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[Dovecot] Dovecot-1.0.beta1: New mail sometimes fails to appear
by Tom Alsberg 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

Hi there... Having updated to 1.0.beta1, I for a while thought a bad bug with IDLE handling that caused new mail in INBOX not to appear when using Mozilla Thunderbird has been solved. Although I can not reproduce one kind of problem anymore, after a short while it again appears that one does not always see one's new mail with Thunderbird. I can not consistently reproduce the bug, but from some network captures it indeed appears that sometimes Thunderbird has (in one of its connections to the server) INBOX SELECTed and IDLE on it, new mail arrives, but 10 minutes afterwards it was still not sent an EXISTS message. Initially the symptoms appeared to suggest that something really bad happened to the index files, but I tried INDEX=MEMORY and that did not help much. Thunderbird using multiple connections to the server does of course only make debugging more difficult. But it appears that without multiple connections, one has to constantly cycle around SELECTing to get notified on more than one mailbox, so that may justified. I am a bit lost on this now, and would appreciate some ideas. Although there were several related bugs I noticed in Thunderbird 1.0, it appears that they are gone in 1.5, and yet now it really seems Dovecot is doing something wrong here. Attached is the configuration file I use for the testing installation of Dovecot 1.0.beta1 (somebody tell me if you see something wrong there). The mailbox arrangement is as follows, right now (until we have a better way): * INBOX in /var/mail/%u * most mailboxes in ~/imap.maildir/... as maildirs. * mboxes in ~/imap.mbox/... accessible as #imap.mbox/... * the mbox:~/mail/ is for when namespaces are not used - now there are so it should not be relevant Except for myself, and one test account I have, I have two guinea-pigs using it (who are well aware that it is still under development and that it will break once in a while) and reporting problems to me. Vaguely (since I can't figure the exact reasons), the symptom can be described as follows: When using Mozilla Thunderbird to access mail, new mail arrives to INBOX (mbox:/var/mail/%u), but is sometimes not seen for a long while after it arrives. Sometimes the first (or first few) message arriving appears, but then no new messages appear, and sometimes everything works right and immediately new mail is seen. However whenever (according to Thunderbird) something changes in the mailbox, the mailbox is seen up-to-date as it really was at that time. Thanks, any help appreciated, -- Tom -- Tom Alsberg - hacker (being the best description fitting this space) Web page: http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~alsbergt/ DISCLAIMER: The above message does not even necessarily represent what my fingers have typed on the keyboard, save anything further. # Dovecot IMAP server configuration at CS.HUJI ############################################## # # $Id$ # GENERAL PARAMETERS: ##################### # Base directory where to store runtime data: base_dir = /var/run/dovecot # Protocols we want to be serving: protocols = imap pop3 # IP or host address where to listen in for connections: listen = * ssl_disable = yes # LOGIN PROCESSES: ################## # Directory for authentication sockets: #login_dir = /var/run/dovecot/login # chroot login process to the login_dir: #login_chroot = yes # User to use for the login process: login_user = nobody # Maximum process size in megabytes: #login_process_size = 16 # Have each login be processed in its own process: #login_process_per_connection = yes # Number of login processes to create: #login_processes_count = 3 # Maximum number of extra login processes to create: #login_max_processes_count = 128 # Maximum number of connections allowed in login state: #login_max_logging_users = 256 # Greeting message for clients: login_greeting = Dovecot mail access server at CS.HUJI ready. # MAIL PROCESSES: ################# # Maximum number of running mail processes: #max_mail_processes = 1024 # Show more verbose process title (in ps): verbose_proctitle = yes # Valid UID range for users: first_valid_uid = 10 #last_valid_uid = 0 # Valid GID range for users: #first_valid_gid = 1 #last_valid_gid = 0 # Extra groups for mail processes: #mail_extra_groups = # ':' separated list of directories under which chrooting is allowed: #valid_chroot_dirs = # Default chroot directory for mail processes: #mail_chroot = # Default MAIL environment to use when it's not set: default_mail_env = mbox:~/mail/:INBOX=/var/mail/%u # NAMESPACES: ############# namespace