[Dovecot] [OT] Apple Mail.app access to localhost imap when no network

[Rob Davies]

On 23 Nov 2004, at 4:35pm, Alan Schmitt wrote:

> Le 23 nov. 04, à 02:52, Rob Davies a écrit :
>
>> Morning
>> On 22 Nov 2004, at 6:26pm, Alan Schmitt wrote:
>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> Sorry for the offtopic subject, but I tried asking this on some 
>>> Apple mailing lists and could not find an answer there, and as it's 
>>> related to imap (provided by dovecot), someone might know something 
>>> about this.
>>>
>>> The problem is the following: I have a local IMAP server provided by 
>>> dovecot,
>>
>> Local as your machine you are using or local area network?
>
> Local as my machine.
>
>>
>>> so that I can store my mail in maildir format, and read it both 
>>> using mutt and Apple Mail.app. Mail.app is configured to access 
>>> localhost:143 to access mail.
>>
>> So this says it is machine you are using?
>
> Yes.
>
>>> However, I discovered that when there is no network connection (no 
>>> ethernet cable plugged in and no wifi network), Mail.app is saying 
>>> that it's working in disconnected mode and refuses to access the 
>>> imap server.
>>
>> If it is your machine you are using try using its actual IP address.
>
> | did try 127.0.0.1, and it did not work. Otherwise I might not have 
> an IP address, as I'm not connected to any network.

Maybe this is problem no viable network, also what are you using as 
your MTA. Dovecot is just the storage device, MTA is what actually 
receives mail through smtp and delivers it throughout your network. So 
mail is saying OK I do not recognise this server I will work offline, 
ie no viable /home or other area where mail is stored on IMAP machine 
or its address, hence the workstation you are using?

>
>>> Would someone have a suggestion as to what to do to allow connected 
>>> access to localhost when no network is present? I'm very new to OS X 
>>> (I come from Linux).
>>
>> If you have specified a specific interface through dovecot.conf, 
>> change it too imap_listen = *
>
> Well, I'm able to login using "telnet localhost 143", so I guess this 
> is not really the problem. Somehow Apple Mail is convinced that it 
> cannot connect to localhost.

Have you tried other mail clients, I suspect you will find the same 
problem.I am not certain as I have never tried to run an IMAP email 
server of my working desktop. For this single computer environment, I 
always used POP and utilised ISP's email servers or other generous 
soles variations.

IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. It is a method of 
accessing electronic mail or bulletin board messages that are kept on a 
(possibly shared) mail server. In other words, it permits a "client" 
email program to access remote message stores as if they were local. 
For example, email stored on an IMAP server can be manipulated from a 
desktop computer at home, a workstation at the office, and a notebook 
computer while traveling, without the need to transfer messages or 
files back and forth between these computers. (www.imap.org)

Cheers!
Rob Davies
rob at rjdarts.com

"It is the world which makes known to us our belonging to a 
subject-communtiy, especially the existence in the world of the 
manufactured objects." Sartre.