dovecot - Apr 2014 - doveadm import : Error creating new mailbox

Hello,

I'm new to dovecot. I managed to set up a system running  
dovecot/mysql/postfix/postfixadmin with a virtual maildir setup on  
Ubuntu 12.04 I can add and remove users, send and receive mail, create  
folders, move mail between them etc so all ok.

Now trying to manually import some mbox files from the old server into  
dovecot. Copied a mbox file to the new system, converted it to Maildir  
with mb2md resulting in a directory containing the new, cur en tmp.  
Looks ok, old email messages are all there.

When importing this folder using doveadm import it fails with the message:
Error: Couldn't create mailbox  
maildir:/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek/.INBOX:  
Invalid mailbox name

What am I doing wrong?

Martin


output from doveadm -D import:
>
??(adje at
BCS:pts/0)??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????(~)??
> ??(89:10:33:%)?? sudo doveadm -D import -u
> techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl
> maildir:/mnt/multimedia/mailoudeserver/testmap/techniek
> maildir:/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek/ all
> doveadm(root): Debug: Loading modules from directory:
> /usr/lib/dovecot/modules/doveadm
> doveadm(root): Debug: Skipping module doveadm_acl_plugin, because
> dlopen() failed:
> /usr/lib/dovecot/modules/doveadm/lib10_doveadm_acl_plugin.so: undefined
> symbol: acl_user_module (this is usually intentional, so just ignore
> this message)
> doveadm(root): Debug: Skipping module doveadm_expire_plugin, because
> dlopen() failed:
> /usr/lib/dovecot/modules/doveadm/lib10_doveadm_expire_plugin.so:
> undefined symbol: expire_set_deinit (this is usually intentional, so
> just ignore this message)
> doveadm(root): Debug: Skipping module doveadm_quota_plugin, because
> dlopen() failed:
> /usr/lib/dovecot/modules/doveadm/lib10_doveadm_quota_plugin.so:
> undefined symbol: quota_user_module (this is usually intentional, so
> just ignore this message)
> doveadm(root): Debug: Skipping module doveadm_zlib_plugin, because
> dlopen() failed:
> /usr/lib/dovecot/modules/doveadm/lib10_doveadm_zlib_plugin.so: undefined
> symbol: i_stream_create_deflate (this is usually intentional, so just
> ignore this message)
> doveadm(root): Debug: Effective uid=0, gid=0, home=/home/adje
> doveadm(root): Debug: maildir++:
> root=/mnt/multimedia/mailoudeserver/testmap/techniek, index=, control=,
> inbox=/mnt/multimedia/mailoudeserver/testmap/techniek, alt>
doveadm(techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl): Debug: Added userdb
> setting: mail=maildir:/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek
> doveadm(techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl): Debug: Added userdb
> setting: plugin/quota=dirsize:storage=0
> doveadm(techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl): Debug: Effective uid=150,
> gid=8, home=/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek
> doveadm(techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl): Debug: maildir++:
> root=/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek, index=, control=,
> inbox=/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek, alt>
doveadm(techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl): Debug: Namespace :
>
/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek/.maildir:/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek/.INBOX
doesn't exist yet, using default
> permissions
> doveadm(techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl): Debug: Namespace : Using
> permissions from /home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek:
> mode=0700 gid=-1
> doveadm(techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl): Debug: Namespace :
>
/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek/.maildir:/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek/.INBOX
doesn't exist yet, using default
> permissions
> doveadm(techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl): Debug: Namespace : Using
> permissions from /home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek:
> mode=0700 gid=-1
> doveadm(techniek at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl): Error: Couldn't
create
> mailbox maildir:/home/vmail/bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl/techniek/.INBOX:
> Invalid mailbox name


Output of dovecot -n
> # 2.0.19: /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
> # OS: Linux 3.11.0-20-generic x86_64 Ubuntu 12.04.4 LTS ext4
> auth_mechanisms = plain login
> first_valid_uid = 150
> last_valid_uid = 150
> mail_gid = mail
> mail_location = maildir:/home/vmail/%d/%n
> mail_uid = vmail
> passdb {
> ? args = /etc/dovecot/dovecot-sql.conf.ext
> ? driver = sql
> }
> postmaster_address = adje at bezoekerscentrumsonsbeek.nl
> protocols = " imap pop3"
> service auth {
> ? unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/auth {
> ? ? group = postfix
> ? ? mode = 0660
> ? ? user = postfix
> ? }
> ? unix_listener auth-userdb {
> ? ? group = mail
> ? ? mode = 0600
> ? ? user = vmail
> ? }
> }
> ssl_cert = </etc/ssl/certs/dovecot.pem
> ssl_key = </etc/ssl/private/dovecot.pem
> userdb {
> ? args = /etc/dovecot/dovecot-sql.conf.ext
> ? driver = sql
> }
-- 
Systeembeheer Bezoekerscentrum Sonsbeek

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On Tue, 29 Apr 2014, Administrator BCS wrote:
> Now trying to manually import some mbox files from the old server into 
> dovecot. Copied a mbox file to the new system, converted it to Maildir with
> mb2md resulting in a directory containing the new, cur en tmp. Looks ok,
old
> email messages are all there.
>
> When importing this folder using doveadm import it fails with the message:
Copy/move the files in cur and new into the new place, no need for doveadm 
import. If there is no target mailbox of that name, copy the whole 
.mailbox.sub.sub folder.

