Hi,
I’m using Dovecot for many years. My installation is configured to manage spam using sieve. In the same time, I have a backup server, connecting to the main server every night in order to backup emails (note that the main server is not pushing its data, but the backup server is pulling them). Dovecot v2.4 made me re-write the configuration files, so maybe I missed something, but since then, I cannot make both these service work in the same time. With my current configuration, the backup server is terminating in error with the following logs:
dsync-remote(example@example.com)<HbkSGoKQG2o8+gEAGKlOPA>: Error: brain S: Exporting mailbox INBOX failed: Mailbox attribute iteration failed: Internal error occurred. Refer to server log for more information. [2026-05-31 03:36:03]
(and there are no more logs anywhere). Because this message <https://dovecot.org/mailman3/archives/list/dovecot@dovecot.org/thread/MGCGR6B2HSEKPHS4LTM3JWD3LRECJZLB/#345N463ZJJU7MGEICA352KV6C4C4LUES> was suggesting there could be a problem with sieve, I tried to modify the configuration. And indeed, when changing sieve configuration, the backup is working again. But then, my spam filter isn’t anymore.
Here are the relevant parts of the configuration for managing sieve. Can someone help me saying what could be wrong?
protocols { sieve = yes imap = yes lmtp = yes } sieve_extensions { fileinto = yes reject = yes envelope = yes encoded-character = yes vacation = yes subaddress = yes comparator-i;ascii-numeric = yes relational = yes regex = yes imap4flags = yes copy = yes include = yes body = yes variables = yes enotify = yes environment = yes mailbox = yes date = yes index = yes ihave = yes duplicate = yes mime = yes foreverypart = yes extracttext = yes vnd.dovecot.pipe = yes vnd.dovecot.environment = yes } sieve_pipe_bin_dir = /etc/dovecot/sieve sieve_pipe_socket_dir = sieve-pipe sieve_plugins { sieve_imapsieve = yes sieve_extprograms = yes } service managesieve-login { inet_listener sieve { port = 4190 } } sieve_script personal { } sieve_script default { path = /etc/dovecot/sieve/spam.sieve } protocol imap { mail_plugins { acl = yes quota = yes imap_acl = yes imap_quota = yes imap_sieve = yes } } protocol lmtp { mail_plugins { acl = yes quota = yes sieve = yes } } namespace user { inbox = yes prefix = separator = / type = private mailbox * { sieve_script reportspam { cause = flag path = /etc/dovecot/sieve/report-spam.sieve type = before } } }
Thank you.
Stéphane
-- Bien cordialement, / Plej kore,
Stéphane Veyret
Hi, I'm using Dovecot for many years. My installation is configured to manage spam using sieve. In the same time, I have a backup server, connecting to the main server every night in order to backup emails (note that the main server is not pushing its data, but the backup server is pulling them). Dovecot v2.4 made me re-write the configuration files, so maybe I missed something, but since then, I cannot make both these service work in the same time. With my current configuration, the backup server is terminating in error with the following logs:
dsync-remote([1]example@example.com)<HbkSGoKQG2o8+gEAGKlOPA>: Error: brain S: Exporting mailbox INBOX failed: Mailbox attribute iteration failed: Internal error occurred. Refer to server log for more information. [2026-05-31 03:36:03]
(and there are no more logs anywhere). Because [2]this message was suggesting there could be a problem with sieve, I tried to modify the configuration. And indeed, when changing sieve configuration, the backup is working again. But then, my spam filter isn't anymore. Here are the relevant parts of the configuration for managing sieve. Can someone help me saying what could be wrong?
protocols {
sieve = yes
imap = yes
lmtp = yes
}
sieve_extensions {
fileinto = yes
reject = yes
envelope = yes
encoded-character = yes
vacation = yes
subaddress = yes
comparator-i;ascii-numeric = yes
relational = yes
regex = yes
imap4flags = yes
copy = yes
include = yes
body = yes
variables = yes
enotify = yes
environment = yes
mailbox = yes
date = yes
index = yes
ihave = yes
duplicate = yes
mime = yes
foreverypart = yes
extracttext = yes
vnd.dovecot.pipe = yes
vnd.dovecot.environment = yes
}
sieve_pipe_bin_dir = /etc/dovecot/sieve
sieve_pipe_socket_dir = sieve-pipe
sieve_plugins {
sieve_imapsieve = yes
sieve_extprograms = yes
}
service managesieve-login {
inet_listener sieve {
port = 4190
}
}
sieve_script personal {
}
sieve_script default {
path = /etc/dovecot/sieve/spam.sieve
}
protocol imap {
mail_plugins {
acl = yes
quota = yes
imap_acl = yes
imap_quota = yes
imap_sieve = yes
}
}
protocol lmtp {
mail_plugins {
acl = yes
quota = yes
sieve = yes
}
}
namespace user {
inbox = yes
prefix =
separator = /
type = private
mailbox * {
sieve_script reportspam {
cause = flag
path = /etc/dovecot/sieve/report-spam.sieve
type = before
}
}
}Thank you. Stephane
Bien cordialement, / Plej kore,
Stephane Veyret
References
Visible links
- mailto:example@example.com
- https://dovecot.org/mailman3/archives/list/dovecot@dovecot.org/thread/MGCGR6...