Imap-login bind errors after upgrading dovecot from 2.3 to 2.4

17 Dec 2025


      Greetings
I updated the OS in a VPS blindly and broke the mail service. I had set up this service over four years ago and never had issues with upgrades until recently. I realized the gravity of my mistake after dovecot refused to start. Version 2.4.1 had arrived and I am in so much trouble.
So far, I have adapted the configuraton files to 2.4 standards. "doveadm auth test user" tells me that the authentication is working fine. I am able to view old mails via doveadm. However, I get nothing new from mail clients. The maillog tells me that mails are getting queued (why?). I see status=sent (250.2.0.0) in some transactions, but that is the extent of success. However, I still get a nagging error message (see the end of this mail).
dovecot -n
Pigeonhole version 2.4.1-4 (0a86619f)
OS: Linux 6.17.11-300.fc43.x86_64 x86_64 Fedora release 43 (Forty Three)
dovecot_config_version = 2.4.1
auth_debug = yes
auth_mechanisms = plain login
dovecot_storage_version = 2.4.1
first_valid_uid = xxxx
mail_driver = maildir
mail_home = /home/mails/%{user | domain}/%{user | username}
mail_path = %{home}/Maildir
mail_privileged_group = mail
passdb_default_password_scheme = BLF-CRYPT
protocols {
imap = yes
lmtp = yes
sieve = yes
}
sql_driver = pgsql
ssl = required
ssl_cipher_list = PROFILE=SYSTEM
pgsql localhost {
parameters {
dbname = postfix
password = xxxxxxx
user = postfix
}
}
passdb sql {n
query = SELECT username AS user, password FROM mailbox WHERE username = '%{user}' AND active='1'
}
userdb sql {
query = SELECT '/home/mails/' || maildir AS home, xxxx as uid, xxxx as gid FROM mailbox WHERE username = '%{user}' AND active = '1'
}
namespace inbox {
inbox = yes
mailbox Drafts {
auto = create
special_use = "\\Drafts"
}
mailbox Junk {
auto = create
special_use = "\\Junk"
}
mailbox Trash {
auto = create
special_use = "\\Trash"
}
mailbox Sent {
auto = create
special_use = "\\Sent"
}
mailbox "Sent Messages" {
special_use = "\\Sent"
}
}
service lmtp {
executable = lmtp -L
process_min_avail = 5
user = vmail
unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/dovecot-lmtp {
group = postfix
mode = 0600
user = postfix
}
}
service auth {
unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/auth {
group = postfix
mode = 0600
user = postfix
}
}
service stats {
unix_listener stats-reader {
group = vmail
mode = 0660
user = vmail
}
unix_listener stats-writer {
group = vmail
mode = 0660
user = vmail
}
}
ssl_server {
cert_file = /etc/letsencrypt/live/xxxxxxx.com/fullchain.pem
dh_file = /etc/dovecot/dh.pem
key_file = /etc/letsencrypt/live/xxxxxxx.com/privkey.pem
prefer_ciphers = server
}
protocol lmtp {
info_log_path = /var/log/lmtp/dovecot-lmtp.log
mail_plugins {
sieve = yes
}
}
service managesieve-login {
inet_listener sieve {
port = 4190
}
}
service managesieve {
}
protocol sieve {
managesieve_implementation_string = Dovecot Pigeonhole
}
sieve_script personal {
active_path = ~/.dovecot.sieve
path = ~/sieve}
I did adjust an entry in postfix (master.cf). I switched from dovecot-lda to dovecot-lmtp. LDA was throwing permission errors when accessing the cert file. Most reference materials recommended LMTP because its processes already have the required privileges. So ...
master.cf (postfix)dovecot unix - n n - - pipe
flags=DRhu user=vmail:vmail argv=/usr/libexec/dovecot/deliver -f ${sender} -a ${original_recipient} -d ${user}@${nexthop}#
maillog errors
Dec 16 22:16:29 xxxxxxx.com dovecot[139456]: master: Error: bind(/run/dovecot/srv.imap-login/139456) failed: No such file or directory
Dec 16 22:16:29 xxxxxxx.com dovecot[139456]: master: Fatal: Failed to create per-PID unix_listener %{pid}: net_listen_unix(/run/dovecot/srv.imap-login/139456) failed: No such file or directory
Dec 16 22:16:29 xxxxxxx.com dovecot[809]: master: Error: service(imap-login): command startup failed, throttling for 2.000 secsDec 16 22:16:29 xxxxxxx.com dovecot[139216]: imap-login: Fatal: master: service(imap-login): child 139456 returned error 89 (Fatal failure)
What am I missing?
Regards
Onyeibo
Greetings
I updated the OS in a VPS blindly and broke the mail service.  I had set
up this service over four years ago and never had issues with upgrades
