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PMTA knowledge base›Block Global›Directive§ 3.3.1.58.24

http-default-sort-order

Globalrestart required

How to sort the web monitor's “Top” lists
in the configuration this is a linehttp-default-sort-order rcptinside the block Global
What “top” is measured by

The line sets what the word “top” means on the four list pages and in the table on the home page. Three values: rcpt — by number of recipients, descending; name — by name, alphabetically; size — by volume in kilobytes, descending. The default is rcpt.

The choice changes the answer, not just the look. A list by recipients and a list by volume show different tops: a mailing of a hundred thousand short messages and a mailing of a thousand heavy ones rank differently in them. Looking at the queue by volume makes sense when the node has hit the limit of its link rather than of the receiver.

The value name is not a “top” but just a list — alphabetical, without any ranking. Useful when looking for a specific domain by eye.

The main trap is reading the list by recipients as a list by load. A receiver that gets a few heavy messages ends up at the bottom in the default sort — and it may be exactly the one holding the link.
What the Hub does. It does not write it — rcpt stays. The “PMTA monitoring” screen takes its lists from these pages with the length 1000, so the order decides what stays outside the list only on very large nodes: the queues with the fewest recipients end up there.
Recommended values

The value is chosen by the question asked of the list:

Value Answers the question
rcpt (default) where most messages go
size what occupies the link
name where the needed domain is in the list
The three values, their meaning and the default rcpt are from the manual (§ 3.3.1.58.24). The remark that the sort changes the answer, not the look, is ours.
Example configuration
# the node is limited by its link, not by the receiver — look by volume
http-mgmt-port 1000
http-default-sort-order size
The setting only affects the monitor pages. The order in the output for your own programs is set by the request.
yellow — — directive names, blue — blocks. They are highlighted the same way in the text of the card.
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Common mistakes and problems

what people get wrong and how it ends1 mistake▶

Looking for the link hog in the list by recipients

our experience

What it costsThe default sort ranks by number of messages. A receiver with a few heavy messages will not make it in, although it occupies the link.
How to spot itThe top of the list looks ordinary, but the link is busy.
How to do it rightSwitch to size — or request the output in the needed order without changing the node setting.
Compatibility
PowerMTA 6.0
described in the manual of this version · platform: any
The vendor does not state the first version for every directive — there is no note here. The name also appears in the 5.0 edition of the manual.
Reference data
Syntax
http-default-sort-order <enumeration>
Values
rcpt | name | size
Default
rcpt § 3.3.1.58.24
Applying
a service restart is required
Queue
will not touch what is already queued
Where to write it
Global
How many times
once in the block
Everything here comes from the manual, with the section.
Inheritance
No inheritance: the line is written at the root of the file, the Global section, and applies to all “Top” lists at once.
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Related directives

1 relation

Applies to

http-mgmt-portGlobalOne of the settings of the very interface that listens on this port. § 3.3.1.58.24

How to check on the node
We look at the order in the output — it is the same as on the page:
curl -s 'http://NODE:1000/domains?format=json' | head -c 400
The order of entries in the response is the effective sort. Compare the first entry with what you expect from the chosen value.
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What else to read

3 articles

◇Who is allowed to submit mail and for whom to accept itOut of the box, the node accepts submission only from the machine itself; two different questions — “who can send through us” and “for whose addresses we accept mail” — are answered by different directives.◇The group that grants management rightsMembership in the pmta group gives an unprivileged user the right to call the node’s commands and use submission.◇How the node selects a source and combines its settingsA connection falls under all source blocks whose addresses cover it, and they act merged — the narrow one overrides the wide one; named blocks are attached only by direct reference.

In the Hub
Cost of a mistake
safe: a wrong value breaks nothing
Scenarios
Node security
Neighboring settings of the block Global:http-mgmt-porttrack-outbound-perf-statstrack-inbound-perf-statsdummy-smtp-update-statshttp-default-max-itemsAll 108 directives of the block →