How can users check mail via ssh?

[electronicfur]

If I give ssh access to a domain, how can I let that domain user check mail on the commandline?

On my last server each email user had a distinct linux account, so this was easily done.

Cheers,
EF

 

[Whistler]

This sould still be the case - what problems do your user have? You have to be more specific.

 

[jamesyeeoc]

Under Plesk, the email users are kept in a MySql database without corresponding Linux users being created.

 

[electronicfur]

Whistler,

as james mentions, the plesk interface does not create a real linux user for each mail user. It just seems to add the user name in the qmail mailnames.

Linux user accounts in plesk seem to only be created for webusers and domain users, and only domain users can be given ssh access via plesk.

Now I can create the same webuser as a mailuser, then edit /etc/passwd to give ssh access, but then how do I tie that linux user to the qmail account? And how do I read the mail? previously I used mail or pine, but I dont know how qmail works.

Cheers,
EF

 

[Whistler]

Originally posted by electronicfur
as james mentions, the plesk interface does not create a real linux user for each mail user. It just seems to add the user name in the qmail mailnames.

Ah yes, get your point. But well, any commandline POP3/IMAP reader should solve your problem.

pine or fetchmail or something like that should do the trick?

 

[ShadowMan@]

Originally posted by electronicfur
And how do I read the mail? previously I used mail or pine, but I dont know how qmail works.

Qmail stores the user's emails in:
/var/qmail/mailnames/domain.tld/username/Maildir/
so you would have to be able to reconfigure a mail reader to look in this folder for the contents of the /cur , /new , /tmp, etc maildirectories.

I don't normally allow SSH to my clients, so have never actually set this up and tested it. If you find a working final solution, please post it here for the benefit of others. I'll continue to assist if I am able...