- -- 
Steffen Kaiser
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On Tue, 29 Apr 2014, Administrator BCS wrote:
> Now trying to manually import some mbox files from the old server into 
> dovecot. Copied a mbox file to the new system, converted it to Maildir with
> mb2md resulting in a directory containing the new, cur en tmp. Looks ok,
old
> email messages are all there.
>
> When importing this folder using doveadm import it fails with the message:
Copy/move the files in cur and new into the new place, no need for doveadm 
import. If there is no target mailbox of that name, copy the whole 
.mailbox.sub.sub folder.

- -- 
Steffen Kaiser
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Citeren Steffen Kaiser <skdovecot at smail.inf.fh-brs.de>:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On Tue, 29 Apr 2014, Administrator BCS wrote:
>
>> Now trying to manually import some mbox files from the old server  
>> into dovecot. Copied a mbox file to the new system, converted it to  
>> Maildir with mb2md resulting in a directory containing the new, cur  
>> en tmp. Looks ok, old email messages are all there.
>>
>> When importing this folder using doveadm import it fails with the
message:
>
> Copy/move the files in cur and new into the new place, no need for  
> doveadm import. If there is no target mailbox of that name, copy the  
> whole .mailbox.sub.sub folder.
>
well the example I gave was maybe a bit confusing. Moving/copying the  
contents of folders works but only for already existing folders.
When I want to import folders that do not yet exist and create them by  
copying a .mailbox folder to the users vmail folder it does not show  
up in my front end (Horde). From what I learned so far this is because  
I have to use the dovecot import tool in order to make dovecot  
recognize them.
> - -- Steffen Kaiser
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-- 
Systeembeheer Bezoekerscentrum Sonsbeek

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Hash: SHA1

On Tue, 29 Apr 2014, Administrator BCS wrote:
>> mail_location = maildir:/home/vmail/%d/%n
>> userdb {
>>   args = /etc/dovecot/dovecot-sql.conf.ext
>>   driver = sql
>> }
BTW: What home directory are you using? It is not recommended to run with 
mail (dir) == home (dir). Insofar, it might be better to add the pseudo 
standard Maildir to mail_location.

- -- 
Steffen Kaiser
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On Tue, 29 Apr 2014, Administrator BCS wrote:
>> mail_location = maildir:/home/vmail/%d/%n
>> userdb {
>> ? args = /etc/dovecot/dovecot-sql.conf.ext
>> ? driver = sql
>> }
BTW: What home directory are you using? It is not recommended to run with 
mail (dir) == home (dir). Insofar, it might be better to add the pseudo 
standard Maildir to mail_location.

- -- 
Steffen Kaiser
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Citeren Steffen Kaiser <skdovecot at smail.inf.fh-brs.de>:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On Tue, 29 Apr 2014, Administrator BCS wrote:
>
>>> mail_location = maildir:/home/vmail/%d/%n
>
>>> userdb {
>>> ? args = /etc/dovecot/dovecot-sql.conf.ext
>>> ? driver = sql
>>> }
>
> BTW: What home directory are you using? It is not recommended to run
> with mail (dir) == home (dir). Insofar, it might be better to add the
> pseudo standard Maildir to mail_location.
I don't know if I fully understand your question. I am trying to  
import mail from an old system running mbox (inbox in  
/var/mail/username and the rest in /home/username/mail/), to a new  
system running Postfix/Dovecot with virtual mailboxes for separate  
domains. So the mail users on the new system do not have a linux  
account anymore and therefore no homedir either. Their mail is stored  
by the virtual mail handler in /home/vmail/domain.nl/username/. Worth  
mentioning maybe that initially it used /var/vmail/ but I moved it  
from /var to /home for reasons of file system space and edited the  
postfix- and dovecot configs accordingly.

As a test I copied some individual mbox files from the old system to a  
temporary folder on the new one and tried to import those files to the  
corresponding maildirs of the users on the new system using doveadm  
import, which failed. Maybe it simply does not work that way and  
should I go for the direct full mbox>maildir conversion from the old  
server to the new one.

As you suggested earlier, copying to maildir converted box manually to  
the vmail folders and editing the subscriptions file is a way to get  
it to work but it is very labour intensive.


-- 
Systeembeheer Bezoekerscentrum Sonsbeek