[Dovecot] [Urgent] Email Retrieval from remote servers doesn't use Dovecot

[William Blunn]

On 29/06/2011 13:19, Shazia Javed wrote:
> ---------------------------
> Objective:
> ---------------------------
> We need to download emails from remote server using Dovecot and thunderbird.

Dovecot doesn't download e-mail from other servers.

> Our objective is to store emails in maildir or mbox format, and process them as part of our research project.
>
> ---------------------------
> Problem:
> ---------------------------
> Dovecot works for localhost, but not for remote servers. How do I know?
> Because thunderbird downloads emails in its default location (specified in
> settings) and not in maildir or mbox folders. If I send mail to
> <user>@<system_name>  using mail command, dovecot works and thunderbird
> shows the email stored in maildir folder. But for email from
> <id>@yahoo.com goes to thunderbird's default folder and are browsed from
> there.

It looks like you want to get e-mail from someone else's mail server and 
store it in maildir or mbox format on your server.

You could do this by pulling the mail from someone else's mailserver 
using Thunderbird, then using Thunderbird to move it across to an 
account configured to access your server by IMAP.

Alternatively you could do it by retrieving the mail using "fetchmail" 
on your server and have it delivered to an address on your server. This 
would have the benefit of being more reliable and more scriptable.


> -----------------
> Commentary:
> -----------------
>
> As is obvious from the commands and output listed above that dovecot is
> running, listening on 110 and 143 - but only for localhost. When I try to
> telnet mail.ut.ee 110/143 I get to see IMAP4/POP3 ready rather than
> Dovecot ready.

That is the expected behaviour. You installed Dovecot on your server, 
ergo it is only on your server. Installing Dovecot on your server 
doesn't magically install and configure it on other people's servers.

> -----------------
> Queries
> -----------------
> Shouldn't I get "Dovecot ready" message for remote servers as well?

No; you only installed it on your server.

> It is an MRA and we shouldn't be required to install it on remote servers, right?

If, by "MRA", you mean "Mail Retrieval Agent", then no, Dovecot is not 
an MRA.

> What should I do to make dovecot work for remote servers?

Dovecot, in and of itself, won't "work for remote servers".

You may be able to do what I think you want to do by pulling the mail 
from the remote server on to your server.

You may want to look into "fetchmail".

Bill