private { separator = / prefix = "" location = maildir:~/imap.maildir/ } namespace private { separator = / prefix = "#imap.mbox/" location = mbox:~/imap.mbox/:INBOX=/var/mail/%u inbox = yes } # MAIL STORE: ############# # Space-separated list of fields to initially save into cache file: #mail_cache_fields = # Space-separated list of fields to never save into cache file: #mail_never_cache_fields = # Like mailbox_check_interval, but used for IDLE command: #mailbox_idle_check_interval = 30 # Whether to allow full filesystem access to clients: #mail_full_filesystem_access = no # Maximum allowed length for mail keyword name: #mail_max_keyword_length = 50 # Whether to save mails with CR+LF instead of plain LF: #mail_save_crlf = no # Whether to use mmap to access mail files: #mail_read_mmaped = no # Whether to disable mmap at all: mmap_disable = yes # Whether to disable write to mmap: #mmap_no_write = no # Locking method for index files: lock_method = dotlock # Whether to list only directories in LIST command: maildir_stat_dirs = yes # Whether to copy mail to other folders using hard links: #maildir_copy_with_hardlinks = no # Locking methods to use for locking mbox: mbox_read_locks = dotlock mbox_write_locks = dotlock # Maximum time in seconds to wait for lock (all of them): mbox_lock_timeout = 300 # Timeout to overwrite dotlock files if mailbox isn't modified: mbox_dotlock_change_timeout = 30 # Whether to read only appended data on change (unless corrupt): #mbox_dirty_syncs = yes # Like mbox_dirty_syncs, but no full syncs with SELECT, EXAMINE, # EXPUNGE, or CHECK: #mbox_very_dirty_syncs = no # Whether to delay writing mbox headers until doing a full write sync: #mbox_lazy_writes = yes # umask to use for mail files and directories: umask = 0077 # Whether drop all privileges before exec of mail process: #mail_drop_priv_before_exec = no # Maximum mail process size in megabytes: #mail_process_size = 256 # Log prefix for mail processes: mail_log_prefix = "%Us(%u): " # IMAP SPECIFIC SETTINGS: ######################### protocol imap { # Login executable location: #login_executable = /usr/local/dovecot/libexec/dovecot/imap-login # IMAP executable location: #mail_executable = /usr/local/dovecot/libexec/dovecot/imap # Maximum IMAP command line length in bytes: #imap_max_line_length = 65536 # Suypport for dynamically loadable modules: #mail_use_modules = no #mail_modules = /usr/local/dovecot/lib/dovecot/imap # Whether to send IMAP capabilities in greeting message: login_greeting_capability = yes # Workarounds for various client bugs: imap_client_workarounds = outlook-idle netscape-eoh } # POP3 SPECIFIC SETTINGS: ######################### protocol pop3 { # Login executable location: #login_executable = /usr/local/dovecot/libexec/dovecot/pop3-login # POP3 executable location: #mail_executable = /usr/local/dovecot/libexec/dovecot/pop3 # Whether to not update recent/seen flags in POP3 sessions: #pop3_no_flag_updates = no # Whether to support deprecated LAST command: #pop3_enable_last = no # POP3 UIDL format to use: #pop3_uidl_format = %08Xu%08Xv # Support for dynamically loadable modules #mail_user_modules = no #mail_modules = /usr/local/dovecot/lib/dovecot/pop3 # Workarounds for various client bugs: pop3_client_workarounds = outlook-no-nuls oe-ns-eoh } # AUTHENTICATION PROCESSES: ########################### # Authentication executable location: #auth_executable = /usr/local/dovecot/libexec/dovecot/dovecot-auth # Maximum authentication process size in megabytes: #auth_process_size = 256 # Authentication cache size in kilobytes: #auth_cache_size = 0 # Time to live in seconds for cached data: #auth_cache_ttl = 3600 # Space separated list of realms for SASL authentication mechanisms: #auth_realms = # Default realm/domain to use if none was specified: #auth_default_realm = # List of allowed characters in username: #auth_username_chars = abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789.-_@ # Username character translation before it's looked up in database: #auth_username_translation = # Whether to disable plaintext authentication disable_plaintext_auth = no # More verbose authentication logging: auth_verbose = yes # Even more verbose authentication logging for debugging purposes: auth_debug = yes auth default { # Space separated list of wanted authentication mechanisms mechanisms = plain # Password database specification: passdb pam { } # User database specification: userdb passwd { } # User to use for the authentication process: user = root # Directory where to chroot the process: #chroot = # Number of authentication processes to create: #count = 1 # Whether to require a valid SSL client certificate for # authentication: #ssl_require_client_cert = no }

