Cannot access email via IMAP on Ubuntu 18.04 mail server
by redd9 from LinuxQuestions.org on (#4QH0H)
I've set up an email server using Postfix 3.3.0 on Ubuntu 18.04, on an EC2 instance. Sending emails to and from my server and external email services (eg gmail) is working just fine.
The only issue I've run into now is accessing my email through a mail client not on my server. I installed courier-imap so I could access my email through IMAP but it keeps failing.
I am trying to use Thunderbird in which I've entered (the equivalent of) the following settings:
Incoming: IMAP
Server hostname: mail.redd9.ca
Port: 143
SSL: None
Authentication: Normal password
Outgoing: SMTP
Server hostname: mail.redd9.ca
Port: 25
SSL: None
Authentication: Normal password
Username: Incoming: redd
Outgoing: redd
This gives me 'Thunderbird failed to find the settings for your email account. I tried tweaking the ports, authentication, etc but still got the same error, even after opening up all the ports on the EC2 firewall.
Output of postconf -n is below, would appreciate any advice.
Code:alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases
alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
append_dot_mydomain = no
biff = no
compatibility_level = 2
home_mailbox = Maildir/
inet_interfaces = all
inet_protocols = all
mailbox_size_limit = 0
mydestination = mail.us-east-2.compute.internal, mail.redd9.ca, redd9.ca, mail, localhost.localdomain, localhost
myhostname = mail.redd9.ca
mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8 [::ffff:127.0.0.0]/104 [::1]/128
myorigin = /etc/mailname
readme_directory = no
recipient_delimiter = +
relayhost =
smtp_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtp_scache
smtpd_banner = $myhostname ESMTP $mail_name (Ubuntu)
smtpd_relay_restrictions = permit_mynetworks permit_sasl_authenticated defer_unauth_destination
smtpd_tls_cert_file = /etc/ssl/certs/ssl-cert-snakeoil.pem
smtpd_tls_key_file = /etc/ssl/private/ssl-cert-snakeoil.key
smtpd_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtpd_scache
smtpd_use_tls = yes
virtual_alias_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/virtualOutput of /etc/courier/imapd:
Code:ADDRESS=127.0.0.1
PORT=143
MAXDAEMONS=40
MAXPERIP=20
PIDFILE=/run/courier/imapd.pid
TCPDOPTS="-nodnslookup -noidentlookup"
IMAPACCESSFILE=/etc/courier/imapaccess
LOGGEROPTS="-name=imapd"
IMAP_CAPABILITY="IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS CHILDREN NAMESPACE THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT THREAD=REFERENCES SORT QUOTA IDLE"
IMAP_KEYWORDS=1
IMAP_ACL=1
IMAP_CAPABILITY_ORIG="IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS CHILDREN NAMESPACE THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT THREAD=REFERENCES SORT QUOTA AUTH=CRAM-MD5 AUTH=CRAM-SHA1 AUTH=CRAM-SHA256 IDLE"
IMAP_PROXY=0
IMAP_PROXY_FOREIGN=0
IMAP_IDLE_TIMEOUT=60
IMAP_MAILBOX_SANITY_CHECK=1
IMAP_CAPABILITY_TLS="$IMAP_CAPABILITY AUTH=PLAIN"
IMAP_CAPABILITY_TLS_ORIG="$IMAP_CAPABILITY_ORIG AUTH=PLAIN"
IMAP_DISABLETHREADSORT=0
IMAP_CHECK_ALL_FOLDERS=0
IMAP_OBSOLETE_CLIENT=0
IMAP_UMASK=022
IMAP_ULIMITD=131072
IMAP_USELOCKS=1
IMAP_SHAREDINDEXFILE=/etc/courier/shared/index
IMAP_ENHANCEDIDLE=0
IMAP_TRASHFOLDERNAME=Trash
IMAP_EMPTYTRASH=Trash:7
IMAP_MOVE_EXPUNGE_TO_TRASH=0
SENDMAIL=/usr/sbin/sendmail
HEADERFROM=X-IMAP-Sender
IMAPDSTART=YES
MAILDIRPATH=Maildir
The only issue I've run into now is accessing my email through a mail client not on my server. I installed courier-imap so I could access my email through IMAP but it keeps failing.
