RFC 2683 recommends that no client should send a command line of more than
1000 octets, and that all IMAP servers should accept a command line of at
least 8000 octets. The UW IMAP server complies with this recommendation.
Your long command line could have been avoided if you compacted the
request using ranges, that is:
5 UID COPY 16600:16801 /export/home1/cncabuse/mail/HOLDING
Also, if you want to copy all messages, then:
tag COPY 1:* /export/home1/cncabuse/mail/HOLDING
will always do the trick.
Although you can probably increase the limit in the server that you are
using, you will always run up against a limit. All servers will protect
themselves by imposing some limit.
The key is to be sensible in the client, to use ranges whenever possible,
and in a worst case scenario (e.g. "copy every odd sequence numbered
message") break up the command into multiple commands.
I'm actually surprised that c-client didn't break up the command for you.
Are you using the current version of c-client?
-- Mark --
http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
