[Dovecot] Providing shared folders with multiple backend servers

[Sven Hartge]

Timo Sirainen <tss at iki.fi> wrote:
> On 9.1.2012, at 21.45, Sven Hartge wrote:

>>>> |   location = imapc:~/imapc-shared
>> 
>> What is the syntax of this location? What does "imapc-shared" do in this
>> case?

> It's the directory for index files. The backend IMAP server is used as
> a rather dummy storage, so if for example you do a FETCH 1:*
> BODYSTRUCTURE command, all of the message bodies are downloaded to the
> user's Dovecot server which parses them. But with indexes this is done
> only once (same as with any other mailbox format). If you want SEARCH
> BODY to be fast, you'd also need to use some kind of full text search
> indexes.

The bodies are downloaded but not stored, right? Just the index files
are stored locally.

> If your users share the same UID (or 0666 mode would probably work
> too), you could share the index files rather than make them per-user.
> Then you could use imapc:/shared/imapc or something.

Hmm. Yes, this is a fully virtual setup, every users mail is owned by
the virtmail user. Does this sharing of index files have any security or
privacy issues?

Not every user sees every shared folder, so an information leak has to
be avoided at all costs.

> BTW. All message flags are shared between users. If you want per-user
> flags you'd need to modify the code.

No, I need shared message flags, as this is the reason we introduced
shared folders, so one user can see, if a mail has already been read or
replied to.

>>> Right. Also in this Dovecot you want a regular namespace without prefix:
>> 
>>> namespace inbox {
>>> separator = /
>>> list = yes
>>> inbox = yes
>>> }
>> 
>>> You might as well use the proper separator here in case you ever change it for users.
>> 
>> Is this seperator converted to '.' on the frontend?

> Yes, as long as you explicitly specify the separator setting to the
> public namespace.

OK, good to know, one for my documentation with an '!' behind it.

Grüße,
Sven

-- 
Sigmentation fault. Core dumped.