Small-Time Email with Exim and Dovecot - Revision history

John3-16: Added Categories: Mail, Server, System Administration

2025-12-20T07:00:20Z

Added Categories: Mail, Server, System Administration

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:00, 20 December 2025
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	echo "Create dovecot user passwords with: doveadm pw -s sha512-crypt and add to {{path\|/etc/dovecot/passwd}}"		echo "Create dovecot user passwords with: doveadm pw -s sha512-crypt and add to {{path\|/etc/dovecot/passwd}}"
	echo "Create user mail directories with: install -d -o username -g dave -m770 ~username/mail"		echo "Create user mail directories with: install -d -o username -g dave -m770 ~username/mail"

			[[Category:Mail]]
			[[Category:Server]]
			[[Category:System Administration]]

DavesCodeMusings: /* Creating Mail Directories for Users */ using root shell prompt to show the command requiring root privs

2025-09-22T21:54:08Z

Creating Mail Directories for Users: using root shell prompt to show the command requiring root privs

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:54, 22 September 2025
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	The following command shows how you can create ~/mail for the user dave:		The following command shows how you can create ~/mail for the user dave:

	install -d -o dave -g dave -m770 ~dave/mail		# install -d -o dave -g dave -m770 ~dave/mail

	== Testing the Dovecot Setup ==		== Testing the Dovecot Setup ==

DavesCodeMusings: /* Configuring Dovecot */ update conf file line count for new Dovecot version 2.4

2025-09-22T21:52:14Z

Configuring Dovecot: update conf file line count for new Dovecot version 2.4

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:52, 22 September 2025
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	If everything is working with local delivery, it's time to set up IMAP using Dovecot.		If everything is working with local delivery, it's time to set up IMAP using Dovecot.

	The Dovecot package for Alpine comes with twenty configuration files in {{path\|/etc/dovecot/conf.d}}. As a small-time email admin, you may feel overwhelmed. Don't worry, everything can be condensed down to a single config file of ~~sixteen~~ lines.		The Dovecot package for Alpine comes with twenty configuration files in {{path\|/etc/dovecot/conf.d}}. As a small-time email admin, you may feel overwhelmed. Don't worry, everything can be condensed down to a single config file of just over twenty lines.

	First, make a backup copy of {{path\|/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf}}.		First, make a backup copy of {{path\|/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf}}.

DavesCodeMusings: /* Testing the Exim Setup */ include shell prompt for consistency with other example screen output

2025-09-22T21:49:43Z

Testing the Exim Setup: include shell prompt for consistency with other example screen output

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:49, 22 September 2025
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	Log in a a regular user and try sending a test email to yourself. You can do this with the mail command, like this:		Log in a a regular user and try sending a test email to yourself. You can do this with the mail command, like this:

	mail -s Testing dave		$ mail -s Testing dave
	This is a test.		This is a test.
	.		.

DavesCodeMusings: /* Configuring Dovecot */ fix proper name casing typo

2025-09-22T17:35:33Z

Configuring Dovecot: fix proper name casing typo

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:35, 22 September 2025
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	Next, create a new dovecot.conf that looks like what's shown below.		Next, create a new dovecot.conf that looks like what's shown below.

	{{Note\| The example configuration below is for Dovecot version 2.4 used in Alpine Linux 3.22. It is not compatible with ~~dovecot~~ 2.3 used in earlier versions of Alpine.}}		{{Note\| The example configuration below is for Dovecot version 2.4 used in Alpine Linux 3.22. It is not compatible with Dovecot 2.3 used in earlier versions of Alpine.}}

	dovecot_config_version = 2.4.0		dovecot_config_version = 2.4.0

DavesCodeMusings: Update to reflect breaking changes in dovecot.conf starting with Dovecot version 2.4

2025-09-22T17:34:34Z

Update to reflect breaking changes in dovecot.conf starting with Dovecot version 2.4

Show changes

DavesCodeMusings: /* Testing the Dovecot Setup */

2025-09-21T15:51:28Z

Testing the Dovecot Setup

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:51, 21 September 2025
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	# These are self-signed certs generated when the dovecat apk was installed.		# These are self-signed certs generated when the dovecat apk was installed.
	#ssl=yes		#ssl=yes
	#~~ssl_server_cert_file~~ = /etc/ssl/dovecot/server.pem		#ssl_cert=</etc/ssl/dovecot/server.pem
	#~~ssl_server_key_file~~ = /etc/ssl/dovecot/server.key		#ssl_key=</etc/ssl/dovecot/server.key

	Now TLS is out of the picture, letting you diagnose other potential problems. However, you may have to do some work to convince your mail client that sending login credentials in cleartext is okay. Only do this on a network where you trust your users!		Now TLS is out of the picture, letting you diagnose other potential problems. However, you may have to do some work to convince your mail client that sending login credentials in cleartext is okay. Only do this on a network where you trust your users!

