Topic: IMAP queries

[Rick Jones]

The IMAP server seems to be limited to only 2 levels of subfolders. Since the default is already one level down (Mail), it will only allow one further level. Using OE as an IMAP client I can create additional subfolder levels, but on querying IMAP folders, none of these sublevel folders are reported. They're not seen by Horde either.

I'm running 5.5, but expecting to move to 5.6 or 6.0 when I put in a new server. Has this limitation been removed in later versions?

On a related topic, I'm considering migrating workstation-based Outlook email to IMAP email, but I'd want to move the contents of Outlook .pst files into IMAP folders in order to preserve access to all archived email. Is there any conversion tool that will do this? For reasons best known to MS (maybe this very reason?), Outlook will only support IMAP in Internet-only mode, and won't simultaneously support .pst files.

TIA
Rick Jones

[Ian Lowe]

I encountered the same issue, and migrated to Courier IMAP instead, which doesn't have the same limitation.

One thing: outlook is very agressive in openiong new IMAP sessions (one per folder), so you will have to increase the maximum number of imap processes...

[Maggard]

Rick Jones wrote:

> On a related topic, I'm considering migrating
> workstation-based Outlook email to IMAP email, but I'd want
> to move the contents of Outlook .pst files into IMAP folders
> in order to preserve access to all archived email. Is there
> any conversion tool that will do this? For reasons best known
> to MS (maybe this very reason?), Outlook will only support
> IMAP in Internet-only mode, and won't simultaneously support
> .pst files.

Outlook XP aka 11 does support .pst's in Internet-only mode, I'm doing so right now. Indeed I've three .pst's open at the moment and this box has never been connected to an Exchange server, always been IMO.

As to conversion tools a script should be able to perform the migration for you automagically (othwerwise drag-and-drop works just fine). I'd look for more on a more Outlook-specific information source like http://slipstick.com rather then here.

[Mahmood Al-Yousif]

I've got about the same problems, however I'm using Mozilla or Thunderbird as my email clients set up for IMAP.

The problem is although the clients open up imap mail, they both fail to load all the folders, just like you have discovered it opens only up to the second level. I have to physically (every time) to "reload" the mail panel by clicking on minimize and then maximize the main mail folder. Once that is done it loads the 3rd level, then I have to do likewise for the folders I know contain fourth levels etc.

If there are mail filters associated with messages, they are automatically disabled because Mozilla cannot find the right folder (on the first run).

Very annoying.

I'm using 6.0beta3

Would be nice if this problem goes away. I didn't have this problem with 5.6u4 before I upgraded to 6

[Maggard]

Mahmood Al-Yousif wrote:

> I'm using 6.0beta3
>
> Would be nice if this problem goes away. I didn't have this
> problem with 5.6u4 before I upgraded to 6

Have you reported this to Mitel?

[Rick Jones]

Hmmm - maybe I need Courier IMAP. I've had a look at the Courier site, and the software's quite extensive. I assume I'd only need the IMAP component. Has anyone packaged this as a contrib with an SME control panel etc?

If I can actually get all my email working under IMAP I might not even use Outlook as the client. Do you know if Outlook Express uses the same strategy of multiple sessions?

Thanks
Rick

[Rick Jones]

Mahmood

Are you saying that in 5.6 you didn't suffer the limitation of only 2 levels of IMAP folders? If so 5.6 might be just what I need!

Thanks
Rick

[Dean Mumby]

http://nx.dyndns.info/sme/courier/SME56.php

Regards

[Mahmood Al-Yousif]

As I travel a lot, accessing my email through IMAP is very convenient. I didn't have a problem with folder levels in 5.6. I don't know courier IMAP but will look into it only after the final version of 6.0 is released as changes might still happen in 6.0 before final release.

[Rick Jones]

A late reply, but I agree, 5.6 doesn't have a problem with folder levels. I'm just setting it up on another server and IMAP seems to work OK.

I think I'll hold off on 6.0 for now - maybe upgrade the 5.6 system when 6.0 is stable!

Rick Jones

[Charlie Brady]

Rick Jones wrote:

> A late reply, but I agree, 5.6 doesn't have a problem with
> folder levels. I'm just setting it up on another server and
> IMAP seems to work OK.
>
> I think I'll hold off on 6.0 for now - maybe upgrade the 5.6
> system when 6.0 is stable!

Rick, 6.0 will never be stable if users are aware of problems and do not help to get them fixed. If you know of any problems with IMAP in 6.0beta, send a bug report to smebugs@mitel.com.

I am still waiting for Mahmood to provide enough details to replicate his problem. Nobody else has reported IMAP problems with 6.0b3, and there is no nesting limit mentioned in dovecot documentation, and I'd be surprised if there was one.

Charlie

[Mahmood Al-Yousif]

Very sorry for being late in responding. Out of the country and real-life. Anyway the problem is that once I start Mozilla Mail it "looks for folders" but it only find the first level email folders I have set up. It doesn't load the second, third etc levels:

> suppliers
-> supplier 1
- - > supplier 1 orders
-> supplier 2

etc,

so it would load "suppliers" okay, but I have to minimize the whole email account in order for it to finally "discover" that there are subfolders there and bring out the triagle icon. Now if I know that there are more sub-sub-folders, I would have to minimize the sub-folder and expand it again to force it to look for the sub-sub-folders and it would find them okay then.

From a usability point of view this is annoying as I have filters defined, and if Mozilla Mail encounters a message that it has to apply a filter to and it can't find that sub-folder, it would throw a warning that it can't find the sub-folder and would switch off the filter.

[Rick Jones]

Charlie Brady wrote:

> Rick, 6.0 will never be stable if users are aware of problems
> and do not help to get them fixed. If you know of any
> problems with IMAP in 6.0beta, send a bug report to
> smebugs@mitel.com.

Point taken, and I'm no stranger to beta testing, but in the environment I need to use SME I don't really have the time or luxury of trying everything and continually updating beta releases. Would that I did! I don't know of problems with IMAP in 6.0, because I haven't run it at all. I have a live 5.5 system, which I'm going to replace (on a new server) with 5.6. So far 5.6 is providing the facilities I need.

> I am still waiting for Mahmood to provide enough details to
> replicate his problem. Nobody else has reported IMAP problems
> with 6.0b3, and there is no nesting limit mentioned in
> dovecot documentation, and I'd be surprised if there was one.

After reading Mahmood's last email, it sounds like a problem in Mozilla, or a compatibility issue between Moz. & Courier's implementation of IMAP. It appears that the folders are reported, but not in a single top-level pass. In 5.5, sub-folders are just not reported at all.

Rick Jones

[Mahmood Al-Yousif]

This could well be my screwup! I'm still struggling with replicating the error so that I can send a comprehensive bug report. What I noticed now is that if Mozilla's "show only subscribed folders" not set, then the problem appears, ie, no subfolders will show unless you force a "folder re-lookup" by collapsing the main account and uncollapsing it again for it to show the second level folders. Then I have to do the same for folders I know contain third level subfolders, ie, collapse then expand the 2nd sublevel.

I will now try some settings and report any observations here, but it looks  increasingly a Mozilla/Thunderbird problem or my screwup with the setings somehow.

[Mahmood Al-Yousif]

HUMBLE APPOLAGIES here... looks like the problem was with my settings with Mozilla Mail rather than esmith. The problem is that if I set "Show only subscribed folders" to "off" the problem appears. When I physically selected that option and made sure that all the folders are subscribed, the problem disappears.

sorry for the hassle. Close the ticket please, my (Mozilla) mistake...