[horde] How to switch horde login authentication to system files?

[Robert P. J. Day]

   This is a followup to my request for assistance from yesterday, but  
I didn't get Roberto's response delivered to me to allow me to  
continue the thread so I apologize for starting a new thread for this  
same topic.

   My problem:  all attempts at logging into horde are now rejected,  
for what I think is the following reason.  I'm guessing that, before I  
upgraded this Debian system, authentication was done via IMAP.  I'm  
assuming I can verify that by checking, what, the conf.php file?   
Where it should be easy to see what was being used.  So if, in the  
midst of my Debian upgrade, I managed to trash some of that info, that  
would certainly explain why authentication no longer works.  So what  
do I check to see what authentication is being used?

   Also, on this Debian system, there is no official horde package  
installed, so I'm guessing the person who set this up originally  
didn't do a package-based install -- everything is stuffed under  
/var/www, which is fine with me, as long as I know that that's how it  
was done.

   Finally, while I'm figuring out how to get the IMAP authentication  
back (if that's what's necessary), is it a big deal to switch to just  
/etc/{passwd,shadow} system file authentication?  As far as I can  
tell, everyone who needs to log in has a regular user account, so  
would making that switch (temporarily) just to let folks get in be  
difficult?  Or a bad idea?  I just want to do whatever it takes right  
now to allow users to be able to log in.

   Thanks muchly.

rday