[Dovecot] Using Push IMAP to trigger POP3 download

[Aaron Whitehouse]

Hello all,

I have an HTPC connected 24/7 to the Internet running Mythbuntu.  I
also have a web/email host that runs Dovecot for email and provides
IMAP and POP3 access.

I understand that Dovecot supports Push IMAP and I could, for example,
use Thunderbird to connect to my email host to receive instant email
as it arrives.  I would like to add a Dovecot IMAP server on my HTPC
(for increased storage, to aggregate multiple email accounts, to
process messages with SpamAssassin and to provide a better webmail
interface) and retrieve email from my webhost to my HTPC by POP3.

To set up POP3 on my HTPC, I understand that the norm is to set a time
interval (say, every 10 minutes) for clearing email.  What I would
prefer to do, if possible, would be to have Dovecot on my HTPC keep a
Push IMAP connection with Dovecot on my webhost.  When a new message
is available on the webhost, my HTPC would be "pushed" a notification
and it could do a POP3 download.  This would allow it to clear emails
with POP3 (and reduce storage requirements on my webhost), mean that I
received emails instantly and not require me to have it poll for
messages on a very-regular basis.

Does anybody know if this is possible?

As an alternative (not solving my space problem on the webhost, but
solving the others), is it possible to set up Dovecot to "piggy back"
off an existing IMAP server?  In my example, my webhost does not offer
good spam-checking and webmail.  Would it be possible for me to set up
a Dovecot server on my HTPC that received messages by Push IMAP,
processed them with SpamAssassin (say, moving all of the spam messages
to a subfolder) and provided a good web interface, all the while
providing updates to the webhost's server?  In some ways, this is
almost more like an IMAP client than a server.

I apologise if these questions are stupid!

Happy New Year and thanks in advance,

Aaron

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