[ingo] User authentication/imapd namespaces was Re: Normal 'filesystem' backend for ingo/procmail?

[Allen Landsidel]

Quoting Jan Schneider <jan at horde.org>:

>> I would much rather not have to run an ftp daemon whos only job is  
>> to move files around the local filesystem, but I don't know the  
>> semantics that ingo's backend.php wants.
>
> Use the FTP entry as a starting point. horde/lib/VFS/file.php should  
> have the available backend configuration items documented in the file 
>  header.

Thanks for the pointer, I'll look into that.

I'm also curious (to change subjects) about the password hashing that 
horde uses if you are using it to do user authentication.  Currently 
I'm letting imp/imapd do user authentication but this is proving to 
have some drawbacks in the environment I'm creating.

Currently I have courier imapd (that change to namespace stuff re: 
cyrus messed up courier a bit too, more on that in a minute) using an 
SQL database for authentication, user management is done via 
postfixadmin.  I'm wondering if the hash/salt is a sort of 'standard' 
meaning if I migrate all the existing account records over to Horde, 
can Horde use the hashes as-is?  If not, what's the solution to 
providing pop3/imap access to people that don't want to use the horde 
interface?

.. on the imapd namespace changes ..

(disclaimer:  I have never read any IMAP spec/RFC.  If the RFC says 
that it's supposed to be such-and-such a way, you can say so and call 
me names.  This all applies to Courier-IMAPD, I've never used Cyrus and 
never will.)

To me, the default should be to show all the mailboxes as sub-folders 
of INBOX.  First, physically, that's how they are stored.  In Maildir 
format, Inbox is the '.' directory, and all directories/folders created 
from that point must by definition be under/within Inbox.  You cannot 
actually create a folder that is at the same level as Inbox, since 
Inbox is the top level maildir.

Second, there is a misfeature (bug, whatever) in that if you do not 
apply the unsupported IMAP namespace "hack" that causes the mailboxes 
to show up beneath inbox, you cannot create folders in Imp as 
subfolders of inbox.  Creating "foo" at the top level works, as it 
creates a ".foo" directory, beneath the physical Inbox directory.  
Creating ".bar" within ".foo" works, as it creates ".foo/.bar" 
physically on disk.

Trying to create Inbox.foo however, by checking off "inbox" and then 
creating a folder, results in an error in IMP stating an invalid folder 
name of "Inboxfoo" without any dots, and with the name "Inbox" present.

I just ran into this myself in the new install, as my personal Horde 
install is a fair bit older and still has the namespace/folders 
options, and shows all folders as being beneath Inbox with this block 
in servers.php:

$servers['imap'] = array(
  'name' => 'Mail',
  'server' => 'localhost',
  'hordeauth' => false,
  'protocol' => 'imap/notls',
  'port' => 143,
  'folders' => 'INBOX.',
  'namespace' => '',
  'maildomain' => 'example.com',
  'smtphost' => 'localhost',
  'smtpport' => 25,
  'realm' => '',
  'preferred' => '',
  'dotfiles' => false,
  'hierarchies' => array()
);

Not trying to start (or rekindle) some kind of holy war, that the 
comments on the site lead me to believe may have already happened, just 
pointing out that there is a brokenness in Imp when it comes to 
creating logical subfolders of Inbox when you do not have the hack 
applied.  Personally I'd love a hybrid setup where the special folders 
are not within Inbox (Spam, Trash, Sent, and Drafts) and everything 
else is.