Re: [exim] mysticly emptied inbox

Rainer Sigl wrote:
> Hi all,
> Just the second time different users working with thunderbird as imap
> client report that their inbox was emptied suddenly. The strange thing
> is if I restore the data from the backup even to a new folder the
> mailfiles disappear again after a time.
> Is there any known problem? Apparently the data are marked as 'to be
> deleted' by the imap client and this is marked anywhere in the filename.
> How can I change the files to be not deleted?
> The users assert the they didn't delete the mails with the imap
> client... but don't trust a user;-)
>
> Regards
> Rainer Sigl
>

Aside from (hopefully!) writing incoming messages in a location and manner that
allows the IMAP client to retrieve them, Exim has nothing to do with IMAP, it is
an MTA only.

You will need to determine which IMAP daemon you are running, then seek advice
on its behaviour/modification thereof on such mailing lists, wiki's - whatever -
that IMAP developer and user provide.

JFWIW, the only mailstore I can think of OTTOMH that can be configured to NOT
PERMIT users to delete IMAP messages/folders is a DB-resident one, wherein the
system can be made to set a flag to no longer *display* a 'deleted' file to the
user, but actually retain it. Even then, that is not the 'standard' behaviour.

There may be other means....

For our corporate clients, we archive the messages on arrival, (with Exim) so
there is always a copy even if the user deletes those in his own folders.
No longer matters if POP, IMAP, or ...

Those copies, OTOH, are not available to the user, even for recovery, without
management approval and admin intervention, so that may not address your need.

There are plenty of examples here of archiving if it does do so.

HTH,

Bill