Configure Dovecot with Maildir on Slackware

1. When to use it

Useful for simple environments where you want local IMAP without introducing an overly complex mail stack.

2. Base setup

sed -i 's|^#mail_location =.*|mail_location = maildir:~/Maildir|' /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
maildirmake.dovecot ~/Maildir
/etc/rc.d/rc.dovecot restart

Adjust host names, IPs, interfaces, paths, and versions to the real system before making the change persistent.

3. Quick verification

doveconf | grep '^mail_location'
ss -lntp | grep 143
ls -la ~/Maildir

Confirm that the output matches the expected state before considering the intervention complete.

4. Operational notes

Home ownership and permissions must stay coherent, otherwise the service may start while mail remains unreadable.

Quick checklist

[ ] Steps completed\n[ ] Config updated\n[ ] Tests executed\n[ ] Rollback ready\n[ ] Logs checked

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