I am trying to use Thunderbird in which I've entered (the equivalent of) the following settings:
Incoming: IMAP
Server hostname: mail.redd9.ca
Port: 143
SSL: None
Authentication: Normal password
Outgoing: SMTP
Server hostname: mail.redd9.ca
Port: 25
SSL: None
Authentication: Normal password
Username: Incoming: redd
Outgoing: redd
This gives me 'Thunderbird failed to find the settings for your email account. I tried tweaking the ports, authentication, etc but still got the same error, even after opening up all the ports on the EC2 firewall.
Output of postconf -n is below, would appreciate any advice.
Code:alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases
alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
append_dot_mydomain = no
biff = no
compatibility_level = 2
home_mailbox = Maildir/
inet_interfaces = all
inet_protocols = all
mailbox_size_limit = 0
mydestination = mail.us-east-2.compute.internal, mail.redd9.ca, redd9.ca, mail, localhost.localdomain, localhost
myhostname = mail.redd9.ca
mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8 [::ffff:127.0.0.0]/104 [::1]/128
myorigin = /etc/mailname
readme_directory = no
recipient_delimiter = +
relayhost =
smtp_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtp_scache
smtpd_banner = $myhostname ESMTP $mail_name (Ubuntu)
smtpd_relay_restrictions = permit_mynetworks permit_sasl_authenticated defer_unauth_destination
smtpd_tls_cert_file = /etc/ssl/certs/ssl-cert-snakeoil.pem
smtpd_tls_key_file = /etc/ssl/private/ssl-cert-snakeoil.key
smtpd_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtpd_scache
smtpd_use_tls = yes
virtual_alias_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/virtualOutput of /etc/courier/imapd:
Code:ADDRESS=127.0.0.1
PORT=143
MAXDAEMONS=40
MAXPERIP=20
PIDFILE=/run/courier/imapd.pid
TCPDOPTS="-nodnslookup -noidentlookup"
IMAPACCESSFILE=/etc/courier/imapaccess
LOGGEROPTS="-name=imapd"
IMAP_CAPABILITY="IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS CHILDREN NAMESPACE THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT THREAD=REFERENCES SORT QUOTA IDLE"
IMAP_KEYWORDS=1
IMAP_ACL=1
IMAP_CAPABILITY_ORIG="IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS CHILDREN NAMESPACE THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT THREAD=REFERENCES SORT QUOTA AUTH=CRAM-MD5 AUTH=CRAM-SHA1 AUTH=CRAM-SHA256 IDLE"
IMAP_PROXY=0
IMAP_PROXY_FOREIGN=0
IMAP_IDLE_TIMEOUT=60
IMAP_MAILBOX_SANITY_CHECK=1
IMAP_CAPABILITY_TLS="$IMAP_CAPABILITY AUTH=PLAIN"
IMAP_CAPABILITY_TLS_ORIG="$IMAP_CAPABILITY_ORIG AUTH=PLAIN"
IMAP_DISABLETHREADSORT=0
IMAP_CHECK_ALL_FOLDERS=0
IMAP_OBSOLETE_CLIENT=0
IMAP_UMASK=022
IMAP_ULIMITD=131072
IMAP_USELOCKS=1
IMAP_SHAREDINDEXFILE=/etc/courier/shared/index
IMAP_ENHANCEDIDLE=0
IMAP_TRASHFOLDERNAME=Trash
IMAP_EMPTYTRASH=Trash:7
IMAP_MOVE_EXPUNGE_TO_TRASH=0
SENDMAIL=/usr/sbin/sendmail
HEADERFROM=X-IMAP-Sender
IMAPDSTART=YES
MAILDIRPATH=Maildir