

In addition to the fix listed above, check the /var/log/mail file for errors that are reported when starting Postfix fails.

Additional Information

The cause of the additional IPv6 information on the inet_interfaces line is still under investigation, but it is likely caused by configuring the Mail Transfer agent in YaST while IPv6 is enabled and then removing the IPv6 binding afterward, or the scripting that sets that parameter in the main.cf file has logic that leads to that setting being made.

Disclaimer

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