If your client directly executes imap binary, it is not mandatory for dovecot
to be running, but you need to put the service section into
/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf and restart the dovecot service.
Putting it to your local config file does not affect the global service.
Aki
> On 31 December 2018 at 22:16 Chris BL <cpblpublic+dove...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> Hi Aki,
>
> I am not 100% sure. I do not really know what my OS does. "ps -A" says
> dovecot is running, but if I say "sudo service dovecot stop", my email
> client works fine still (that is, assuming the old version of dovecot is
> installed). ie the on-demand instances of dovecot-imapd that Alpine calls
> are, I assume, started and stopped by Alpine. (?)
>
> Is my OS using dovecot for other stuff, like managing system mail (e.g.
> root's reports of cron jobs, which still go to /var/mail, but I never read
> them)? I am not certain. But I believed that any other use of dovecot
> would be using a different .conf file, so I was hoping I just had to know
> how to make my custom one (-c flag) work.
>
> Thanks,
> Chris
>
>
> On Mon, 31 Dec 2018, Aki Tuomi wrote:
>
> > Am I assuming correctly that you are not, in fact, running anything but
> > imap process from Dovecot?
> >
> > Aki
> >
> > > On 31 December 2018 at 18:35 Chris BL <cpblpublic+dove...@gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Hi Aki,
> > >
> > > Oops; I did not think carefully enough about your instructions. Here is
> > > the output from
> > >
> > > $ dovecot -n -c /home/meuser/dotfiles/auto-stanford-dovecot.conf
> > >
> > > # 2.3.2.1 (0719df592): /home/meuser/dotfiles/auto-stanford-dovecot.conf
> > > # Pigeonhole version 0.5.2 ()
> > > # OS: Linux 4.18.0-13-generic x86_64 Ubuntu 18.10 ext4
> > > # Hostname: cpbl-t450s
> > > doveconf: Warning: please set ssl_dh=</etc/dovecot/dh.pem
> > > doveconf: Warning: You can generate it with: dd
> > > if=/var/lib/dovecot/ssl-parameters.dat bs=1 skip=88 | openssl dhparam
> > > -inform der > /etc/dovecot/dh.pem
> > > mail_location =
> > > maildir:/home/meuser/imap/gmailStanford:LAYOUT=fs:INBOX=/home/meuser/imap/gmailStanford/INBOX
> > > service stats {
> > > unix_listener stats-writer {
> > > mode = 0666
> > > }
> > > }
> > > ssl_dh = # hidden, use -P to show it
> > > verbose_proctitle = yes
> > >
> > >
> > > I then followed the instructions in the Warning lines above and now I get:
> > >
> > > dovecot -n -c /home/meuser/dotfiles/auto-stanford-dovecot.conf
> > > # 2.3.2.1 (0719df592): /home/meuser/dotfiles/auto-stanford-dovecot.conf
> > > # Pigeonhole version 0.5.2 ()
> > > # OS: Linux 4.18.0-13-generic x86_64 Ubuntu 18.10 ext4
> > > # Hostname: cpbl-t450s
> > > mail_location =
> > > maildir:/home/meuser/imap/gmailStanford:LAYOUT=fs:INBOX=/home/meuser/imap/gmailStanford/INBOX
> > > service stats {
> > > unix_listener stats-writer {
> > > mode = 0666
> > > }
> > > }
> > > ssl_dh = # hidden, use -P to show it
> > > verbose_proctitle = yes
> > >
> > >
> > > However, this does not help my primary symptom:
> > >
> > >
> > > $ /usr/lib/dovecot/imap -c
> > > /home/meuser/dotfiles/auto-stanford-dovecot.conf
> > > imap(meuser,)Error: net_connect_unix(/var/run/dovecot/stats-writer)
> > > failed: Permission denied
> > > * PREAUTH [CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 SASL-IR LOGIN-REFERRALS ID ENABLE IDLE
> > > SORT SORT=DISPLAY THREAD=REFERENCES THREAD=REFS THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT
> > > MULTIAPPEND URL-PARTIAL CATENATE UNSELECT CHILDREN NAMESPACE
> > > UIDPLUS LIST-EXTENDED I18NLEVEL=1 CONDSTORE QRESYNC ESEARCH ESORT
> > > SEARCHRES WITHIN CONTEXT=SEARCH LIST-STATUS BINARY MOVE SNIPPET=FUZZY
> > > LITERAL+ NOTIFY] Logged in as meuser
> > >
> > >
> > > Thanks!
> > > Chris
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Mon, Dec 31, 2018 at 10:27 AM Aki Tuomi <aki.tu...@open-xchange.com>
> > > wrote:
> > > Did you remove the service section before taking doveconf -n? 'cos
> > > I can't see it here..
> > >
> > > Also, did you restart dovecot after config change?
> > >
> > > Aki
> > >
> > > > On 31 December 2018 at 16:54 Chris BL
> > > <cpblpublic+dove...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Hi Aki,
> > > >
> > > > Yes, the same connect error: imap(meuser,)Error:
> > > net_connect_unix(/var/run/dovecot/stats-writer) failed: Permission denied
> > > >
> > > > The mail location in "doveconf -n" (belo) does not reflect my
> > > preferences.
