[Dovecot] Error: file_dotlock_create failed: Permission denied

[M. Fioretti]

Hi,

I have a Fedora 14 x86_64 computer. I run dovecot 2.0.12 on it, only to
keep a local imap copy of all my email, in maildir format. A couple days
ago the hard disk broke, so I bought a new one, and reinstalled Fedora 14
x86_64 with all the updates.

Then I copied all the maildirs from a backup to the new drive.

But I can't access email now. No matter how I change sticky bits or
ownership and permissions of all the involved files and directories, etc..
Login succeeds, but I get this error whenever I try to create new
mailboxes or access existing ones:

May 25 13:36:03 polaris dovecot: imap-login: Login: user=<marco>,
method=PLAIN, rip=127.0.0.1, lip=127.0.0.1, mpid=8489, secured
May 25 13:36:06 polaris dovecot: imap(marco): Error:
file_dotlock_open(/home/z/email/marco/dovecot.index.log) failed:
Permission denied (euid=500(marco) egid=500(marco) missing +w perm:
/home/z/email/marco, euid is not dir owner)
May 25 13:36:06 polaris dovecot: imap(marco): Error:
file_dotlock_create(/home/z/email/marco/dovecot-uidlist) failed:
Permission denied (euid=500(marco) egid=500(marco) missing +w perm:
/home/z/email/marco, euid is not dir owner)
May 25 13:36:06 polaris dovecot: imap(marco): Error:
file_dotlock_create(/home/z/email/marco/dovecot-uidlist) failed:
Permission denied (euid=500(marco) egid=500(marco) missing +w perm:
/home/z/email/marco, euid is not dir owner)
May 25 13:36:06 polaris dovecot: imap(marco): Error:
opendir(/home/z/email/marco/new) failed: Permission denied
(euid=500(marco) egid=500(marco) missing +r perm: /home/z/email/marco/new,
euid is not dir owner)
May 25 13:36:06 polaris dovecot: imap(marco): Error:
file_dotlock_create(/home/z/email/marco/dovecot-uidlist) failed:
Permission denied (euid=500(marco) egid=500(marco) missing +w perm:
/home/z/email/marco, euid is not dir owner)

Again, this doesn't change changing ownership. Output of dovecot -n is below
The only possible difference I can find between this and the previous
install of the SAME distro/dovecot package is that this time I use ext4
filesystem. Maybe, I don't remember, I was using ext3 in the original
install.

What must I change to gain access again to my mailboxes???

thanks!
Marco

dovecot -n

# 2.0.12: /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
doveconf: Warning: NOTE: You can get a new clean config file with:
doveconf -n > dovecot-new.conf
doveconf: Warning: Obsolete setting in /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf:88:
ssl_disable has been renamed to ssl
doveconf: Warning: Obsolete setting in /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf:979:
auth_user has been replaced by service auth { user }
doveconf: Warning: SSL is disabled because global ssl=no, ignoring ssl=yes
for subsection
# OS: Linux 2.6.35.13-91.fc14.x86_64 x86_64 Fedora release 14 (Laughlin) ext4
auth_debug = yes
auth_debug_passwords = yes
auth_mechanisms = plain login
listen = *
mail_location = maildir:/home/z/email/%u
mail_privileged_group = mail_imap
passdb {
  args = scheme=plain username_format=%n /etc/local_dovecot_passwords
  driver = passwd-file
}
protocols = imap
service auth {
  user = root
}
ssl = no
userdb {
  args = username_format=%n /etc/local_dovecot_passwords
  driver = passwd-file
}
protocol lda {
  postmaster_address = postmaster at example.com
}