IMAP Authentication

[tucker at seti.org]

PHP 4.1.2 with gettext imap mhash mcrypt mysql (from packages)
Horde 1.2
Imp 3.0
----------------
Problem
IMAP will not authenticate against my local back end. I have tried using
both local and remote back ends for authentication. Same error on
both....
"Mar 18 14:06:38 newgenes imapd[17543]: Command stream end of file,
while reading line user=??? host=newgenes.mygenes.net [208.253.214.250]"

my horde.conf reads
$conf['auth']['driver'] = 'imap';
$conf['auth']['params'] = array();
$conf['auth']['params']['dsn'] = '{newgenes.mygenes.net/imap:143}INBOX';

$conf['auth']['admins'] = array('master');

This is just logging onto Horde, not IMP... It seems to be using ssl
although I didn't ask it to. I have a self generated ssl key which got
rid of an earlier message

"Mar 18 14:09:31 newgenes imapd[25730]: SSL error status:
error:02001002:lib(2):func(1):reason(2)
Mar 18 14:09:31 newgenes imapd[25730]: SSL error status:
error:20074002:lib(32):func(116):reason(2)
Mar 18 14:09:31 newgenes imapd[25730]: SSL error status:
error:140DC002:lib(20):SSL_CTX_use_certificate_chain_file:reason(2)"

So it seems that SSL is a variable.

My two initial questions are ... where is the username  ("user=??") and
why is it trying to use ssl on port 143?
Has anybody experienced anything like this? Help!
-=Tucker