mbox to maildir, postfix and mutt. No errors but no mail?

CrazyLittle · n00b Joined: 06 Mar 2004 Posts: 11

Okay, so while following the install guide, I misguidedly set mbox as a use flag. I've since removed it, did env-update and re-merged postfix and mutt.

I've got maildirs specified as my mailbox format, but whenever I write a message with mutt to root, it doesn't seem to deliver. I've already searched every instance I could find of postfix, mbox, maildirs, etc... all to no avail.

From postfix/main.cf:

kashani · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 7:24 pm Post subject:

I'd expect to see home_mailbox = .maildir/ in your postconf -n. Check your /etc/postfix/main.cf and see what's been set for home_mailbox. Postfix regardless of USE settings can support either mbox or .maildir/ and this is where you'd set it. I'm guessing that it was set to mbox from the first install and the second config added the maildir line, but the first entry takes precendence.

kashani
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Will personally fix your server in exchange for motorcycle related shop tools in good shape.

CrazyLittle · n00b Joined: 06 Mar 2004 Posts: 11

Neither of the two were uncommented. I fixed that and restarted postfix, then sent myself some mail. Here's the results:

From postconf -n:

kashani · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:09 pm Post subject:

cd into the user's homedir that you've been sending the mail to. Is there a maidir file instead of a dir or other mbox file or folder?

kashani
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Will personally fix your server in exchange for motorcycle related shop tools in good shape.

CrazyLittle · n00b Joined: 06 Mar 2004 Posts: 11

Eh - the more I look at it, the more I realize all the dumb things I did when I spec'd my use flags. Might just be time to flatten and reinstall.

Even so- here's where I'm at now:

logged in as a user, checked for .maildir - it's there (a good sign)

Sent myself some mail with mutt and checked the mailq - the message shows up in mailq (another good sign)

However it doesn't look like postfix is dequeing the mail at all. I've got a 30min old mail sent from root to root, and the brand new one from user to user just sitting around.

GRRRRrrrr.

kashani · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:28 pm Post subject:

$10 says Postfix is bitching about .maildir being a file or that it's not a directory in you logs. If .maildir is a file all the mail from before will be in this this file in mbox format. And Postfix won't be able to deliver new mail in maildir format.

Rename you .maildir to something else. And then run postfix flush which will cause Postfix to try and deliever mail immediately.

kashani
_________________
Will personally fix your server in exchange for motorcycle related shop tools in good shape.

CrazyLittle · n00b Joined: 06 Mar 2004 Posts: 11

huh. Interesting idea - tried it but it didn't work. I did notice a dead.letter file popping up in root's folder.

I've even tried this on a by-the-book install and still no go. Any new ideas?

schmeggahead · Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2004 1:49 am Post subject:

tried the postfix / mutt install and couldn't get postfix to use maildir, so I punted and went with mbox.
Now for some users, it doesn't have a spool file.
I tried cluging one from another by copying another, changing owner and changing permissions g+rw.
That didn't work, now it wants the sent folders to be created.

from postconf -n:

schmeggahead · Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2004 9:33 pm Post subject:

Well, I fixed it.
completely deinstalled postfix, mutt, and all the other email tools, deleted all configuration files for all of them and started over fresh.

That should be rule 1 when encounter trouble.

As soon as I discovered my USE settings were the source of the trouble, that's probably the best way to proceed.

I had the USE setting configured for mbox (the default) and not maildir.

I added +maildir and -mbox and proceeded to reinstall and that's where I went wrong. Once USE settings need to be changed, it's best to blow it all away and start the install from a fresh slate.

From the best I could tell, with the settings configured as -maildir and +mbox, mutt says the heck with mbox, I'm setting it as maildir. :roll:

my mail is working fine now. on to the wonderful world of shell scripts and cron jobs.