Re: Setting up Dovecot [Was => Re: gnus fetching same mails again and again (pop)]

[Steinar Bang <sb@dod.no>]

>>>>> Yagnesh Raghava Yakkala <yagnesh@live.com>:

> Thanks for the reply., I am on GNU/Linux (Ubuntu).

Ok.  I'm using debian, which should be very similar.

> These are the things I tried.

> - installed dovecot
>   ,----
>  | sudo apt-get install dovecot-common dovecot-imapd dovecot-pop3d
>   `----

Ok.  Sounds right.

Note that
 apt-get install dovecot-imapd
is probably enough since it will pull in dovecot-common, and unless you
plan to use POP3 there is no point in pulling it in.

> - edited /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
>   ,----
>  | mail_location = maildir:/home/%u/Maildir
>   `----

Ok.  I have no setting of mail_location, so I'm using the default, which
appears to be maildir (maildir was the default back in 2008 when I
started using dovecot, and apparently still is).

My changes to the config file, are:
 - enabling imaps
 - using cram-md5 authentication

> - restarted dovecot
[snip!]

> - confirm dovecot is running
[snip!]

>   followed this guide to test the installation
>   http://wiki.dovecot.org/TestInstallation

>   So far so good. (how to authenticate from client to dovecot then?)

> - Gnus Setup

>   ,----
>  | (setq imap-shell-program "/usr/lib/dovecot/imap")
>  | 
>  | (add-to-list 'gnus-secondary-select-methods
>  |              '(nnimap "localimap"
>  |                       (nnimap-address "localhost")
>  |                       (nnimap-stream shell)))
>   `----

I've never used shell with dovecot.  I used it back in the day, when I
was using UoW imapd (2001 and earlier).

My definition looks like this:
      '((nnimap "private"
		(nnimap-address "imap.mydomain.com")
                (nnimap-stream ssl))

> - ~/.authinfo (I think this is not the way to do it)

Not anymore, it isn't.  But I'm still using it, and it works for me.

>   ,----
>  | machine localhost login SystemUserid password systemPassword port 143
>   `----

Hm... if you are using shell, and you are using an imapd that can be
started as yourself, you shouldn't need to have the authinfo
information.  What used to happen here is that the imapd is actually
invoked on the shell, and Gnus talks to it using pipes.  Not sure if
this is still the case...?

Also, if the above still holds, the password probably wouldn't be looked
up, since the port number is part of the lookup, and you will not be
talking to the imapd using a port.

> - Finally enter into Gnus.

>   I am getting following warning 
>   ,----
>  | Warning: Opening nnimap server on localimap...failed: @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
>  | ; Unable to open server nnimap+localimap due to: Buffer  *nnimap localhost nil  *nntpd** has no process
>   `----

Hm... unsuccessful in finding and starting the imapd?  Maybe dovecot
isn't indented to be run in this manner?  Maybe it won't start up
because someone else (dovecot or inetd) are already hugging port 143?

If you do this, instead:
 (add-to-list 'gnus-secondary-select-methods
              '(nnimap "localimap"
                       (nnimap-address "localhost")))

Then it should find your authinfo and connect to whatever's listening on
port 143.