dovecot - Jul 2009 - alias best practice

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Given a Linux mail server with Postfix+Dovecot using MySQL as userbase, a single
Linux user for file system access, two mail domains configured (acme1.com
acme2.com) and a maildir structure as follows

\var\spool\mail\acme1.com-
                         \user1
                         \user2
                         \user3
\var\spool\mail\acme2.com-
                         \user1
                         \user2
                         \user3


I want that the mail of user1 at acme1.com and user1 at acme2.com goes in
\var\spool\mail\acme1.com\user1

Note that there could be some users not equal between two domains.

What is the best practice?

1) Alias at Postfix level

2) The same maildir path specified in MySQL record

3) ln -s between \var\spool\mail\acme1.com\user1 and
\var\spool\mail\acme2.com\user1

4) Else? (Dovecot virtual mailbox)



Thank you.




Ciao,
luigi

- --
/
+--[Luigi Rosa]--
\

Blessed are they who Go Around in Circles,
for they Shall be Known as Wheels.

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=Loje
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I can't say it's best practice, it depends on your setting.

I'm allowing IMAP login from both user1 at acme1.com and user1 at acme2.com,
to some extent it's user1 at acme1.com & user2 at acme2.com to the same
maildir location, and I'm taking the 2) approach.
> 2) The same maildir path specified in MySQL record
HTH
- Joseph

On 3-Jul-09, at 10:47 AM, Luigi Rosa wrote:
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> Given a Linux mail server with Postfix+Dovecot using MySQL as  
> userbase, a single
> Linux user for file system access, two mail domains configured  
> (acme1.com
> acme2.com) and a maildir structure as follows
>
> \var\spool\mail\acme1.com-
>                         \user1
>                         \user2
>                         \user3
> \var\spool\mail\acme2.com-
>                         \user1
>                         \user2
>                         \user3
>
>
> I want that the mail of user1 at acme1.com and user1 at acme2.com goes in
> \var\spool\mail\acme1.com\user1
>
> Note that there could be some users not equal between two domains.
>
> What is the best practice?
>
> 1) Alias at Postfix level
>
> 2) The same maildir path specified in MySQL record
>
> 3) ln -s between \var\spool\mail\acme1.com\user1 and \var\spool\mail 
> \acme2.com\user1
>
> 4) Else? (Dovecot virtual mailbox)
>
>
>
> Thank you.
>
>
>
>
> Ciao,
> luigi
>
> - --
> /
> +--[Luigi Rosa]--
> \
>
> Blessed are they who Go Around in Circles,
> for they Shall be Known as Wheels.
>
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> iEYEARECAAYFAkpOGf8ACgkQ3kWu7Tfl6ZTJ1ACgp52Fy7PbGpnU9pFnvVioNcFO
> OO8AoJRGG2UkyPXczR/bkAXqwjmVtpyL
> =Loje
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On Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 5:47 PM, Luigi Rosa <lists at luigirosa.com> wrote:
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> Given a Linux mail server with Postfix+Dovecot using MySQL as userbase, a
> single
> Linux user for file system access, two mail domains configured (acme1.com
> acme2.com) and a maildir structure as follows
>
> \var\spool\mail\acme1.com-
>                         \user1
>                         \user2
>                         \user3
> \var\spool\mail\acme2.com-
>                         \user1
>                         \user2
>                         \user3
>
>
> I want that the mail of user1 at acme1.com and user1 at acme2.com goes in
> \var\spool\mail\acme1.com\user1
>
That's the job for your MTA. Simply make acme2.com and alias to acme1.com

>
> Note that there could be some users not equal between two domains.

You mean that there can be userX at acme2.com but no userX at acme1.com? Well,
in
the case of aliasing, or address rewriting (BTW, I only know how to use Exim
so I am talking about the conceptualization here), if acme2.com is an alias
of acme1.com, then users only need to exist on acme1.com. Suppose there is
johndoe at acme2.com and no account exists for johndoe at acme1.com then in the
case of aliasing the mail to johndoe will fail!

> What is the best practice?
>
> 1) Alias at Postfix level

I was going to say yes, but please note my explanation above.

>
>
> 2) The same maildir path specified in MySQL record

Not really. Doesn't sound good. Deliver mail based on the existence/validity
of e-mail account.

>
> 3) ln -s between \var\spool\mail\acme1.com\user1 and \var\spool\mail\
> acme2.com\user1
>
Forget this.

>
> 4) Else? (Dovecot virtual mailbox)

I haven't tried this at all.




-- 
Best regards,
Odhiambo WASHINGTON,
Nairobi,KE
+254733744121/+254722743223
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"If you have nothing good to say about someone, just shut up!."
              -- Lucky Dube

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On Fri, 3 Jul 2009, Luigi Rosa wrote:

As Joseph said, it is a matter of taste.
>
> \var\spool\mail\acme1.com-
>                         \user1
> \var\spool\mail\acme2.com-
>                         \user1
>
>
> I want that the mail of user1 at acme1.com and user1 at acme2.com goes in
> \var\spool\mail\acme1.com\user1
>
> Note that there could be some users not equal between two domains.
>
> What is the best practice?
>
> 1) Alias at Postfix level
>
> 2) The same maildir path specified in MySQL record
>
> 3) ln -s between \var\spool\mail\acme1.com\user1 and
\var\spool\mail\acme2.com\user1
Hmm, personally I'd prefer 2) over 3), e.g. because there is no need for 
the symlinks, unless other tasks/services _rely_ on the existance of both 
dirs.

Choosing between 1) vs. 2) I'd ask, who is going to login: If you have 
both user1 at acme1.com _and_ user1 at acme2.com login, use 2), 1) otherwise. 
But stick to one way for all for sake of maintainability.

Variant 2) has the drawback, that you have two distinct user entries with 
a different password. However, I guess, you can manage to write a SQL 
query to map both users to one entry in Dovecot, but what about other 
services?

Bye,

- -- 
Steffen Kaiser
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