[Dovecot] Help connecting from remote client (no auth attempts)

[Blake McBride]

Thanks.  The current version of Thunderbird auto-detects connection
parameters - presumably by trying every combination.  All I give is an
email address and a password.  They also have a manual configuration that I
spent a lot of time with.  I was never able to do any better than their
auto-config.

I've spent two days on this now.  During all my trial and error tests I got
the ability to receive email to work.  Trying to get send to work, after a
bunch of trials, I just re-installed the whole thing to start over with a
clean slate.  I installed a different config.  One that had postfix and
dovecot pre-configured to work together.  That is what I am using now.

Given my experience with all this, I feel confident that Thunderbird is not
a factor in the problem.

I have a lot of experience as a programmer but I've only messed with email
servers a couple of times over the years.  (sendmail in the past.)  Each
time, unfortunately, it turns into a week-long, trial and effort in order
to get it working - never knowing what made it work or what it is even
doing.

In terms of the config, I really don't know what I am doing.  I think what
I want is clear text passwords sent over an SSL connection.  Isn't that
secure?  I don't know the difference between SSL and that TTSL thing.  I
really don't care how it is setup.  I just want it to be reasonably secure
and simple.

When installing the dovecot-postfix package on Ubuntu, it is preconfigured
to work and it does.  It just doesn't allow an external client to send &
receive through it.  It would be great to have a step-by-step guide to get
this, very common need, setup.  I see questions about this all over the net
but there is no clear answer.  Usually people just say they got it working
but either son't know or don't fully tell what they did to fix it.

I've got to believe that postfix and dovecot form a great email solution
that works well.  While it may be easy to setup for someone who is an email
expert, it is utterly daunting to someone who is not.

I really appreciate your help.  I don't think the problem has anything to
do with Thunderbird.  It has got to be in the dovecot and postfix config.
 I am just don't know what to do to determine where the problem is and how
to fix it.  I would thing that config dumps and log files would give
everything needed, but I don't understand them.  Assistance from someone
with a lot more experience and understanding can make all the difference.

Thanks.

Blake



On Thu, Mar 27, 2014 at 9:38 AM, Reindl Harald <h.reindl at thelounge.net>wrote:

> ThunderBird
>
> if you choose "encrypted password" it's in fact CRAM-MD5
> that is different in different mail-clients
>
> some let you choose the auth-mech, some have a default
> and the some doing the right chosse the actual best one
> available announced by the server
>
> Am 27.03.2014 15:34, schrieb Blake McBride:
> > I don't know what TB is.
> >
> > On Wed, Mar 26, 2014 at 3:52 PM, Reindl Harald <h.reindl at thelounge.net
> >wrote:
> >> Am 26.03.2014 21:47, schrieb Blake McBride:
> >>> Mar 26 15:04:51 booklion dovecot: imap-login: Aborted login (no auth
> >>> attempts): rip=74.179.230.177, lip=192.168.168.53
> >>> Mar 26 15:04:51 booklion dovecot: last message repeated 2 times
> >>> Mar 26 15:04:51 booklion dovecot: pop3-login: Aborted login (no auth
> >>> attempts): rip=74.179.230.177, lip=192.168.168.53
> >>> Mar 26 15:04:51 booklion dovecot: last message repeated 3 times
> >>> Mar 26 15:04:51 booklion dovecot: imap-login: Aborted login (no auth
> >>> attempts): rip=74.179.230.177, lip=192.168.168.53
> >>
> >> what auth-mechs have you configured and how is TB configured?
> >> "no auth attempts" in most cases indicates the client don't agree
> >> with the auth-mechs offered by the server (PLAUN, LOGIN, CRAM-MD5, LMTP)
> >>
> >> in doubt try that in dovecot.conf
> >> auth_mechanisms = CRAM-MD5 DIGEST-MD5 APOP LOGIN PLAIN
>
>