[Dovecot] about filtering and dovecot

[Bram Mertens]

On Thu, 2005-04-21 at 12:18 +0100, Nigel Metheringham wrote:
> On Thu, 2005-04-21 at 12:56 +0200, Bram Mertens wrote:
> > I would like to set up a local mailserver but I'm getting lost with all
> > the available options. As I have already decided to use dovecot I hope
> > someone here will be able to point me to the right docs/HOWTO's/...
> 
> Its a little off-topic for here, since dovecot ends up being very
> peripheral to this.

I know but since dovecot is the only component of which I'm relatively
certain that it's what I'm looking for I posted here.

> > Here's my wish-list:
> > 1) download mail from my ISP's POP3-server
> 
> thats probably fetchmail (spit).

Maybe I'm not getting some slang but I get the impression you'd prefer
something else. If so why and what? I am by no means married to
fetchmail, if there's another tool that will suit my needs and that has
some advantages of fetchmail I'd like to here about it.

> > 2) scan with spamassassin
> > 3) scan with ClamAV
> > 4) filter messages (mailing lists/sender/...)
> 
> this can be done either in your MTA/MDA config, or you could do it
> purely with an MDA.  The MDA method would just use procmail (probably).
> You can probably find decent HOWTOs to do this with procmail around.
> You most likely want to be storing mail in Maildir format for dovecot -
> I believe this can be done with procmail, but I have never used it to do
> so...
> 
> If you are using the MTA method, and using Exim then have a look at
> 	http://www.timj.co.uk/linux/exim.php
> 
> That will set you up with the SPAM/Virus scanning.  There is a wrinkle -
> with fetchmail you do not really want to be rejecting unwanted stuff at
> SMTP time when its coming from fetchmail, since that has problems with
> SMTP rejection, and you aren't saving bandwidth or preventing yourself
> accepting unwanted mail in this case.

Again this is probably off-topic but if e-mail arrives at an ISP's
POP3-server is there a way to reject mail at SMTP time? From what I'v
gathered so far this is only possible when you have your own mail-server
(and your own webdomain).

> The filtering into folders can be done using an Exim filter.
> 
> Documentation for all of this is on the Exim website and wiki or you can
> try talking to the Exim list - we rarely bite much.

Aha, first page I opened on the wiki (which I must admit escaped my
attention until I started looking for it) answers one of my questions:
all folders are subfolders of the INBOX. That's probably why there's no
need to reconfigure dovecot.

Just for completeness: is there a way to have these folders outside the
INBOX (I'm used to this behaviour so I'd like to keep it. But I'll get
over it if it would turn out quite difficult to achieve.)

> > 5) store messages in dovecot
> > 6) be able to read messages on my desktop (where all of the above will
> > be running) and on my laptop
> > 7) be able to send messages (currently using evolution) from both my
> > desktop and laptop so sent messages are stored in dovecot (the idea is
> > to be able to see all sent messages on both PC's)
> 
> That should just work.  If you want mail on the laptop when disconnected
> then look at something like offlineimap to sync your server and laptop
> data set.

That might be interesting to add in the future, for now I'll be happy to
achieve this much.

> > I have already created a test-account om my ISP's POP3-server, installed
> > and configured fetchmail and dovecot. Exim has been installed as well
> > but I haven't touched it's configuration yet. Running fetchmail manually
> > collects the mail and stores it in /var/mail/m8ram where dovecot finds
> > it.
> 
> Ah - so you are mostly there... although using mbox format.

Yes, since I couldn't find a way to get fetchmail to deliver in maildir
format. If I decide to use exim for filtering

> > So I would like to know (how to find out) how I can achieve 2), 3), 4)
> > and 7).
> 
> Tim J's guide should help with 2,3 and maybe 4.
> 7 is a case of having your sent folder set as an imap folder - easy in
> evolution but needs setting up on your client.

I'm sorry I don't understand, I consider evolution to be the client...

> > I have looked around and have discovered that there are many programs
> > that can do some or all of this. But I haven't been able to figure out
> > how to get them to work with dovecot.
> 
> dovecot is almost irrelevant here - it just works for this...

Thanks Nigel, I'll subscribe to the exim list since your answers have
given me hope that I'm on the right track!

Regards

Bram
-- 
# Mertens Bram "M8ram"   <bram-mertens at linux.be>   Linux User #349737 #
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