dovecot - May 2006 - Effect of "login_process_per_connection = no"?

Using dovecot version v1.0.beta8 on FreeBSD 6.1_RELEASE with

    login_process_per_connection = no

in the dovecot.conf file, I still get a new imap process for each IMAP
login.  That is, if a single user logs in five times, five imap
processes are created.

The difference appears to be that with a "yes" setting each user login
causes a new copy of the imap-login processes to be forked, which then
creates the imap process for the connection and exits. With a "no"
setting, one of the existing imap-login processes creates the imap
process directly (and does not exit).

I am understanding the effect of this control setting correctly? Are
there other actions or implications?

Pete

Pete Slagle wrote:
> Using dovecot version v1.0.beta8 on FreeBSD 6.1_RELEASE with
> 
>    login_process_per_connection = no
> 
> in the dovecot.conf file, I still get a new imap process for each IMAP
> login.  That is, if a single user logs in five times, five imap
> processes are created.
> 
> The difference appears to be that with a "yes" setting each user
login
> causes a new copy of the imap-login processes to be forked, which then
> creates the imap process for the connection and exits. With a
"no"
> setting, one of the existing imap-login processes creates the imap
> process directly (and does not exit).
> 
> I am understanding the effect of this control setting correctly? Are
> there other actions or implications?
> 
> Pete
> 
> 
> 
I think you're understanding it correctly. We use 
"login_process_per_connection = no" ourselves. It's supposed to
give
slightly better performance at the cost of slightly less security/stability.

However, if you're using SSL (as we're starting to do) then imap-login 
has more work to do; it does the SSL part and proxies the rest to the 
imap process.

Best Wishes,
Chris

-- 
--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+-
Christopher Wakelin,                           c.d.wakelin at reading.ac.uk
IT Services Centre, The University of Reading,  Tel: +44 (0)118 378 8439
Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 2AF, UK              Fax: +44 (0)118 975 3094

On 2006-05-27 13:29:49 -0700, Pete Slagle wrote:
> Using dovecot version v1.0.beta8 on FreeBSD 6.1_RELEASE with
> 
>    login_process_per_connection = no
> 
> in the dovecot.conf file, I still get a new imap process for each IMAP
> login.  That is, if a single user logs in five times, five imap
> processes are created.
> 
> The difference appears to be that with a "yes" setting each user
login
> causes a new copy of the imap-login processes to be forked, which then
> creates the imap process for the connection and exits. With a
"no"
> setting, one of the existing imap-login processes creates the imap
> process directly (and does not exit).
> 
> I am understanding the effect of this control setting correctly? Are
> there other actions or implications?
i think it refers to imap-login processes. not imap processes.

darix

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