[Dovecot] User Auth problems

[Nikolaus Gerstmayr]

Hi !

Problem: Auth doesn't work, can't figure out why :(

More precisely:

setup:
dovecot 0.99.10.9
pop3 only
Userdb + Passwd via passwd-file.
Anything plaintext.
(communication client server, passwords in passwd-file,
well, for first tests non public server...
if I get it working, I'll try better ways - of course)

non standard parts of my config:

protocols = pop3
ssl_disable = yes
auth = default
auth_mechanisms = plain
auth_userdb = passwd-file /passwd_file
auth_passdb = passwd-file /passwd_file
auth_verbose = yes

/passwd_file content:
nick#sales.blabla:{PLAIN}test:500:500::::/mail/nick

well, syntax is not 100% obvious from docu, but that's the way I
understood it. (examples would be nice)
That's how I understood semantics:
If client sends user nick#sales.blabla and password test,
dovecot accesses /mail/nick (maildir) with UID 500, GID 500 ????

problem: Auth fails.
In logfiles I get this:
dovecot-auth: Aug 30 22:36:20 Info: mech-plain(nick#sales.blabla):
invalid username.
(So no typo in mail client account setup or anytihng like this).
Of course clients says auth fialed as well.

Well, nick#sales.blabla is not a user on the test machine, but that's on purpose.
It IS in /passwd-file :/

Anyone any idea ?

Thx i.A for help !