Amazon Web Services - AWS EC2 - Ubuntu 14.04

Dovecot IMAP and POP3 server

Dovecot is IMAP and POP3 mail server. It is used for communication between server's mailbox and email client.

1. Installation and starting Dovecot mail server

# apt-get install dovecot-core

# apt-get install dovecot-pop3d dovecot-imapd

- This installs POP3 and IMAP protocols.

- without this it will not be possible to connect with telnet or email client via POP3 or IMAP protocols

# dovecot --version

2.2.9

2. Starting

# service dovecot start | restart | stop

# service dovecot status

dovecot start/running, process 20199

3. Configuration directory /etc/dovecot/

All config files are located in /etc/dovecot/conf.d/ and are included (joined) by !include conf.d/*.conf in /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf .

This is a list of changes you should do in those files. Replace red with green!

# vim 10-mail.conf

#   %u - username
#   %n - user part in user@domain, same as %u if there's no domain
#   %d - domain part in user@domain, empty if there's no domain
#   %h - home directory

#mail_location = mbox:~/mail:INBOX=/var/mail/%u
mail_location = maildir:/var/vmail/%d/%n

mail_access_groups = vmail

first_valid_uid = 2222

first_valid_gid = 2222

# vim 10-auth.conf --decides which authentication will be used

disable_plaintext_auth = no

auth_mechanisms = plain login

#!include auth-system.conf.ext
#!include auth-sql.conf.ext
#!include auth-ldap.conf.ext
!include auth-passwdfile.conf.ext
#!include auth-checkpassword.conf.ext
#!include auth-vpopmail.conf.ext
#!include auth-static.conf.ext

# vim auth-passwdfile.conf.ext - config for passwd file

passdb {
driver = passwd-file
#args = scheme=CRYPT username_format=%u /etc/dovecot/users
args = scheme=SHA1 /etc/dovecot/passwd
}

userdb {
#driver = passwd-file
#args = username_format=%u /etc/dovecot/users
driver = static
args = uid=2222 gid=2222 home=/var/vmail/%d/%n allow_all_users=yes

# Default fields that can be overridden by passwd-file
#default_fields = quota_rule=*:storage=1G

# Override fields from passwd-file
#override_fields = home=/home/virtual/%u
}

# vim 10-master.conf

default_login_user = vmail

service auth {

unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/auth {
    mode = 0666
    user = postfix
    group = postfix
}

}

# vim 10-logging.conf -enable during debugging, after that comment lines

log_path = /var/log/dovecot-err.log

info_log_path = /var/log/dovecot-info.log

debug_log_path = /var/log/dovecot-debug.log

auth_debug = yes

auth_debug_passwords = yes

mail_debug = yes

log_timestamp = "%b %d %H:%M:%S "

Final results when run # doveconf -n should be:

# 2.2.9: /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
# OS: Linux 3.13.0-48-generic x86_64 Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS ext4
auth_debug_passwords = yes
auth_mechanisms = plain login
debug_log_path = /var/log/dovecot-debug.log
default_login_user = vmail
disable_plaintext_auth = no
first_valid_gid = 2222
first_valid_uid = 2222
info_log_path = /var/log/dovecot-info.log
log_path = /var/log/dovecot-err.log
mail_access_groups = vmail
mail_debug = yes
mail_location = maildir:/var/vmail/%d/%n
namespace inbox {
inbox = yes
location =
mailbox Drafts {
    special_use = \Drafts
}
mailbox Junk {
    special_use = \Junk
}
mailbox Sent {
    special_use = \Sent
}
mailbox "Sent Messages" {
    special_use = \Sent
}
mailbox Trash {
    special_use = \Trash
}
prefix =
}
passdb {
args = scheme=SHA /etc/dovecot/passwd
driver = passwd-file
}
protocols = " imap pop3"
service auth {
unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/auth {
    group = postfix
    mode = 0666
    user = postfix
}
}
ssl_cert = </etc/dovecot/dovecot.pem
ssl_key = </etc/dovecot/private/dovecot.pem
userdb {
args = uid=2222 gid=2222 home=/var/vmail/%d/%n allow_all_users=yes
driver = static
}

4. Create /etc/dovecot/passwd file

4.1 generate SHA1 password

# doveadm pw -s sha1

password: mypass

{SHA1}14KJolV1KnrLLN0jTT3uAZ38XO4=

4.2 create /etc/dovecot/passwd file

# vim /etc/dovecot/passwd

info@domain.com:{SHA1}14KJolV1KnrLLN0jTT3uAZ38XO4=

john@domain.com:{PLAIN}myPlainPAss

support@doma.net:14KJolV1KnrLLN0jTT3uAZ38XO4= -this is also SHA1 because it is default in auth-passwdfile.conf.ext

Notice: If we don't put { } then default SHA1 is taken. Default is defined in auth-passwdfile.conf.ext with scheme=SHA1 .

4.3 grant access to passwd file

# chown root: /etc/dovecot/passwd

# chmod 644 /etc/dovecot/passwd

4.4 restart dovecot

# service dovecot restart

5. TELNET

Check login with telnet from local PC or from sewrver's terminal:

# telnet mail.mikosofter.net pop3 or $ telnet mail.mikosofter.net 110 or # telnet 123.34.44.33 110

Example:

telnet: > telnet pop.example.com pop3
telnet: Trying 192.0.2.2...
telnet: Connected to pop.example.com.
telnet: Escape character is '^]'.
server: +OK InterMail POP3 server ready.
client: USER MyUsername
server: +OK please send PASS command
client: PASS MyPassword
server: +OK MyUsername is welcome here
client: LIST
server: +OK 1 messages
server: 1 1801
server: .
client: RETR 1
server: +OK 1801 octets
server: Return-Path: sender@example.com
server: Received: from client.example.com ([192.0.2.1])
server:        by mx1.example.com with ESMTP
server:        id <20040120203404.CCCC18555.mx1.example.com@client.example.com>
server:        for <recipient@example.com>; Tue, 20 Jan 2004 22:34:24 +0200
server: From: sender@example.com
server: Subject: Test message
server: To: recipient@example.com
server: Message-Id: <20040120203404.CCCC18555.mx1.example.com@client.example.com>
server: 
server: This is a test message.
server: .
client: DELE 1
server: +OK
client: quit
server: +OK MyUsername InterMail POP3 server signing off.