Hello, Does someone know which technology is used by google ? Own proprietary (and unknown/private) technology ? Actually, i'm trying to choose a mailbox format... I don't want maildir, mbox, dbox, etc... Has someone tried www.dbmail.org ? Thank you
I'd stick with a nice proven set up like maildir or mbox ... mbox may be problematic if users don't delete mail (using imap) or leave mail on teh server as well as downloading it (pop3). What is wrong with maildir or mbox?
Before, let me thank you for your answer. Now, let me explain why i posted it : I previously posted this : http://howtoforge.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36785 Besides i didn't get any answer, i searched, on my own, for any solution. I opted for the following setup : Postfix / Dovecot (Maildir format). I read many comparisons and i think opting to maildir format. And to answer you : In fact, i fear to use dovecot/maildir format because, i don't manage to obtain answers to the following points : * IMAP seems the only serious protocol to be used in business (other options besides POP3/IMAP ?)... but a few tests don't really convinced me... any experience feedback ? * I didn't find any tutorial about : backing up / restoring emails (one email or the full mailbox)... or a general backup tutorial for email servers.. * Need solutions for shared mailboxes / shared calendars... Dovecot seems to support shared mailboxes... but haven't tried yet... Thank you for your answers. Sincerely,
That depends on your setup. It is possible to store the Maildirs of all users in subdirectories of just one directory, so all you'd have to do is back up that directory.
Dear falko, Thank you for your answer. Do u mean that a simple copy of the /var/vmail/domain directory, is sufficient ? I can do it without stopping any service ? And i can restore an émail by just copying it? Thank u very much !
I read many comparisons and i think opting to maildir format. Good choice... And to answer you : In fact, i fear to use dovecot/maildir format because, i don't manage to obtain answers to the following points : * IMAP seems the only serious protocol to be used in business (other options besides POP3/IMAP ?)... but a few tests don't really convinced me... any experience feedback ? Businesses use imap because all mail is stored on the server. With pop3, mail is downloaded to the client and then removed from the server. So w/ imap, you can use thunderbird at work and a good webmail client at home, a conference, etc. * I didn't find any tutorial about : backing up / restoring emails (one email or the full mailbox)... or a general backup tutorial for email servers.. All the typical rules apply - a service is a service. So user account info, etc. The actual mail would be in the maildir in the home directory. Think raid on the server, with maybe a rsync over to a second box that you can then run backups off of... Of course, depending on what type of business you are supporting and where they are located, you may be legally required to keep *everything*, etc. * Need solutions for shared mailboxes / shared calendars... Dovecot seems to support shared mailboxes... but haven't tried yet... So I can read all of your mail and you mine? Or foo@ gets mail and bar@ and fee@ get a copy? First would depend on loose file security, second is just setting foo@ up as a forwarding account and send copies to the other users. For calendars, check the lightning plugin for Thunderbird, or the outlook like features in Evolution. Or use Outlook if you are supporting ms desktops...
Dear id10t, Thank u very much for ur answers! I only fear one thing about maildir : Some customers have +10000 emails mailboxes : does maildir support it well ? If i choose Imap : there is a way to copy local folders structure to thé imam server (pop to imap migration) ? I was talking ajout real mailbox sharing, si thé first one . Thank u very much ! Sincerely,
Most pop3 email clients store mail locally in mbox format. Don't think there are converters (there are maildir to mbox converters tho). Easiest to do would be to just have users re-copy mail back to the server from local machines once they have an imap account. I've had well over 10k messages in my own inbox on a imap server - desktop clients like thunderbird had no issues, but it "broke" quite a few webmail packages - too many messages to index. Using subfolders fixed it, as did deleting/archiving messages.
By the way, just one thing : why do u opted to maildir instead of mbox ? I also imagined the mail copies made by users (but fear their reaction relating to complex subfolders structures ). Relating to your "webmail issues" : it doesn't scare me because im my own experience among various email clients (Lotus Notes, Outlook, Outlook Express, etc...) : it's obvious that too many emails present in the "same view", slows drastically the usage of the email client. Thank you very much again. Just want to know what are the pros of the maildir format (= why you choosed it). Sincerely,
With Maildir, every mail is stored in a single file, while with mbox, all mails are stored in one big file. If that file gets corrupted, all your mails are lost, while with Maildir only a single mail would be lost.
I chose maildir for the same reasons falko lines out - each mail is separate, so an issue w/ one won't cause an issue w/ the others.
After testing many solutions, i'm always searching for a solution for shared mailboxes, on a opensource based solution... Does anyone share mailboxes ??? i'm trying to search about dovecot 1.2 new features but don't manage to find an easy to understand solution... i just want someone tell me for example : "you choose this program, then you can create/manage acl on the mailboxes" "then to use shared mailboxes u do like that, etc..." sorry but i'm always searching and didn't found any answer... thanks
