# The Spool Directory

The Spool directory, shows all IMail Server send and receive transactions that are being processed. You view the files in the spool directory by clicking View Spool Directory under "Account Options...".

The Spool directory is also known as "the queue" since it is the place where messages wait to be delivered. Messages in the queue include incoming messages, outgoing messages and attachments, as well as error messages generated by IMail server or other mail servers.

## Message Status

Files in the queue are mail messages on their way in or out. When you look at the files in the queue, you can determine what stage a message is in.

> Waiting Items. The files in this box are waiting to be processed. Normally, messages are processed in a few seconds or a few minutes. However, if there is a problem with delivering a message, the associated files may stay in the queue longer.

> Processing Items. Messages in this box are being processed. IMail automatically attempts to reprocess messages in the queue each time the Queue Timer reaches zero. If a message is still not delivered when the "number of tries" equals the Number of tries setting on the SMTP tab in IMail Administrator, the message is returned to the sender. IMail does not delete the data file when a message is not deliverable, not returnable, and there is no postmaster alias (or there is a problem with the postmaster or root alias accounts). Thus no message is ever truly lost even if it can't be delivered to anyone.

> Other Files. The files in this area contain information such as error logs, and records of web mail logins.

## Spool Management

- Use the Display button to view all information about a specific file.

- Use the Delete button to delete a file from the spool directory.

- Use the Send One button to immediately process an individual file currently in the spool directory.

- Use the Send All button to immediately process all of the files currently in the spool directory.

At the bottom of the page, IMail displays the total number of files in the spool directory.

## File Extensions

The file extension indicates the type of file.

- .smd and .smp file extensions indicate regular mail messages being processed by SMTP.

- .fwd and .fwp file extensions indicate forwarded messages.

- .LST file extensions indicate messages to subscribers of a list server mailing list.

- .tmp are web mail, or Mail to Beeper/Pager, or Mail to Fax files.

- .GSE and .GSP file extensions indicate error messages being returned to the senders. These are usually generated by the server (postmaster)

Files that contain a tilde (~) in the file extension, such as .~mp and .~md, are locked files that are in process. These files also have an underscore as the first character in the file name.

For more information on the spool directory and log files, see Appendix E: Spool, Queue, and Log Files in the IMail User's Guide.

Related Topics

Syslog

Monitor Access Log

System Log

Monitor System Log