until recently.  I realized the gravity of my mistake after dovecot
refused to start.  Version 2.4.1 had arrived and I am in so much trouble.
So far, I have adapted the configuraton files to 2.4 standards.  "doveadm
auth test user" tells me that the authentication is working fine. I am
able to view old mails via doveadm.  However, I get nothing new from mail
clients.  The maillog tells me that mails are getting queued (why?).  I
see status=sent (250.2.0.0) in some transactions, but that is the extent
of success.  However, I still get a nagging error message (see the end of
this mail).
dovecot -n
Pigeonhole version 2.4.1-4 (0a86619f)
OS: Linux 6.17.11-300.fc43.x86_64 x86_64 Fedora release 43 (Forty Three)
dovecot_config_version = 2.4.1
auth_debug = yes
auth_mechanisms = plain login
dovecot_storage_version = 2.4.1
first_valid_uid = xxxx
mail_driver = maildir
mail_home = /home/mails/%{user | domain}/%{user | username}
mail_path = %{home}/Maildir
mail_privileged_group = mail
passdb_default_password_scheme = BLF-CRYPT
protocols {
imap = yes
lmtp = yes
sieve = yes
}
sql_driver = pgsql
ssl = required
ssl_cipher_list = PROFILE=SYSTEM
pgsql localhost {
parameters {
dbname = postfix
password = xxxxxxx
user = postfix
}
}
passdb sql {n
query = SELECT username AS user, password FROM mailbox WHERE username =
'%{user}' AND active='1'
}
userdb sql {
query = SELECT '/home/mails/' || maildir AS home, xxxx as uid, xxxx as
gid FROM mailbox WHERE username = '%{user}' AND active = '1'
}
namespace inbox {
inbox = yes
mailbox Drafts {
auto = create
special_use = "\\Drafts"
}
mailbox Junk {
auto = create
special_use = "\\Junk"
}
mailbox Trash {
auto = create
special_use = "\\Trash"
}
mailbox Sent {
auto = create
special_use = "\\Sent"
}
mailbox "Sent Messages" {
special_use = "\\Sent"
}
}
service lmtp {
executable = lmtp -L
process_min_avail = 5
user = vmail
unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/dovecot-lmtp {
group = postfix
mode = 0600
user = postfix
}
}
service auth {
unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/auth {
group = postfix
mode = 0600
user = postfix
}
}
service stats {
unix_listener stats-reader {
group = vmail
mode = 0660
user = vmail
}
unix_listener stats-writer {
group = vmail
mode = 0660
user = vmail
}
}
ssl_server {
cert_file = /etc/letsencrypt/live/xxxxxxx.com/fullchain.pem
dh_file = /etc/dovecot/dh.pem
key_file = /etc/letsencrypt/live/xxxxxxx.com/privkey.pem
prefer_ciphers = server
}
protocol lmtp {
info_log_path = /var/log/lmtp/dovecot-lmtp.log
mail_plugins {
sieve = yes
}
}
service managesieve-login {
inet_listener sieve {
port = 4190
}
}
service managesieve {
}
protocol sieve {
managesieve_implementation_string = Dovecot Pigeonhole
}
sieve_script personal {
active_path = ~/.dovecot.sieve
path = ~/sieve
}
I did adjust an entry in postfix (master.cf). I switched from dovecot-lda
to dovecot-lmtp.  LDA was throwing permission errors when accessing the
cert file. Most reference materials recommended LMTP because its processes
already have the required privileges. So ...
master.cf (postfix)
dovecot   unix  -       n       n       -       -       pipe
flags=DRhu user=vmail:vmail argv=/usr/libexec/dovecot/deliver -f
${sender} -a ${original_recipient} -d ${user}@${nexthop}#
maillog errors
Dec 16 22:16:29 [1]xxxxxxx.com dovecot[139456]: master: Error:
bind(/run/dovecot/srv.imap-login/139456) failed: No such file or directory
Dec 16 22:16:29 [2]xxxxxxx.com dovecot[139456]: master: Fatal: Failed to
create per-PID unix_listener %{pid}:
net_listen_unix(/run/dovecot/srv.imap-login/139456) failed: No such file
or directory
Dec 16 22:16:29 [3]xxxxxxx.com dovecot[809]: master: Error:
service(imap-login): command startup failed, throttling for 2.000 secs
Dec 16 22:16:29 [4]xxxxxxx.com dovecot[139216]: imap-login: Fatal: master:
service(imap-login): child 139456 returned error 89 (Fatal failure)
What am I missing?
Regards
Onyeibo
References
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Imap-login bind errors after upgrading dovecot from 2.3 to 2.4

onyeibo

Pigeonhole version 2.4.1-4 (0a86619f)

OS: Linux 6.17.11-300.fc43.x86_64 x86_64 Fedora release 43 (Forty Three)

Pigeonhole version 2.4.1-4 (0a86619f)

OS: Linux 6.17.11-300.fc43.x86_64 x86_64 Fedora release 43 (Forty Three)