Bug 35254 - Pop up error message if KMail can't lock /var/spool/mail and
Summary: Pop up error message if KMail can't lock /var/spool/mail and
Status: RESOLVED WAITINGFORINFO
Alias: None
Product: kmail
Classification: Applications
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: 1.3.2
Platform: Debian testing Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: kdepim bugs
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2001-11-23 08:33 UTC by Unknown
Modified: 2012-08-19 01:12 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:


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Description Duncan Sands 2001-11-23 08:26:20 UTC
(*** This bug was imported into bugs.kde.org ***)

Package:           kmail
Version:           1.3.2 (using KDE 2.2.1 )
Severity:          normal
Installed from:    Debian Package 4:2.2.1-14 (testing/unstable)
Compiler:          gcc version 2.95.4 20011006 (Debian prerelease)
OS:                Linux (i586) release 2.4.13-ac4
OS/Compiler notes: 

I have two mail boxes one I get via POP
the other is a local mailbox.  For some
reason kmail never picks up mail from the
local mailbox even if I tell it to check
mail in that mailbox.  The POP account works
fine.  Here is the start of my kmailrc:

[Account 1]
Folder=inbox
Name=Duncan Sands
Type=pop
auth=AUTO
check-exclude=false
check-interval=1
host=pop.wanadoo.fr
leave-on-server=false
login=duncan.sands
passwd=þôýüíæî
port=110
precommand=
protocol=3
store-passwd=true
use-ssl=false
use-tls=false

[Account 2]
Folder=inbox
Location=/var/mail/duncan
LockType=mutt_dotlock
Name=Duncan Sands 1
Type=local
check-exclude=false
check-interval=1
precommand=


(Submitted via bugs.kde.org)
(Called from KBugReport dialog)
Comment 1 Michael H 2001-11-23 08:42:43 UTC
On Friday 23 November 2001 09:26 duncan.sands@wanadoo.fr wrote:
>
> I have two mail boxes one I get via POP
> the other is a local mailbox.  For some
> reason kmail never picks up mail from the
> local mailbox even if I tell it to check
> mail in that mailbox.  The POP account works
> fine.  Here is the start of my kmailrc:

Do you have write access in /var/mail/ to create a lockfile?

Regards
Michael Häckel
Comment 2 Duncan Sands 2001-11-23 08:54:03 UTC
On Friday 23 November 2001 9:42 am you wrote:
> On Friday 23 November 2001 09:26 duncan.sands@wanadoo.fr wrote:
> > I have two mail boxes one I get via POP
> > the other is a local mailbox.  For some
> > reason kmail never picks up mail from the
> > local mailbox even if I tell it to check
> > mail in that mailbox.  The POP account works
> > fine.  Here is the start of my kmailrc:
>
> Do you have write access in /var/mail/ to create a lockfile?

No I don't.  Presumably that was the problem because I just
changed the locking method to fcntl and now it works.
Shouldn't kmail give an error if it can't write a lockfile or at
least fall back to another method.  And just how many people
do have write access to the mail directory...?

Thanks for sorting this out

Duncan.
Comment 3 Michael H 2001-11-23 11:46:58 UTC
On Friday 23 November 2001 09:54 Duncan Sands wrote:
>
> No I don't.  Presumably that was the problem because I just
> changed the locking method to fcntl and now it works.
> Shouldn't kmail give an error if it can't write a lockfile or at
> least fall back to another method.  And just how many people
> do have write access to the mail directory...?

The problem is that locking the local account is not very easy at all as 
normal user. fcntl doesn't work on NFS mounted directories.

For example mutt comes with a different small application that can lock the 
file with root access. KMail can also use this applicaton but that works 
only if you have it installed.

The applications that usually deal with these files like sendmail and 
pop3/imap server don't have a problem with that since they have the required 
write access.

Nevertheless the current situation should be improved somehow.

Regards
Michael Häckel
Comment 4 Duncan Sands 2001-11-23 11:52:36 UTC
On Friday 23 November 2001 12:46 pm you wrote:
> On Friday 23 November 2001 09:54 Duncan Sands wrote:
> > No I don't.  Presumably that was the problem because I just
> > changed the locking method to fcntl and now it works.
> > Shouldn't kmail give an error if it can't write a lockfile or at
> > least fall back to another method.  And just how many people
> > do have write access to the mail directory...?
>
> The problem is that locking the local account is not very easy at all as
> normal user. fcntl doesn't work on NFS mounted directories.
>
> For example mutt comes with a different small application that can lock
> the file with root access. KMail can also use this applicaton but that
> works only if you have it installed.
>
> The applications that usually deal with these files like sendmail and
> pop3/imap server don't have a problem with that since they have the
> required write access.
>
> Nevertheless the current situation should be improved somehow.

Thank you for your informative reply.  As a stopgap measure kmail
could pop up an error box if it can't get a lock (rather than silently
not reading mail).

Duncan.
Comment 5 Johannes Nieß 2004-04-04 14:28:03 UTC
Situation should have improved by now. E. g. with suid mut_dotlock. Maybe close ítem.
Comment 6 Stephan Kulow 2004-05-24 10:26:30 UTC
Replaced duncan.sands@wanadoo.fr with null@kde.org due to bounces by reporter
Comment 7 Myriam Schweingruber 2012-08-18 08:57:22 UTC
Thank you for your feature request. Kmail1 is currently unmaintained so we are closing all wishes. Please feel free to reopen a feature request for Kmail2 if it has not already been implemented.
Thank you for your understanding.
Comment 8 Luigi Toscano 2012-08-19 01:12:12 UTC
Instead of creating a new feature request, please confirm here if the wishlist is still valid for kmail2.