Start listening process

# exim -bd                # start an Exim daemon process on default port 25

# exim -bd -oX 1225       # start an Exim daemon process on port 1225

SMTP on stdin and stdout, from local process or via inetd

# exim -bs

Batched SMTP from local process

# exim -bS

Message on standard input, recipients from header lines

# exim -t
From: paul.valle@datadisk.co.uk
To: complaints@datadisk.co.uk
Bcc: customerservice@datadisk.co.uk
...
.                           # finish with a single dot

Set SMTP timeout (overrides option smtp_receive_timeout)

# exim -os

The gecos field is normally used to supply the username, but this can be overriden

# exim -F 'The Boss' paul.valle@datadisk.co.uk

There are a number of options starting with -oM that change the characteristics of a message

-oMa   sets the field that contains the IP address of the remote host
-oMaa  sets the field that contains the authenicator name, makes the message look like its authenicated
-oMai  sets the authenicated id value
-oMas  sets the authenicated sender value
-oMi   sets the fields that holds the IP address of the i/f on the local host that was used
-oMr   sets the protocol used to received the mesage (useful for logging)
-oMs   sets the field that holds the verified name of the remote host
-oMt   sets the field that holds the id string obtained by an RFC1413 callback to the sending host

The accepting process automatically starts a delivery for each message received

# exim -odb

Exim will create a new delivery process but will wait until it completes before proceeding

# exim -odf
# exim -odi

Queue runner processes are normally started periodically by the daemon but you can do it manually

# exim -q

Normally a queue runner process only unfrozen messages and addresses whose retry times have been reached but using the option below means all messages will be tried

# exim -qff

Process all unfrozen messages, and does local deliveries but skips remote deliveries

# exim -ql         # only local deliveries
# exim -qfl        # local and force for all addresses even if the retry limit has not been meet
# exim -qffl       # local, force and frozen messages (thawed)

# exim -D LOG_SELECTOR=+filter ...

Note: you can use upto 10 -D

You can obtain lots of information using this command (version, authenicators, lookups, etc)

# exim -bV

# exim -bP router_list

Other options:

qualify_domain
hold_domains
configure_file
transport
local_delivery
authenticators
router_list
transport_list
authenticator_list

You get back information on what router, transport was used, type of lookup, etc

# exim -bt paul.valle@datadisk.co.uk

# exim -bv paul.valle@datadisk.co.uk

# exim -bvs paul.valle@datadisk.co.uk

Note: -bvs will only be different if option verify_sender and verify_recipient have been set

# exim -brt datadisk.co.uk

Note: brush up on the syntax for the retry rules see delivery errors

# exim -brw paul.valle@datadiskcorp.co.uk

# exim -bf new-filter < test-message
# exim -bvf new-filter < test-message                                ## adding verbose
# exim -bf new-filter -f paul.valle@datadisk.co.uk < test-message    ## specify the sender
# exim -bF system-filter < test-message                              ## test a system filter

Note: more information can be seen at Message Filtering

Start a interactive debugging session

# exim -d-all+filter -f paul.valle@datadisk.co.uk complaints@datadisk.co.uk

Note: plus means add debug information for specific option minus means do not debug for that option (see options below)