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[Dovecot] Mail.app help
by Mike Garfias 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

I'm having a problem with Mail.app and imap folders. I've got a new install of dovecot 1.0beta2, and am only experiencing this problem with Mail. Mutt works as expected, as well as thunderbird. When I create a folder using Mail.app, it is written to ~/Maildir/.INBOX.newfolder, which would be fine, if I wasn't telling everything that I wanted no prefixes. If I move that folder to ~/Maildir/.newfolder, Mail.app can no longer see it, but mutt and thunderbird can. Thunderbird _CAN_ see the folders created as .INBOX.Folder, and even shows it as a subfolder of my inbox, but Mutt completely refuses to see it. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong here?

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[Dovecot] Duplicate entry in ./configure --help
by Luigi Rosa 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

The help message has a duplicate entry for "--with-gnu-ld" option: --without-PACKAGE do not use PACKAGE (same as --with-PACKAGE=no) --with-gnu-ld assume the C compiler uses GNU ld [default=no] --with-pic try to use only PIC/non-PIC objects [default=use both] --with-tags[=TAGS] include additional configurations [automatic] --with-gnu-ld assume the C compiler uses GNU ld default=no --with-libiconv-prefix[=DIR] search for libiconv in DIR/include and DIR/lib Ciao, luigi -- +--[Luigi Rosa]--

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RE: [Dovecot] passwd-file
by cha yang 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

http://wiki.dovecot.org/Authentication Look 3/4 down the page. I think this is what you are looking for. Cha Yang

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[Dovecot] passwd-file
by Simon Waters 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

Hi, the wiki doesn't explain the file format for passwd-file. I want to do a small set of virtual users using flat files. I have my postfix "vmailbox" generated, and working as expected for delivery. I've configured dovecot, put passwd-file for the auth_passdb, and specified a file name. By "passwd like" what is allowed? Where is it document. How unlike passwd can it be? Must I read the source code? Simon

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[Dovecot] nologin
by Robert A. Thompson 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

I need to be able to setup a nologin system for users on my mail server on a per user basis. We are going to do some maintenance on each user (individually) and would like it if they could not login to dovecot while we do this. I was curious if dovecot implemented anything like this. We are currently using standard pam authentication (nothing db related) and I was hoping to be able to touch a "nologin" file on a per user basis in their home directory. I think I could do this with some pam magic, but was curious if dovecot had something in it that would allow for this. Note: I understand I will have to forcibly kill active connections. --Robert

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[Dovecot] Problems with POP3 UIDL when migrating from MBOX to Maildir
by Jonas Olsson 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

