dovecot - May 2008 - Unsuccessful POP sessions on dovecot-1.0.3-13_60

A Client runs a RAS network. Users access mailboxes using Outlook Express.
The server runs dovecot-1.0.3-13_60.

Almost a week ago users began to report that they can't retrieve their mail.
The session starts, they seem to retrieve messages, but then the client
reports a problem and the session is terminated.

Here's what I have in the log:

May 28 08:56:46 server dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<user at client>,
method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:10.11.9.18, lip=::ffff:10.11.9.108
May 28 08:59:00 server dovecot: POP3(user at client): Disconnected top=0/0,
retr=5/448621, del=0/58, size=8991962
May 28 08:59:29 server dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<user at client>,
method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:10.11.9.18, lip=::ffff:10.11.9.108
May 28 09:03:49 server dovecot: POP3(user at client): Disconnected top=0/0,
retr=5/448621, del=0/58, size=8991962
May 28 09:04:24 server dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<user at client>,
method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:10.11.9.18, lip=::ffff:10.11.9.108
May 28 09:12:11 server dovecot: POP3(user at client): Disconnected top=0/0,
retr=5/448621, del=0/58, size=8991962
May 28 09:14:32 server dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<user at client>,
method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:10.11.9.18, lip=::ffff:10.11.9.108
May 28 09:17:10 server dovecot: POP3(user at client): Disconnected top=0/0,
retr=5/448621, del=0/58, size=8991962
May 28 09:17:52 server dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<user at client>,
method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:10.11.9.18, lip=::ffff:10.11.9.108
May 28 09:20:27 server dovecot: POP3(user at client): Disconnected top=0/0,
retr=5/448621, del=0/58, size=8991962
May 28 09:23:23 server dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<user at client>,
method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:10.11.9.18, lip=::ffff:10.11.9.108
May 28 09:30:05 server dovecot: POP3(user at client): Disconnected top=0/0,
retr=5/448621, del=0/58, size=8991962

What I see is that the client seems to try to retrieve the same mails
(retr=5/448621) over and over again.

If they login using IMAP they don't experience any problems.

Any idea what this could be?
Rumor has it it's a know problem with Outlook Express and its POP
implementation. Is that rumor or a fact?

p at rick

-- 
state of mind
Agentur f?r Kommunikation, Design und Softwareentwicklung

Patrick Koetter            Tel: 089 45227227
Echinger Strasse 3         Fax: 089 45227226
85386 Eching               Web: http://www.state-of-mind.de

Amtsgericht M?nchen        Partnerschaftsregister PR 563

On Thu, 2008-05-29 at 16:16 +0200, Patrick Ben Koetter
wrote:
> What I see is that the client seems to try to retrieve the same mails
> (retr=5/448621) over and over again.
> 
> If they login using IMAP they don't experience any problems.
> 
> Any idea what this could be?
> Rumor has it it's a know problem with Outlook Express and its POP
> implementation. Is that rumor or a fact?
Have you already enabled all the pop3 workarounds? If yes, enable rawlog
(http://wiki.dovecot.org/Debugging/Rawlog) and see if there's anything
special.

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* Timo Sirainen <dovecot at dovecot.org>:
> On Thu, 2008-05-29 at 16:16 +0200, Patrick Ben Koetter wrote:
> > What I see is that the client seems to try to retrieve the same mails
> > (retr=5/448621) over and over again.
> > 
> > If they login using IMAP they don't experience any problems.
> > 
> > Any idea what this could be?
> > Rumor has it it's a know problem with Outlook Express and its POP
> > implementation. Is that rumor or a fact?
> 
> Have you already enabled all the pop3 workarounds? If yes, enable rawlog
> (http://wiki.dovecot.org/Debugging/Rawlog) and see if there's anything
> special.
Yes, I have enabled the workarounds.

New report indicates there's something wrong with ports. The had 110 closed
(to force usage of 995). Once they reopened 110 things went back to normal.

I haven't had time yet to examine this, but as soon as I know news I will
post
them here too.

Thanks!

p at rick

-- 
state of mind
Agentur f?r Kommunikation, Design und Softwareentwicklung

Patrick Koetter            Tel: 089 45227227
Echinger Strasse 3         Fax: 089 45227226
85386 Eching               Web: http://www.state-of-mind.de

Amtsgericht M?nchen        Partnerschaftsregister PR 563