[courier-users] pop-before-smtp using mysql

[Jared R. <ja...@wo...>]

[Marcio == mm...@su... on Tue, 30 Apr 2002 12:06:45 -0300]

    Marcio> Do you have any idea how could I make courier-imap with mysql
    Marcio> log this on a mysql table?

I would like this functionality as well.  Until then, although a hack, I
do the standard "tail syslog" trick.  If you have to revert to this, the
best practices would be:

  - Configure syslog to send mail.auth to a named pipe.
  - Write a well-behaved daemon, perl or otherwise, which does:
    - Opens a connection to mysql
    - Loop over stdin
    - If there's a LOGIN line, parse it and send an 'update' to the mysql
      table.
  - Make sure there's another daemon watching that the process is always
    running.

Since there are so many daemons which don't interact with mysql directly,
having a general system for pushing log-based data into mysql is a good
thing to have in your toolkit.  Whether you choose to use it for courier
is a question of how much hacking on courier you're willing to do.

I've been dissatisfied with courier-imap logging in general.  Is there
some way to increase the verbosity I haven't found?

    Gordon> Why not just use authenticated SMTP?  pop-before-smtp is just
    Gordon> a hack for servers that don't support AUTH, and irritating for
    Gordon> most users.

There are certainly pros and cons to each approach.  I view
POP-before-SMTP much more as a hack for clients which don't support proper
auth, not _servers_ which don't.  Not a damn thing I can do about the
clients, so I offer options, including pop/imap-before-smtp.

-- ja...@wo...

"A pessimist is one who has been intimately acquainted with an optimist."
        -- Elbert Hubbard