Re: [Nolug] Fetchmail problem

On 07/12/08 20:18, Jeremiah T. Gray wrote:
> I've got an email server running with postfix, fetchmail, procmail, and
> dovecot that someone else set up. As it stands, fetchmail should be
> pulling emails off a hosted account, but it is leaving some/many behind
> for a handful of users (not all). A cron'ed perl script calls fetchmail
> (supposedly), but when I tried running the script by hand right after it
> was called by cron, I got an error. However, when cron invokes it, I
> can see fetchmail pop up in top.
>
> Obviously the problem could be the script, which I will troubleshoot
> tomorrow, but I wanted to see if anyone on the list could recommend
> alternative possible fixes. I already tried changing the timeout, which
> was set for only 5 seconds, and I increased the frequency of execution
> in the crontab entry, but neither seemed to improve the situation.

Those would exacerbate the problem!

> Please reply if you have any insight as to how to properly setup
> fetchmail to ....fetch mail.

Sure. I've been using it successfully for 3+ years.

First I create this intermediary process, so that I can halt mail
fetching at will without editing crontab.

    $ cat /usr/local/bin/run_fetchmail.sh
    #!/bin/sh

    if [ -e /tmp/.backup.LOCK ]; then exit 0; fi

    /usr/bin/fetchmail -S haggis $1

Here's the relevant section of my crontab:
    #!/bin/sh
    MAILTO=""
    # m h dom mon dow command
    */5 * * * * /usr/local/bin/run_fetchmail.sh

And here's my fetchmail config:
  $ cat ~/.fetchmailrc
  set syslog
  set postmaster "me"
  set no bouncemail
  set no spambounce
  set properties ""
  poll pop.east.cox.net with proto POP3
    user 'ron.l.johnson' there with password 'blahblah' is 'me' here

Each user on the system has their own similar crontab entry and
fetchmailrc file, where the "minute" is slightly altered, so the ISP
doesnt get hammered every 5 minutes. ISTM that this is non-scalable
and suitable only for SOHO & home environments, but it is flawlessly
rock solid for me,

-- 
Ron Johnson, Jr.
Jefferson LA  USA
"Kittens give Morbo gas.  In lighter news, the city of New New
York is doomed."
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