Topic: Configuring IMAP to use ISPs servers

[Mike]

I'd like to use the IMAP functionality of my SME server. However I don't see how to configure it properly. What I need is to use my ISP's SMTP and POP3 servers for sending and receiving. But I want my email client to use the IMAP support on my server. So I need my server to retrieve email from my ISP's server and I need it to send any outgoing email to my ISP's server so it can send it on.

Is this possible? I've read through the docs but I didn't see anything explaining how to do this. Are there any HowTos for SME for doing this?

Many thanks

[Bill Talcott]

Multipop is about as close as you're going to get, I think. Just enter your ISP's SMTP server in the configuration, and it will send all mail through that.

You do realize that IMAP is a totally different type of connection right, and not just some feature added on to POP3?

[Mike]

Yes, although I'm not really familiar with IMAP, I know it's not just an additional feature in POP3.

Thanks

[Barry Fitzmaurice]

Haven't tried it on a SME server, but in Red Hat 7.3, I set up fetchmail in multidrop mode, then told my e-mail clients to use an IMAP server, and it worked.  The advantage is that your mail stays on the server (and so gets backed up!!), rather than being downloaded to the client machine.  It's also good if your client is dual booting different operating systems, and still wants to be able to read their mail.  If your e-mail user names are not the same as your log on names, you will have to tell fetchmail about this, so it will know where to deliver the stuff, but otherwise its not too difficult.

[Mike]

That's exactly what I want to happen Barry; thanks. I'm looking into all of this.

Cheers

[N Charles]

Barry,

Could you elaborate a bit more regarding how you set the multdrop option?  My problem is that I want to use the SME server to collect mail from 9 pop3 accounts and then have the users point their clients to the SME server to pick up their mail.  I'm getting the feeling that most people have their own domain names with MX DNS records to route their mail to a server that is permanently available.  My situation is that the server is connected via ADSL (and may, or may not) be on all the time.  When it is on, I want it to collect all the email from all the POP3 accounts and then serve it out to the individual users as they request it.  Is this something you can do with fetchmail/SME?

thanks,