Applying Dovecot for a large / deep folder-hierarchy archive.

[Robert Schetterer]

Am 27.06.2019 um 07:35 schrieb Aki Tuomi via dovecot:
> 
> On 26.6.2019 22.12, Arnold Opio Oree via dovecot wrote:
>> Hello to you all,
>>
>> I'd like to ask about my intended application of Dovecot to create a folder-hierarchy for storing our enterprise emails, which are treated as live data rather than archives for compliance or occasional / reactive retrieval.
>>
>> The data is presently not that large (a few gigabytes), but it is expected to grow rapidly. Up to this stage the data has been contained
>> in a Microsoft Exchange mailbox (2013), and then in an offline PST. The move to the offline PST was by necessity, as the large number of
>> folders, and depth of hierarchy to my best understanding caused the exchange server / outlook / evolution mail clients to begin to
>> malfunction. To cope with this the archive was broken up and the bulk stored in the offline PST and the most active components stored in
>> online Exchange mailboxes.
>>
>> I have some understanding of the fs mbox format, and also the mitigations to be made for certain characters / strings. My main concern is whether Dovecot is likely to be able to cope well with a large number of folders / depth of hierarcy.
>>
>> I will really appreciate any help / advice you can give.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Arnold Opio Oree
>>
> 
> Hi!
> 
> Dovecot 2.2.34/2.3 supports unlimited folder depth, the only limiting
> factor is that the total name may not exceed 4096 bytes. Also individual
> folder names may not exceed 255 bytes.
> 
> Prior to that the limit is 255 per folder up to 16 levels.
> 
> I can't recommend using 'mbox' storage format, please consider using
> maildir or sdbox instead.
> 
> Aki
> 

Also you may run into client limits.... i ve seen this with outlook, 
apple mail, thunderbird via imap in the past

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