fetchmail issue

nikc · n00b Joined: 29 Apr 2003 Posts: 23

Im running fetchmail so that it keeps the mail on the pop server, but when it runs it is downloading messages that it has downloaded before instead of just new ones. So I am getting duplicates. does anyone know how to get around this.

this is the command im running

greywolf · n00b Joined: 22 Jun 2002 Posts: 18 Location: Scotland

This is the same problem I am having...

My setup involves running the init.d script for fetchmail at startup. It downloads mail from two mailboxes then passes it to procmail. Procmail filters out spam with SpamAssassin then drops it into my mailbox. Recently, though, it has started to download duplicates. I'm not sure but I think it also may only be downloading mail only after a certain date.

It's also only started to do this recently, and seemingly at random. Sometimes it will download half a dozen duplicates and then start behaving normally (checking periodically and downloading new mail) and sometimes it will sit there for 10 minutes downloading 30 - 40 dupes before I stop it running.

Has anyone else noticed this? Suggestions on a postcard...

bludger · Guru Joined: 09 Apr 2003 Posts: 389

I found a duplicate problem with getmail and maildirs (writing directly to maildir), which I posted here, but received no reply:
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=52266&highlight=

I have since switched to fetchmail/procmail and am having no problems. Are you using maildir or a mail file? What does your .procmailrc file look like? Are you using pop or imap? (You can use imap to act like pop and either delete received mails or leave them on the server).

Looking through the fetchmail mailing list, I saw somewhere (and noticed myself) that when you leave mail on the server, it will download all duplicates but then detects them ok and does not save them. In my case this is not a problem as I don't need to leave a copy on the server.

Torg · n00b Joined: 21 Oct 2002 Posts: 30

Could you copy in your users .fetchmailrc file (edit out the passwords and account names, I don't need those.)

Also, your .procmailrc file could be useful as well.
(Personally, I scrapped procmail for maildrop, but that's my personal preference)

I've got a couple of production mailservers using fetchmail, and I've very little problems with it. It might even be something simple!

-Torg