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PMTA knowledge base›Block Global›Directive§ 3.3.1.45

volume-audit-api-key

Global

The key for sending volume data under a volume-based license
in the configuration this is a linevolume-audit-api-keyinside the block Global
Mandatory for exactly one kind of license

The line sets the key with which the node authenticates itself when sending the vendor data about the volume sent.

It is needed for exactly one kind of license — one that counts volume. The key is issued together with it, and the manual says directly: under such a license the directive is mandatory.

There is no default. Under a license of another kind the line is not needed and has no effect.

The key sits in the configuration in plain text — like submission passwords and API keys. So the file has to be protected accordingly.

The main trap is a missing key under a volume-based license. Volume data will not be sent, and what happens next is a question for the vendor, not for the engine: the manual only says “the directive is mandatory,” without describing what its absence leads to.

There is nothing to guess here: if the license counts volume and there is nothing to authenticate with, you will have to sort it out with the vendor.

The other half: the key travels outside — that is its purpose. Along with it, data about your sending volume goes to the vendor, and that is part of the license agreement, not a technical detail.

What the Hub does. It does not write it: the Hub does not issue node licenses and does not know the license kind — the node owner installs it.

If a node turns out to have a volume-based license, the line will have to be added by hand: the generated configuration has no place for it. This is worth remembering when connecting someone else’s node.

Recommended values

What to set. There is no choice — the key is issued by the vendor:

Value When
do not write it the license does not count volume
the key from the vendor the license counts volume — then the line is mandatory

The key is stored where the node’s other secrets are and is protected by the permissions on the configuration file.

The purpose, being mandatory under a volume-based license and the origin of the key come from the manual, § 3.3.1.45. No default is named there. The assessment of data going outside is ours.
Example configuration
# the key is issued together with a volume-counting license
volume-audit-api-key abcd0123skdju673jdksdkshd73j7shfk
The line is needed only under this kind of license. Under an ordinary one it has no effect at all.
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 ends2 mistakes▶

Forgetting the key under a volume-based license

§ 3.3.1.45

What it costsVolume data will not be sent. What that leads to, the manual does not describe — it only says the directive is mandatory.
How to spot itThe license counts volume, and the line is not in the configuration.
How to do it rightAdd the key issued together with the license.

Connecting someone else's node without checking the license kind

our experience

What it costsThe generated configuration has no place for this line. A node with a volume-based license will be left without the key after the apply.
How to spot itAfter the Hub applied the configuration, the line disappeared.
How to do it rightCheck the license kind when connecting a node and add the key by hand if it is needed.
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
volume-audit-api-key STRING
Values
a key string issued by the vendor
Applying
reload, no restart needed
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
The directive is written at the root of the configuration file and applies to the whole node: there is one key per instance, like the license. It has no inheritance.
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Related directives

2 relations

Does not work without

A license for a fleet, not for a serverThe key is needed for exactly this kind of license and is issued together with it. § 3.3.1.45Lock down permissions on configuration filesThe key sits in the configuration in plain text; it is protected by the file permissions. § 1.6.3

How to check on the node
The line is read together with the license kind:
grep -n 'volume-audit-api-key' /etc/pmta/config
pmta show license
The second command shows the license kind. If it counts volume and the line is missing, the configuration must be supplemented — the manual calls it mandatory.
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What else to read

3 articles

◇The activation key is a prerequisite for installation, not a step after itWithout an activation key from SparkPost support the engine neither installs nor runs, and the license tier sets the outbound connection ceiling: on Standard everything above 200 is ignored.◇Cloud restrictionsClouds restrict outbound mail on port 25 until you ask them to lift the limit, and mailbox providers treat their address ranges with suspicion.◇How to turn a sending plan into hardwareTwo constants for sizing any node: about 2 KB of memory per queued recipient and spool space proportional to the total size of the messages.

In the Hub
Cost of a mistake
safe: a wrong value breaks nothing
Scenarios
Prepare a node for sending
Neighboring settings of the block Global:postmasterincludedomain-macrothread-reusethread-min-priorityAll 108 directives of the block →