DavesCodeMusings: /* Configuring Dovecot */

2025-09-21T15:50:06Z

Configuring Dovecot

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:50, 21 September 2025
Line 103:		Line 103:
	If everything is working with local delivery, it's time to set up IMAP using Dovecot.		If everything is working with local delivery, it's time to set up IMAP using Dovecot.

	{{Note\| The example configuration below is for Dovecot version 2.4 used in Alpine Linux 3.22 and ~~later~~. It is not compatible with ~~older versions~~.}}		{{Note\| The example configuration below is for Dovecot version 2.3 used in Alpine Linux 3.21 and earlier. It is not compatible with dovecot 2.4 used in Alpine 3.22.}}

	The Dovecot package for Alpine comes with twenty configuration files in {{path\|/etc/dovecot/conf.d}}. As a small-time email admin, you may feel overwhelmed. Don't worry, everything can be condensed down to a single config file of sixteen lines.		The Dovecot package for Alpine comes with twenty configuration files in {{path\|/etc/dovecot/conf.d}}. As a small-time email admin, you may feel overwhelmed. Don't worry, everything can be condensed down to a single config file of sixteen lines.
Line 111:		Line 111:
	Next, create a new dovecot.conf that looks like this:		Next, create a new dovecot.conf that looks like this:

	~~dovecot_config_version = 2.4.0~~
	~~dovecot_storage_version = 2.4.0~~
	listen = *		listen = *
	log_path = /var/log/dovecot.log		log_path = /var/log/dovecot.log
	protocols = imap		protocols = imap
	~~auth_allow_cleartext~~ = ~~yes~~		disable_plaintext_auth = no
	mail_privileged_group = mail		mail_privileged_group = mail
	~~mail_driver = maildir~~		mail_location = mbox:~/mail:INBOX=/var/mail/%u
	~~mail_path~~ = ~/mail		userdb {
	~~mail_inbox_path~~ = /var/mail/%u		driver = passwd
	~~first_valid_uid = 8~~
	~~mail_uid = mail~~
	~~mail_gid = mail~~
	userdb ~~passwd~~ {
	driver = ~~passwd-file~~
	~~passwd_file_path = /etc/dovecot/~~passwd
	}		}
			passdb {
			driver = ldap
			args = /etc/dovecot/ldap-auth.ext
			}

	# These are self-signed certs generated when the dovecat apk was installed.		# These are self-signed certs generated when the dovecat apk was installed.
	ssl=yes		ssl=yes
	~~ssl_server_cert_file~~ = /etc/ssl/dovecot/server.pem		ssl_cert=</etc/ssl/dovecot/server.pem
	~~ssl_server_key_file~~ = /etc/ssl/dovecot/server.key		ssl_key=</etc/ssl/dovecot/server.key

	This config does not have the <code>!include conf.d/*.conf</code> that was in the original dovecot.conf, so those twenty files in conf.d are going to be ignored. Everything is now in this single dovecot.conf.		This config does not have the <code>!include conf.d/*.conf</code> that was in the original dovecot.conf, so those twenty files in conf.d are going to be ignored. Everything is now in this single dovecot.conf.

DavesCodeMusings: /* Configuring Dovecot */

2025-09-21T15:11:27Z

Configuring Dovecot

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:11, 21 September 2025
Line 121:		Line 121:
	mail_path = ~/mail		mail_path = ~/mail
	mail_inbox_path = /var/mail/%u		mail_inbox_path = /var/mail/%u
			first_valid_uid = 8
			mail_uid = mail
			mail_gid = mail
	userdb passwd {		userdb passwd {
	driver = passwd-file		driver = passwd-file

DavesCodeMusings: /* Testing the Dovecot Setup */

2025-09-21T14:31:05Z

Testing the Dovecot Setup

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:31, 21 September 2025
Line 181:		Line 181:
	# These are self-signed certs generated when the dovecat apk was installed.		# These are self-signed certs generated when the dovecat apk was installed.
	#ssl=yes		#ssl=yes
	#~~ssl_cert~~=</etc/ssl/dovecot/server.pem		#ssl_server_cert_file = /etc/ssl/dovecot/server.pem
	#~~ssl_key~~=</etc/ssl/dovecot/server.key		#ssl_server_key_file = /etc/ssl/dovecot/server.key

	Now TLS is out of the picture, letting you diagnose other potential problems. However, you may have to do some work to convince your mail client that sending login credentials in cleartext is okay. Only do this on a network where you trust your users!		Now TLS is out of the picture, letting you diagnose other potential problems. However, you may have to do some work to convince your mail client that sending login credentials in cleartext is okay. Only do this on a network where you trust your users!