source: networking/mailnews/fetchmail.xml@ 05624b2

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
   "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../../general.ent">
  %general-entities;

  <!--<!ENTITY fetchmail-download-http "&sourceforge-repo;/fetchmail.berlios/fetchmail-&fetchmail-version;.tar.xz">  Not up to date -->
  <!ENTITY fetchmail-download-http " ">
  <!ENTITY fetchmail-download-ftp  "ftp://ftp.at.gnucash.org/pub/infosys/mail/fetchmail/fetchmail-&fetchmail-version;.tar.xz">
  <!ENTITY fetchmail-md5sum        "61b66faad044afa26e142bb1791aa2b3">
  <!ENTITY fetchmail-size          "1.2 MB">
  <!ENTITY fetchmail-buildsize     "14 MB">
  <!ENTITY fetchmail-time          "0.1 SBU">
]>

<sect1 id="fetchmail" xreflabel="fetchmail-&fetchmail-version;">
  <?dbhtml filename="fetchmail.html"?>

  <sect1info>
    <othername>$LastChangedBy$</othername>
    <date>$Date$</date>
  </sect1info>

  <title>Fetchmail-&fetchmail-version;</title>

  <indexterm zone="fetchmail">
    <primary sortas="a-Fetchmail">Fetchmail</primary>
  </indexterm>

  <sect2 role="package">
    <title>Introduction to Fetchmail</title>

    <para>The <application>Fetchmail</application> package contains a mail
    retrieval program. It retrieves mail from remote mail servers and
    forwards it to the local (client) machine's delivery system, so it can then be
    read by normal mail user agents.</para>

    &lfs75_checked;

    <bridgehead renderas="sect3">Package Information</bridgehead>
    <itemizedlist spacing='compact'>
      <listitem>
        <para>Download (HTTP): <ulink url="&fetchmail-download-http;"/></para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Download (FTP): <ulink url="&fetchmail-download-ftp;"/></para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Download MD5 sum: &fetchmail-md5sum;</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Download size: &fetchmail-size;</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Estimated disk space required: &fetchmail-buildsize;</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Estimated build time: &fetchmail-time;</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect3">Fetchmail Dependencies</bridgehead>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect4">Required</bridgehead>
    <para role="required">
      <xref linkend="openssl"/> and 
      a local MDA (<xref linkend="procmail"/>)
    </para>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect4">Optional</bridgehead>
    <para role="optional">
      <xref linkend="python2"/> and 
      <xref linkend="tk"/>
    </para>

    <para condition="html" role="usernotes">User Notes:
    <ulink url="&blfs-wiki;/fetchmail"/></para>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="installation">
    <title>Installation of Fetchmail</title>

    <para>Install <application>Fetchmail</application> by running the following
    commands:</para>

<screen><userinput>./configure --prefix=/usr --with-ssl --enable-fallback=procmail &amp;&amp;
make</userinput></screen>

    <para>This package does not come with a test suite.</para>

    <para>Now, as the <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> user:</para>

<screen role='root'><userinput>make install</userinput></screen>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="commands">
    <title>Command Explanations</title>

    <para><parameter>--with-ssl</parameter>: This enables SSL support, so that
    you can handle connections to secure POP3 and IMAP servers.</para>

    <para><parameter>--enable-fallback=procmail</parameter>: This tells
    <application>Fetchmail</application> to hand incoming mail to
    <application>Procmail</application> for delivery, if the port 25 mail server is
    not present or not responding.</para>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="configuration">
    <title>Configuring Fetchmail</title>

    <sect3 id="fetchmail-config">
      <title>Config Files</title>

      <para><filename>~/.fetchmailrc</filename></para>

      <indexterm zone="fetchmail fetchmail-config">
        <primary sortas="e-AA.fetchmailrc">~/.fetchmailrc</primary>
      </indexterm>

    </sect3>

    <sect3>
      <title>Configuration Information</title>

<screen><userinput>cat &gt; ~/.fetchmailrc &lt;&lt; "EOF"
<literal>set logfile /var/log/fetchmail.log
set no bouncemail
set postmaster root

poll SERVERNAME :
    user <replaceable>&lt;username&gt;</replaceable> pass <replaceable>&lt;password&gt;</replaceable>;
    mda "/usr/bin/procmail -f %F -d %T";</literal>
EOF

chmod -v 0600 ~/.fetchmailrc</userinput></screen>

      <para>This is an example configuration that should suffice for most people.
      You can add as many users and servers as you need using the same syntax.</para>

      <para><command>man fetchmail</command>: Look for the section near the
      bottom named <emphasis>CONFIGURATION EXAMPLES</emphasis>. It gives some
      quick examples. There are countless other configuration options once you
      get used to it.</para>

    </sect3>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="content">
    <title>Contents</title>

    <segmentedlist>
      <segtitle>Installed Programs</segtitle>
      <segtitle>Installed Libraries</segtitle>
      <segtitle>Installed Directories</segtitle>

      <seglistitem>
        <seg>fetchmail and fetchmailconf</seg>
        <seg>None</seg>
        <seg>None</seg>
      </seglistitem>
    </segmentedlist>

    <variablelist>
      <bridgehead renderas="sect3">Short Descriptions</bridgehead>
      <?dbfo list-presentation="list"?>
      <?dbhtml list-presentation="table"?>

      <varlistentry id="fetchmail-prog">
        <term><command>fetchmail</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>when executed as a user, this will source
          <filename>~/.fetchmailrc</filename> and download the appropriate mail.
          </para>
          <indexterm zone="fetchmail fetchmail-prog">
            <primary sortas="b-fetchmail">fetchmail</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="fetchmailconf">
        <term><command>fetchmailconf</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>it will assist you in setting up and editing a
          <filename>~/.fetchmailrc</filename> configuration file, by using
          a <application>Tk</application> GUI interface. It requires
          <application>Python</application> and it must have the Tkinker module
          available.</para>
          <indexterm zone="fetchmail fetchmailconf">
            <primary sortas="b-fetchmailconf">fetchmailconf</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

    </variablelist>

  </sect2>

</sect1>