Hi,

The args parameter of userdb contains scheme, username format and location of the password file. Please take a look this link https://doc.dovecot.org/configuration_manual/authentication/passwd_file/

For example, mine is:
userdb {
 
driver = passwd-file
  args = username_format=%u /etc/dovecot/imap.passwd
}

$ head /etc/dovecot/imap.passwd
to@localhost.local:{plain}1:vmail:vmail::::userdb_mail=mdbox:~/Mdbox/%d/%n:INDEX=~/indexes/%d/%n

On Thu, 23 Mar 2023 at 05:08, Horst Simon <horst.simon2@icloud.com> wrote:
OS environment:

Linux qnap-nas 5.10.60-qnap #1 SMP Thu Jan 12 04:39:10 CST 2023 x86_64 GNU/Linux

I enabled  "auth-passwdfile.conf.ext” in 10-auth.conf
#!include auth-deny.conf.ext
#!include auth-master.conf.ext
#!include auth-system.conf.ext
#!include auth-sql.conf.ext
#!include auth-ldap.conf.ext
!include auth-passwdfile.conf.ext
#!include auth-checkpassword.conf.ext
#!include auth-static.conf.ext

In this file I have following entries and I don’t know what to enter for userdb

passdb {
  driver = passwd-file
  args = /opt/local/etc/dovecot/users
}

userdb {
  driver = passwd-file
  #args = username_format=%u /opt/local/etc/dovecot/users

  # Default fields that can be overridden by passwd-file
  #default_fields = quota_rule=*:storage=1G

  # Override fields from passwd-file
  #override_fields = home=/home/virtual/%u
}

In the users file I have 2 users defined as follow:
user1:{SSHA512}<encrypted password>::::::
user2:{SSHA512}<encrypted password::::::

Dovecot gives following error message on startup:
Mar 23 08:50:30 master: Info: Dovecot v2.3.20 (80a5ac675d) starting up for imap, lmtp, sieve (core dumps disabled)
Mar 23 08:50:30 auth: Debug: Loading modules from directory: /opt/local/lib/dovecot/auth
Mar 23 08:50:30 auth: Debug: Module loaded: /opt/local/lib/dovecot/auth/lib20_auth_var_expand_crypt.so
Mar 23 08:50:30 auth: Fatal: userdb passwd-file: Missing args

I don’t know what arguments I have to enter for userdb

Horst

> On 22 Mar 2023, at 23:00, Narcis Garcia
>
> Please, specify OS environment, Dovecot version, and what options did
> you try.
>
>
> El 22/3/23 a les 4:52, Horst Simon ha escrit:
>> I try to configure to have user authenticate to a local file called
>> users, with their mailboxes in ../../spool/dovecot, not in their home
>> directories. I have this working correctly with pam authentication on
>> different servers(openSuse and macOS). This server has no pam
>> authentication so I need to use a local file, but I can not make any
>> sense of the documentation, can someone please help on which files I
>> need to change and to which values.
>> I tried several options but getting all kind of errors with UID.
>>
>> Horst
>>
>
> --
>
> Narcis Garcia
>
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