[CS-FSLUG] IMAP or POP3

[Tim Young]

Actually, you usually do not need to do anything on the server-side to 
set it up to do IMAP. Some of the IMAP/POP servers do need a 
configuration option enabled in the config file, but most distros have 
this enabled by default.

What happens with IMAP is this.
1) Your client connects up on the IMAP port (or another port if you have 
changed it).
1.5) Your client negotiates SSL if you have that configured
2) Your client logs in
3) Your client requests new mail
4) At that time, the email is pulled from the central repository 
(/var/spool/mail the same location as POP), and is moved to your home 
drive on the email computer. (/home/dmcglone)
5) Any new email *headers* are downloaded to the client. The email 
itself remains on the server.
5.5) If you have things set up to work offline, it will download the 
whole email message.
6) As you delete, view, or change location of an email, these changes 
are sent to the server where the action actually occurs.

The only thing you need to do to use IMAP is to have it enabled on your 
server (changing config files, perhaps enabling an entry in 
/etc/xinetd.d, changing a firewall rule, etc), and setting your client 
to use it. You do not need to change the location of where files are 
stored or anything. That is done automatically by the IMAP server.

- Tim Young

David McGlone wrote:
> On Saturday 21 March 2009 1:01:38 am Timothy Butler wrote:
>   
>>> But from what I know (or believe I know) about IMAP is that it is
>>> much better
>>> to use for scenarios like this.
>>>       
>> 	Absolutely, IMAP makes the most sense for the reasons Tim (the other,
>> I'm not talking about myself in the third person!) already said.
>>
>> 	I've been using IMAP that way for nearly five years now. It works
>> great. I regularly access my mail via a couple of computers, webmail
>> (Roundcube IMAP client via cPanel) and iPhone and all of them work
>> together nicely thanks to IMAP.
>>     
>
> Ok, I'm going to reply here, because the rest of the replies are of course on 
> my laptop upstairs and I'm too lazy to go up there and boot it up and transfer 
> the mail here. Another reason I guess I should be using IMAP. LOL
>
> Anyway, LOL. Here's how I have it setup so far. I have fetchmail retrieving my 
> mail with POP3, because AT&T as far as I know only uses POP, so fetchmail 
> retrieves my mail and puts it in /var/spool/mail/david.
>
> My question is, basically all I need to do is configure fetchmail? or postfix? 
> to start putting the mail in an IMAP folder instead of /var/spool/mail/david. 
> Is my logic correct?
>
> I already have IMAP running and listening:
> david at buddy:~$ netstat -l | grep imap
> tcp        0      0 *:imaps                 *:*                     LISTEN
> tcp        0      0 *:imap2                 *:*                     LISTEN
>
> All I really need to do Is from what I have read, put my mail into folders 
> that are used for IMAP and not POP.
>
>
> Blessings,
> David M.
> http://www.dmcentral.net
>
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