Hello, I am in the process of migrating a hosting setup from UW-IMAP to Dovecot. The protocols available to mail clients are IMAP and POP3 both before and after migration. I also wanted to change the mail storage format from MBOX to Maildir. However, at this point I hit a major snag with Dovecot and POP3 UIDL (unique identification listing for POP3 mailboxes). Several of the customers connecting to the mailserver in question are using POP3 clients and leave their e-mails on the server. To avoid downloading all messages every time the clients connect they use the UIDL command in the POP3 specification to determine if any new messages have arrived since last time they checked. In order for this to work the unique identifier of each message must be static and can never change. If the identifiers change, every client will download all messages again, mixing old messages with new, in the belief that all messages are new since their identifiers changed. The first step, migrating from UW-IMAP to Dovecot, did not pose any problems in this regard. Connecting to the POP3 service manually to show the UIDL output revealed: With UW-IMAP: uidl +OK Unique-ID listing follows 1 43ef424e00000001 2 43ef424e00000002 With Dovecot: uidl +OK 1 43ef424e00000001 2 43ef424e00000002 However, after performing a migration to Maildir, storing all messages in ~/Maildir for the user in question, I received a different UIDL output: uidl +OK 1 43ef523100000001 2 43ef523100000002 I used the mb2md utility available from http://batleth.sapienti-sat.org/projects/mb2md/ to do the conversion. A diff between the new Maildir messages and the old mailbox reveals no other difference than the leading "From " line of each message missing from the Maildir messages. ----------- snip ------------------------------ --- /var/mail/testuser 2006-02-12 15:13:01.000000000 +0100 +++ maildir-concat.txt 2006-02-12 15:21:54.000000000 +0100 @@ -1,4 +1,3 @@ -From test(a)example.com Sun Feb 12 15:09:49 2006 Return-Path: <test(a)example.com> X-Original-To: testuser Delivered-To: testuser(a)localhost.localdomain @@ -16,7 +15,6 @@ Testing 1 -From test(a)example.com Sun Feb 12 15:10:23 2006 Return-Path: <test(a)example.com> X-Original-To: testuser Delivered-To: testuser(a)localhost.localdomain ----------- snip ------------------------------ When removing the ~/Maildir directory of the user to redo the conversion I discovered that Dovecot returned another set of UIDL output this time around: uidl +OK 1 43ef528300000001 2 43ef528300000002 This output is for the same messages as in the previous example, with preserved message filenames. Doing a diff between the old ~/Maildir and the new reveals the following differences: ----------- snip ------------------------------ $ diff -ur Maildir.example1 Maildir.example2 Binary files Maildir.example1/dovecot.index and Maildir.example2/dovecot.index differ Binary files Maildir.example1/dovecot.index.cache and Maildir.example2/dovecot.index.cache differ Binary files Maildir.example1/dovecot.index.log and Maildir.example2/dovecot.index.log differ diff -ur Maildir.example1/dovecot-uidlist Maildir.example2/dovecot-uidlist --- Maildir.example1/dovecot-uidlist 2006-02-12 16:20:17.000000000 +0100 +++ Maildir.example2/dovecot-uidlist 2006-02-12 16:21:39.000000000 +0100 @@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ -1 1139757617 3 +1 1139757699 3 1 1139757559.000001.mbox:2, 2 1139757559.000000.mbox:2, ----------- snip ------------------------------ Questions: ---------------- How does Dovecot generate the POP3 UIDL? Is there any workaround that I could use to make Dovecot generate a consistent POP3 UIDL output, enabling a migration from MBOX to Maildir, or am I stuck with using MBOX? My environment ----------------------- OS: CentOS 4.2 Dovecot version: 1.0 beta3 (built locally to an RPM package, available on request) I have tested with earlier versions of Dovecot, getting the same behaviour. Relevant entries in /etc/dovecot.conf: ----------- snip ------------------------------ protocols = imap imaps pop3 pop3s listen = * disable_plaintext_auth = no protocol pop3 { pop3_uidl_format = %08Xv%08Xu pop3_client_workarounds = outlook-no-nuls oe-ns-eoh } ----------- snip ------------------------------ -- /Jonas Olsson

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[Dovecot] IMAP timeout
by Eugeny N Dzhurinsky 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

Hi there! Is it possible to set timeout for IMAP connection somehow? The problem is when I'm using mutt to access IMAP mailbox, everything works fine, but after some idle time mutt tells mailbox is closed and next connection crashes it. With courier mutt works just fine, so I think may be dovecot have some timeout which need to be adjusted? I checked manuals and configuration, but no luck... In both cases (dovecot/courier) I'm using IMAP over SSL -- Eugene N Dzhurinsky

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Re: [Dovecot] drac.c
by Matthias Andree 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

"Takehiko Abe" <keke(a)gol.com> writes: > I am using dovecot [1.0 beta3] as a pop server with drac. It is Drac is an abomination that needs to go away. I am requesting to unsupport it before Dovecot 1.0. Drac is insecure by design, in that it doesn't authenticate the same channel (but POP3/IMAP instead) that is being privileged (SMTP for relay), and without any clue of how long dynamic IP mappings remain stable. Better solutions are available (and have been for years), namely SMTP AUTH, supported by all relevant mail transfer agents(*) and - IMO - all relevant clients. ________ (*) I do not consider qmail relevant any more. <http://home.pages.de/~mandree/qmail-bugs.html> -- Matthias Andree

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Re: [Dovecot] Solaris 10 U1 (x86?) LDAP gotcha
by Alex Moore 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

On Tue, 14 Feb 2006 12:25:15 +0900 Peter Evans <peter+dovecot(a)ixp.jp> wrote: > This is not actually a problem with dovecot, but something with the > way the library in /opt/sfw/lib/libldap.* is compiled. If you find > yourself eating cpu, compile your own ldap from openldap, it is NOT > dovecot's fault. > > It looks like pilot error with the sun freeware edition. Or get openldap from www.blastwave.org:> Although I have not tried openldap with dovecot, I do use it for virtual accounts with another mail product and have never seen what you describe. The blastwave package is typically quite up to date with the current stable from openldap.org. Alex -- --

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