disable IMAP IDLE

[Chris Mattingly]

  IDLE does require the session to stay open.

But the server doesn't have to support IDLE for the client to keep the 
connection open.

-Chris

On 11/23/2010 11:20 AM, Ian Eiloart wrote:
>
>
> --On 23 November 2010 10:19:28 -0500 Chris Mattingly 
> <chris at camattin.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> The RFC for the IDLE says:
>>
>> This document specifies the syntax of an IDLE command, which will
>> allow a client to tell the server that it's ready to accept such
>> real-time updates.
>>
>> This doesn't say anything about keeping connections open, it only talks
>> about the near-instant new email notification.
>
> IDLE requires the session to remain open, doesn't it? After all, 
> nothing in the spec allows the client to say how it can be contacted. 
> The open session is used for the notification.
>
> In fact, RFC 2177 says this about keeping sessions open:
>
>    "The server MAY consider a client inactive if it has an IDLE command
>   running, and if such a server has an inactivity timeout it MAY log
>   the client off implicitly at the end of its timeout period.  Because
>   of that, clients using IDLE are advised to terminate the IDLE and
>   re-issue it at least every 29 minutes to avoid being logged off.
>   This still allows a client to receive immediate mailbox updates even
>   though it need only "poll" at half hour intervals."
>
>
>> -Chris
>>
>> On 11/23/2010 10:01 AM, Ron Vachiyer wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> > Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:44:34 +0000
>>> > From: iane at sussex.ac.uk
>>> > To: proutfoo at hotmail.com; info-cyrus at lists.andrew.cmu.edu
>>> > Subject: Re: disable IMAP IDLE
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > --On 22 November 2010 18:40:37 -0500 Ron Vachiyer
>>> <proutfoo at hotmail.com>
>>> > wrote:
>>> >
>>> > >
>>> > > Hello,
>>> > >
>>> > > I thought it was possible in Cyrus to disable the IDLE 
>>> functionality,
>>> > > either with imapidlepoll: 0 in imapd.conf, or by commenting 
>>> idled in
>>> > > cyrus.conf. However, having both disabled, clients still connect 
>>> and
>>> > > maintain their socket open on tcp 143. Is it not possible or am I
>>> going
>>> > > about it wrong?
>>> >
>>> > I thought sessions remained open for efficiency, regardless of IDLE,
>>> until
>>> > closed by the client or 30 minutes have elapsed.
>>> >
>>> > IDLE just lets the server notify the client if new email arrives,
>>> doesn't
>>> > it?
>>> >
>>> > Even without IDLE, there are benefits in leaving the session open.
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I won't argue since clearly I am in the minority ;)  Using
>>> courier-imap on our Plesk servers, TCP/143 is closed after every new
>>> mail verification.  A dovecot server I checked does the same.  Cyrus
>>> seems to allow the session to be maintained, and yes, it does not
>>> advertise IDLE.
>>>
>>> Below is an example courier-imap capability;
>>>
>>> * OK [CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS CHILDREN NAMESPACE
>>> THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT THREAD=REFERENCES SORT QUOTA ACL ACL2=UNION
>>> STARTTLS] Courier-IMAP ready. Copyright 1998-2004 Double Precision,
>>> Inc.  See COPYING for distribution information.
>>> . CAPABILITY
>>> * CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS CHILDREN NAMESPACE
>>> THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT THREAD=REFERENCES SORT QUOTA ACL ACL2=UNION
>>> STARTTLS
>>>
>>>
>>> this one is cyrus 2.4.4
>>>
>>> . capability
>>> * CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 LITERAL+ ID ENABLE STARTTLS AUTH=PLAIN SASL-IR
>>> ACL RIGHTS=kxte QUOTA MAILBOX-REFERRALS NAMESPACE UIDPLUS
>>> NO_ATOMIC_RENAME UNSELECT CHILDREN MULTIAPPEND BINARY CATENATE
>>> CONDSTORE ESEARCH SORT SORT=MODSEQ THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT
>>> THREAD=REFERENCES ANNOTATEMORE LIST-EXTENDED WITHIN QRESYNC SCAN XLIST
>>> URLAUTH URLAUTH=BINARY X-NETSCAPE COMPRESS=DEFLATE
>>> . OK Completed
>>>
>>> I was asked by IT to not permit IDLE since the current server went
>>> down after 4-500 blackberries ate up all the (limited) capabilities of
>>> that machine.    Perhaps I am looking in the wrong place, the point is
>>> the demand I am facing is to have IMAP that essentially behaves as a
>>> POP3 client when it comes to inbox scans.
>>>
>>> I believe there was an issue as well where POP clients using outlook
>>> would cause mailbox corruption when they popped a mailbox being
>>> maintained by a blackberry connected via IMAP.
>>>
>>> R.
>>>
>>>
>>> ----
>>> Cyrus Home Page: http://www.cyrusimap.org/
>>> List Archives/Info: http://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/pipermail/info-cyrus/
>>
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