Postfix to deliver mail to a virtual address mailbox

Question

Postfix version 2.6.6, Dovecot Version 2.0.9

I want to setup Postfix + Dovecot. Dovecot seems to be working. I can authenticate. However, the mailbox is empty! Nothing will get delivered! I followed many tutorials on Postfix + Dovecot but they seem to want to complicate things by using Dovecot LDA or MySQL. I just want it to be very simple and having Postfix deliver to the virtual mail boxes are fine. I don't need MySQL either. I already set up a custom password file that Dovecot uses for authentication and I can login to POP3 with SSL.

I can see from the logs that Postfix is delivering to the system user accounts (the catch-all), instead of the virtual users that I set up in Dovecot. The SMTP + SSL authentication seems to work also.

I can also see from the logs that Dovecot is checking the correct virtual mail folder.

I just need to figure out how to get Postfix to deliver to the virtual mail boxes. I have the following which I believe are relevant. Let me know what other settings you need to see:

alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
mydestination = $myhostname, localhost.$mydomain, localhost, $mydomain
mydomain = xxx.com
myhostname = mail.xxx.com
mynetworks = 99.99.99.99, 99.99.99.99
myorigin = $mydomain
relay_domains = $mydestination, xxx.com, domain2.net, domain3.com
sendmail_path = /usr/sbin/sendmail.postfix
setgid_group = postdrop
smtpd_recipient_restrictions = reject_non_fqdn_sender reject_non_fqdn_recipient reject_unknown_recipient_domain permit_sasl_authenticated check_relay_domains
smtpd_sasl_auth_enable = yes
smtpd_sasl_path = private/auth
smtpd_sasl_type = dovecot
smtpd_sender_restrictions = check_sender_mx_access cidr:/etc/postfix/bogus_mx reject_invalid_hostname reject_unknown_sender_domain reject_non_fqdn_sender
virtual_mailbox_base = /var/spool/vmail
virtual_mailbox_domains = xxx.com, domain2.net, domain3.com
virtual_minimum_uid = 444

Postfix master.cf:

submission inet n       -       -       -       -       smtpd
  -o smtpd_tls_security_level=encrypt
  -o smtpd_sasl_auth_enable=yes
  -o smtpd_sasl_type=dovecot
  -o smtpd_sasl_path=private/auth
  -o smtpd_sasl_security_options=noanonymous
  -o smtpd_sasl_local_domain=$myhostname
  -o smtpd_client_restrictions=permit_sasl_authenticated,reject
  -o smtpd_sender_login_maps=hash:/etc/postfix/virtual
  -o smtpd_sender_restrictions=reject_sender_login_mismatch
  -o smtpd_recipient_restrictions=reject_non_fqdn_recipient,reject_unknown_recipient_domain,permit_sasl_authenticated,reject

Dovecot related:

mail_location = maildir:~/Maildir
passdb {
  args = /etc/dovecot/users.conf
  driver = passwd-file
}
service auth {
  unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/auth {
    mode = 0660
    user = postfix
  }
}

The virtual mail user:

vmail:x:444:99:virtual mail users:/var/spool/vmail:/sbin/nologin

Here is the /var/log/maillog when I try to send something to myself:

Oct 25 22:10:05 308321 postfix/smtpd[2200]: connect from user-999.cable.mindspring.com[99.99.99.99]
Oct 25 22:10:05 308321 postfix/smtpd[2200]: D224BD4753: client=user-999.cable.mindspring.com[99.99.99.99], sasl_method=LOGIN, [email protected]
Oct 25 22:10:06 308321 postfix/cleanup[2207]: D224BD4753: message-id=<7DC3C163CFFC483AB6226F8D3D9969D2@dumbopc>
Oct 25 22:10:06 308321 postfix/qmgr[2168]: D224BD4753: from=<[email protected]>, size=1385, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Oct 25 22:10:06 308321 postfix/smtpd[2200]: disconnect from user-999.cable.mindspring.com[99.99.99.99]
Oct 25 22:10:06 308321 postfix/local[2208]: D224BD4753: to=<[email protected]>, orig_to=<[email protected]>, relay=local, delay=1.1, delays=0.53/0.02/0/0.51, dsn=2.0.0, status=sent (delivered to mailbox)
Oct 25 22:10:06 308321 postfix/qmgr[2168]: D224BD4753: removed

Solution

It seems as if you've only defined the virtual domains to accept mail for. You also need to define the accounts.

Do that with the directive virtual_mailbox_maps in main.cf

Read more about it here: http://www.postfix.org/postconf.5.html#virtual_mailbox_maps

Comments

[Chloe]

Ok I added virtual_mailbox_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/vmailbox and the file /etc/postfix/vmailbox with info@domain\t\tdomain.com/info/, and ran postmap /etc/postfix/vmailbox and postfix reload but it still gives this in the logs: Oct 26 03:32:08 308321 postfix/local[5303]: 72629D4753: to=<[email protected]>, orig_to=<[email protected]>, relay=local, delay=0.68, delays=0.49/0.01/0/0.17, dsn=2.0.0, status=sent (delivered to mailbox). It's still going to the system user mailbox, and not the virtual Maildir: ls -lR /var/spool/vmail/...

[Chloe]

Had to add domain to virtual_mailbox_domains, and look at all the warnings in the logs about warning do not list domain in BOTH blah_blah and foo_bar. Had to clean it up and remove from here & there. Also had to change destination folder to domain.com/info/Maildir/ in vmailbox and re-run postmap because that is where Dovecot expects it.

[Jesse the Wind Wanderer]

Hi Chloe, I've got a similar problem. I've just renamed my server from vps.mydomain.com.au to strait mydomain.com.au and now my emails to [email protected] are being delivered to my local user jesse and not to the /var/spool/vmail/ any more. Can you remember how you made that happen? Cheers

[Jesse the Wind Wanderer]

Ah actually I found my answer just after I posted that comment; here I had mydomain.com.au listed in mydestination in /etc/postfix/mail.cf Removing it solved the problem.