> > > >
> > > > In Alpine, if I acknowledge the error I get, which tells me to add
> > > > novalidate-cert in my pinerc file, it prompts me for my POSIX
> > > username and
> > > > password. After that, I get my /var/spool/mail inbox, which is
> > > not what I
> > > > want.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > doveconf -n
> > > > # 2.3.2.1 (0719df592): /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
> > > > # Pigeonhole version 0.5.2 ()
> > > > # OS: Linux 4.18.0-13-generic x86_64 Ubuntu 18.10
> > > > # Hostname: myhost-t450s
> > > > mail_location = mbox:~/mail:INBOX=/var/mail/%u
> > > > mail_privileged_group = mail
> > > > namespace inbox {
> > > > inbox = yes
> > > > location =
> > > > mailbox Drafts {
> > > > special_use = \Drafts
> > > > }
> > > > mailbox Junk {
> > > > special_use = \Junk
> > > > }
> > > > mailbox Sent {
> > > > special_use = \Sent
> > > > }
> > > > mailbox "Sent Messages" {
> > > > special_use = \Sent
> > > > }
> > > > mailbox Trash {
> > > > special_use = \Trash
> > > > }
> > > > prefix =
> > > > }
> > > > passdb {
> > > > driver = pam
> > > > }
> > > > protocols = " imap"
> > > > ssl_cert = </etc/dovecot/private/dovecot.pem
> > > > ssl_client_ca_dir = /etc/ssl/certs
> > > > ssl_dh = # hidden, use -P to show it
> > > > ssl_key = # hidden, use -P to show it
> > > > userdb {
> > > > driver = passwd
> > > > }
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Mon, 31 Dec 2018, Aki Tuomi wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > You are still getting the connect error?
> > > > >
> > > > > Can you share your doveconf -n?
> > > > >
> > > > > Aki
> > > > >
> > > > > > On 31 December 2018 at 16:42 cpblpublic+dove...@gmail.com
> > > wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Hi Aki,
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Thanks. I put that in the .conf file I mentioned, and it made
> > > no
> > > > > > difference.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Chris
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > Hi!
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > In your case it's probably easiest to change
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > service stats {
> > > > > > > unix_listener stats-writer {
> > > > > > > mode = 0666
> > > > > > > }
> > > > > > > }
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Aki
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > On 31 December 2018 at 16:05 cpblpublic+dove...@gmail.com
> > > wrote:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I use a localhost dovecot imap server in order to access
> > > maildir folders from Alpine (see 2009 instructions for my set up here
> > > > > > > >
> > > https://cpbl.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/alpine-offlineimap-and-gmail-under-ubuntu/
> > > )
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > My configuration has worked nicely since 2009, but failed
> > > after a recent upgrade of dovecot (during basic upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04
> > > to 18.10).
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > The version of Alpine did not change. Uninstalling
> > > dovecot-core and dovecot-imapd, and reinstalling the older versions,
> > > fully fixes the problem.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I would like to know how to get my configuration working
> > > with the new version of dovecot.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Here's what the problem looks like:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I have a file auto-dovecot.conf with only the following
> > > two lines.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > verbose_proctitle = yes
> > > > > > > > mail_location =
> > > maildir:/home/meuser/imap/gmailStanford:LAYOUT=fs:INBOX=/home/meuser/imap/gmailStanford/INBOX
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Other /etc/ files are unchanged from installation
> > > defaults.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Alpine calls imapd when it starts, with the following
> > > command:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > /usr/lib/dovecot/imap -c
> > > /home/meuser/dotfiles/auto-dovecot.conf
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > When I run that command, I get:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > imap(meuser,)Error:
> > > net_connect_unix(/var/run/dovecot/stats-writer) failed: Permission denied
> > > > > > > > * PREAUTH [CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 SASL-IR LOGIN-REFERRALS
> > > ID ENABLE IDLE
> > > > > > > > SORT SORT=DISPLAY THREAD=REFERENCES THREAD=REFS
> > > THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT
> > > > > > > > MULTIAPPEND URL-PARTIAL CATENATE UNSELECT CHILDREN
> > > NAMESPACE UIDPLUS
> > > > > > > > LIST-EXTENDED I18NLEVEL=1 CONDSTORE QRESYNC ESEARCH ESORT
> > > SEARCHRES WITHIN
> > > > > > > > CONTEXT=SEARCH LIST-STATUS BINARY MOVE SNIPPET=FUZZY
> > > LITERAL+ NOTIFY]
> > > > > > > > Logged in as meuser
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > so I am guessing that the first line is the issue, since
> > > when the older version I get instead:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > * PREAUTH [CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 LITERAL+ SASL-IR
> > > LOGIN-REFERRALS ID ENABLE
> > > > > > > > IDLE SORT SORT=DISPLAY THREAD=REFERENCES THREAD=REFS
> > > THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT
> > > > > > > > MULTIAPPEND URL-PARTIAL CATENATE UNSELECT CHILDREN
> > > NAMESPACE UIDPLUS
> > > > > > > > LIST-EXTENDED I18NLEVEL=1 CONDSTORE QRESYNC ESEARCH ESORT
> > > SEARCHRES WITHIN
> > > > > > > > CONTEXT=SEARCH LIST-STATUS BINARY MOVE] Logged in as
> > > meuser
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Can anyone help me? I cannot find documentation for using
> > > a localhost server for Alpine, except my own from 2009.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Many thanks!
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Chris
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
