How to uninstall Dovecot?

Jing

Verified User
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Messages
85
Hello. I have recently installed Dovecot via Custombuild just to have a look at things. Eventually I have decided that I do not need it since I intend to let Google Apps handle my mails for me and that I'm the only user on the server.

I'm wondering if there is any easy way to uninstall Dovecot via Custombuild? I'm running FreeBSD 6.2 at the moment and the other instructions I come across on the forums seem to be for Fedora/Centos.

Also, can someone please tell me how does DirectAdmin handle POP3 and IMAP without Dovecot? I believe that DA doesn't come with Dovecot by default but I'm not sure if Exim handles POP3 and IMAP as well. I'm hoping to disable POP3 and IMAP totally on my server to prevent spamming abuse. The only mailing feature I require is mail() for php scripts. Apart from Dovecot, should I uninstall Exim as well?

Thanks!
 
When you installed Dovecot you uninstalled the other programs that DirectAdmin was previously using to run IMAP and POP3.

Best is simpy to turn off the Dovecot service through the DirectAdmin control panel; that will not only turn it off but it will turn off the DirectAdmin checks for it; you won't be nagged that it's not running. I recommend strongly you do not remove the daemon or the emai structure from the server.

You can also shut down the exim daemon, but again, I recommend you do NOT try to remove the daemon from the server.

How do you want the mail() function to send email if there's no mail program on your server?

Jeff
 
Thanks for the reply Jeff.

I disabled Dovecot like how you suggested. I must have also stopped over 100 processes associated with it. My server seems to get a lot of POP3/IMAP login requests despite me being the only user, which worries me tremendously.

And I shall keep Exim running for the mail() function. :)

Thanks again Jeff!
 
And I shall keep Exim running for the mail() function. :)
I didn't tell you that you had to do it; I only asked how you intended to send email. You could use exim running on a different server, and if you're actually using the sendmail approach you don't have to run exim as a daemon. The only reason to run exim as a daemon is if you're injecting email into the smtp stream. I'm not a php programmer, which is why I asked how you intended to send the mail.

Jeff
 
I am not too familiar with server administration so I'm not too clear of my options actually.

I am not using SMTP stream. My script utilizes sendmail to send out the emails. Apart of running Exim as a daemon, what other ways can I use to use the sendmail functions? I would actually like a minimal set up for security while making sure that my script works. Can you give me some recommendations so I can research on things?

Thanks.
 
If you've turned off the exim daemon but haven't removed it from the server, then your php programs should be using the sendmail function, which actually uses the exim daemon, but not as a daemon, doing exactly what you expect it to do.

Jeff
 
I have turned off Exim now as well, and my sendmail still works. This is exactly what I want. Thank you very much Jeff!
 
The sendmail program on DirectAdmin is really just a link to exim. That's why it's important that you do NOT delete exim. While exim is no longer running as a daemon and will no longer respond to commands sent to port 25, it will still work through the sendmail link to send mail off the server.

Which as you write, is what you want.

Jeff
 
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