> POP is about 1 folder - the INBOX. > IMAP is the evolution of standards based mail. > Multiple folders, perhaps shared access, offline reading, > storage of mail on a server and access from multiple places, > perhaps at the same time. > > Use IMAP.
If I do this, I can't achieve the setup I need tho' ! How would a realuser allocate other usernames and passwords for mail pick-up, I'd need some altered version of the IMAP server in order to handle these virtual users, and as the IMAP protocol already allows folders, I'd need to restrict this back to a single folder. Picture this situation: I have a real user who has a mail directory $HOME/Mail. In there are a load of files, equating to each folder of this mail stored in mbox format. I need him to be able to use IMAP (as a real /etc/passwd user) to read anything and everything he has, which I am doing OK with the standard IMAP daemon. I also need him to be able to configure some virtual usernames and passwords, which only offer POP3 connection to single file mailboxes within his mail directory. The reason I only want these accounts to be POP3 is so the virtual users can't then read each others email, or the other folders full of email that actually belong to the real user under which their account is residing. Hence... I love IMAP, the webmail system I wrote uses PHP and IMAP, but I *need* to be able to offer POP3 simplistic pickup of designated files by virtual users, where it all comes from inside a real users home dir, not too much to ask surely ??? James. > Quoting James Wilson ([EMAIL PROTECTED]): > > > On Thu, May 30, 2002 at 10:35:39AM +0100, James Wilson wrote: > > > > Hi ppl, > > > > > > > > I have a setup running qmail to deliver mail into the users home > > > > directory, and am using dot-qmail files to dump it in a selection > > > > of different files ($HOME/Mail/inbox-a, $HOM/Mail/inbox-b etc...) > > > > > > > > I don't want to start creating multiple users in /etc/passwd in > > > > order to allow multiple pop boxes per user, I'd quite like the > > > > ability to setup usernames and passwords that qpopper would use > > > > in order to access the mail, assuming it can't be validated from > > > > the /etc/passwd file. > > > > > > This sounds to me kind of like reinventing IMAP. Might installing IMAP > > > not be easier than trying to add all these features into POP, and then > > > trying to get the mail clients to support multiple inboxes? > > > > I already have IMAP installed, and it uses /etc/passwd to do it's checks, > > and uses mailbox storage, allowing an actual user to have a mail account > > with multiple folders etc... and I want POP to allow them to read their > > mail in a similar way. > > > > Beyond that, I want the ability to have a secondary validation on POP > > boxes, so that a real user can create a number of pop boxes, which can > > be created with a username/password of their own, but happen to fetch > > their content from data actually held in the real users home directory. > > > > This is where the issue comes in, to enable a real user with a shell to > > setup a range of pop boxes in his account, ie literally specify that > > usera should have passworda and should get his mail from a file such as > > /home/realuser/Mail/inboxa > > > > > Of course, I don't know the ultimate goal, but that's my first thought. > > > > Ultimate goal is simply that I have a selection of users who have a range > > of complex mail delivery instructions. These are handled by a bunch of > > .qmail files, looking at the username and domain parts in order to work > > out where to forward or deliver to. In the case of deliver, incoming mail > > goes into one of 2/3/4 inbox files, and I simply want to be able to add > > 2/3/4 POP users with names/pwds so that the appropriate inboxes can be > > accessed via POP3 clients such as Outlook Express. > > > > The messy thing is of course to add these users via /etc/passwd, as the > > files are all inside another users homedir, and are owned by that user > > etc... And I'd like the main user (ie real user) to be able to reset > > passwords for their virtual users. > > > > My C is very sketchy, it's been years since I've dabbled in anything > > except Perl. I guess it shouldn't be too hard to alter the part of > > qpopper which does the user/pass checking, to allow checking of a > > second auth db (either MySQL or flat file, I'm not fussy), and to set > > the --enable-home-dir-file variable on the fly, especially given this > > is a compile time option - so it's obviously alterable somewhere... > > > > Any help would be very much appreciated, I don't want to have to return > > to qmail-pop3d, as although it provides this facility, it only supports > > Maildir format, and great as it may be, we don't pull enough volume to > > warrant it, and I'd have a bunch of users screaming at me, as they would > > no longer be able to use pico/emacs/elm/mutt to read their email if I > > changed it to Maildir format... (although I think mutt supports Maildir?) > > > > Somebody... please help. I'm sure it's only 15 mins work on the C code, > > if you're familiar (a) with C, (b) with the qpopper source. Or perhaps > > just point out to me what files I'd need to fiddle with, and roughly > > what routines are the ones I'd need to alter. I could probably figure > > most of the rest out for myself, it's just I have no prior experience > > atall with the qpopper source, and with my C being very rusty, it's a > > bit hard to follow some of it... > > > > What I really need to know is: the routine which checks the user/pass > > combination, and where it returns a result; the bit which sets up the > > file to access, ie home dir + compile time switch, as I'd need to make > > this login dependent; finally the bit which switches EUID in order to > > become the mail owner, as I'd need to use my virtuser/pwd/realuser/inbox > > lookup table to find this also. Only 3 routines ?! > > > > Please help 8) > > > > James. > > > > <sigh> If it weren't for the users... I would have no problems in life ! > > > > > -- Clifton > > > > > > -- > > > Clifton Royston -- LavaNet Systems Architect -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > "What do we need to make our world come alive? > > > What does it take to make us sing? > > > While we're waiting for the next one to arrive..." - Sisters of Mercy > > > >
