[Dovecot] Dovecot SASL Client support?

[Ed W]

Hi

> At the moment Dovecot does not implement an SMTP/LMTP client. This might
> change, when Timo decides to implement all of the LEMONADE feature, which at
> some point require the IMAP server to edit and send messages on behalf of a
> (mobile) client. Timo will shed more light on his plans.

Are you thinking about burl smtp?

Someone from Apple implemented this for postfix some years back, but it 
doesn't seem to have made it into mainline (I think through oversight 
and Apple not pushing a second time though...)

It will need client support, but my design would be something like an 
IMAP extension which works something like "SMTP *this* specific message 
using these login details and these sender/recipient details".

That way the mail client can completely generate the mail using any IMAP 
tricks at it's disposal to minimise traffic, once the mail is generated 
and in some location, eg Sent, Drafts or INBOX as per your preference, 
then finally instructing the server to push it into the normal SMTP 
system (for bonus marks it could forward the clients IP using 
X-FORWARDED-FOR so that the SMTP can make decisions based on IP 
address).  This design gives you all the benefits of keeping the SMTP 
system, minimises traffic, allows for storing Sent Items or not as per 
your preference and avoids the use of magic folders.  Now all we need is 
client support...

Note there is a feature of Courier which does something similar, but it 
uses magic folders (ideally we want to be able to smtp any message in 
any folder in order that we can easily implement our preferred storage 
policies)
     http://www.courier-mta.org/imap/INSTALL.html#imapsend


Ed W