Re: Sendmail vs. Postfix vs. ?

[Gary <gv-list-silug@mygirlfriday.info>]

Hi Whil,

On Fri, 3 Sep 2004 22:03:16 -0500 UTC (9/3/2004, 10:03 PM -0500 UTC my
time), Whil Hentzen in part wrote:

>> no not exactly... IMAP, SMTP, POP3 are just protocols... Postfix the MTA,
>> just accepts (or sends) packets, mail packets, and *delivers* them to your
>> inbox. This is set up via its config file, called main.cf IIRC... it's been
>> a long time <g>  How you read your mail depends on what protocol you use
>> next. Either IMAP or POP... both read the same folder where your mail is
>> stored on the mail server from Postfix..  /home/me/mail/ .. or where ever
>> you set up for the mail to be stored.

W> OK, I'm following, until the last sentence.

you can set up Postfix to deliver mail to where ever you want. However,
typically, it is in /home/me/mail/ ...

>> It doesn't. It talks to where the mail is stored, which is your
>> /home/me/mail account or where you set it up on the server, your inbox
>> where Postfix delivers your mail initially. This is the same inbox where
>> you POP your mail from.

W> Suppose postfix (an MTA piece of software)  and dovecot (an IMAP server piece
W> of software) are both running on a box called Jeeves. (Jeeves' IP is 
W> associated with the MX record for www.example.net, so when someone sends mail
W> to me@example.net, its eventual desintation is the mail server (MTA) running
W> on Jeeves.

I would hope so, otherwise, you would never get mail !

W> At this point, I'm groovy. (I currently run a proprietary Windows email server
W> on Jeeves, and my email client connects to jeeves to fetch mail via POP, so I
W> get this, sorta - the Windows email server combines the MTA and MDA for me.)

Exactly... Postfix and qmail do the same thing, combine MTA and MDA...
Sendmail does not..  It appears your Windows mail server does also.

W> OK, when a piece of mail arrives at Jeeves for me, it gets put into 
W> /home/me/mail by Postfix. This directory, /home/me/mail, is ON JEEVES (the
W> server box) - right?

yes,

W> Next, dovecat, the IMAP server, reads the mail from /home/me/mail on Jeeves
W> the server box.

yes, it has to...

W> I'm running KMail on a different box, say, Cassandra. I've entered the IP of
W> Jeeves and told it I'm using IMAP. So KMail connects to Jeeves, and it reads
W> the mail on Jeeves, but the physical message stays on Jeeves. Right?

exactly.. This is what the IMAP protocol is all about (among others), Server
side storage of email. The beauty of IMAP or IMAPS (secure SSL IMAP) is that
it allows you to read your mail anywhere in the world, and leave it there,
on the server. This is great for people traveling, who want to check their
mail, respond as necessary, but want to leave it until they get back home. I
have several people where this is necessary, and love it.

W> What I don't understand is if I was running KMail but wanted to download the
W> messages to my local box (/home/me/mail on Cassandra), would I just enter the
W> IP of Jeeves into KMail and tell it I'm using POP?

yes, you just make another account in Kmail, but instead of IMAP, make it a
POP3 account, and point it at your mail server.. the name or IP addresss.


W> Would I need to have installed and configured a POP server on Jeeves in
W> lieu of having dovecot (or another IMAP server) on Jeeves?

Yes you need to install a POP server, but not in lieu of, rather *in
addition to* your IMAP server dovecot... you need both running. They are 2
different protocols, listening to 2 different ports, doing 2 different
things. Both need to be running, so you can provide both services, POP and
IMAP. It is not a matter of running either / or but rather both, if you want
both services..


-- 
Gary



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