[Dovecot] My "%%" variables in the namespace settings do not appear to be expanding.

[Kenneth Cope]

Hello,

    I've been using the dovecot 1.2.x branch server software for a
    while now.  With the advent of the 2.0.x branch going 'stable' I
    decided to attempt a migration and make use of some of the features
    that I've not needed before.  One of these is the shared
    folder/namespace feature.  No luck.  I've hit a wall and can not
    determine the problem.  At the moment it looks like a bug to me,
    but it may well be that I'm missing some related configuration, or
    file permission.

    I can not get the %% variable expansion in a namespace to work.
    What I end up with, on an IMAP connection is a directory named, for
    instance, '%h'.  The same goes for any of the %% variables used at
    this point.  My current set-up is 'not' the same as the current
    setup and I'm using virtual users that are not 'live' on the
    current system.

    I would really appreciate it if someone could cast an eye over my
    config and let me know if I've missed something obvious.

    Thanks.

    Kenneth Cope
    kenneth at CopeOnThe.net


----
    I'm using a dovecot compiled with the following options:

    ./configure --prefix=/usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1 \
    --enable-dependency-tracking INSTALL_DATA="install -c -p -m644" \
    --docdir=/usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/docs/ --disable-static \
    --disable-rpath --with-nss --with-zlib --with-bzlib --with-libcap \
    --with-ssl=openssl --with-ssldir=/usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/etc/ssl \
    --with-docs \

----
    The 'test' configuration is as follows:

# > /usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/bin/doveconf -n
# 2.0.1: /usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
# OS: Linux 2.6.9-89.0.26.ELsmp i686 Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES
release 4 (Nahant Update 8) auth_debug = yes
auth_debug_passwords = yes
auth_mechanisms = plain login cram-md5 digest-md5 apop
auth_username_chars =
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ01234567890.-_ @&
auth_username_format = %Lu auth_verbose = yes
default_client_limit = 10000
default_internal_user = mail
default_login_user = dovecot
disable_plaintext_auth = no
first_valid_gid = 12
first_valid_uid = 8
last_valid_gid = 12
last_valid_uid = 8
log_path = /usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/dovecot.log
login_log_format_elements = [%p:%e] %Us(%u) method=%m rip=%r:%b
lip=%l:%a %c %k mail_debug = yes
mail_location = maildir:%h/
mail_log_prefix = [%p] %Us(%u): 
mail_max_keyword_length = 30
mail_plugins = quota imap_quota zlib acl
mailbox_idle_check_interval = 120 s
namespace {
  inbox = yes
  location = 
  prefix = 
  separator = .
  type = private
}
namespace {
  hidden = yes
  inbox = no
  list = no
  location = 
  prefix = INBOX
  separator = .
  type = private
}
namespace {
  list = children
  location = maildir:%%h:LAYOUT=maildir++:INDEX=~/shared.%Dn_%Dd
  prefix = shared/%n@%d.
  separator = .
  subscriptions = no
  type = shared
}
namespace {
  location = 
  prefix = 
}
passdb {
  args = scheme=CRYPT
username_format=%u /usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/auth/passwd.dovecot driver
= passwd-file }
plugin {
  acl =
vfile:/usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/etc/dovecot/global-acls:cache_secs=300
acl_shared_dict =
file:/usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/var/lib/dovecot/shared-mailboxes
mail_log_events = all mail_log_fields = uid, box, msgid, from, subject,
size, vsize, flags mail_log_group_events = yes quota = maildir:User
quota quota_rule = ?:storage=400M
  quota_rule2 = Trash:storage=+10%
  zlib_save = gz
  zlib_save_level = 9
}
service auth-worker {
  user = $default_internal_user
}
service auth {
  unix_listener auth-userdb {
    group = dovecot
    mode = 0664
    user = mail
  }
  user = $default_internal_user
}
service imap-login {
  inet_listener imap {
    port = 9143
  }
  inet_listener imaps {
    port = 9993
    ssl = yes
  }
  process_min_avail = 10
  service_count = 1
}
service imap {
  process_limit = 1024
  vsz_limit = 268435456
}
service lmtp {
  unix_listener lmtp {
    mode = 0666
  }
}
service pop3-login {
  inet_listener pop3 {
    port = 9110
  }
  inet_listener pop3s {
    port = 9995
    ssl = yes
  }
}
service pop3 {
  process_limit = 1024
}
ssl_cert = </etc/ssl/mail.cert
ssl_key = </etc/ssl/mail.cert
userdb {
  args = username_format=%u /usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/auth/passwd.dovecot
  driver = passwd-file
}
verbose_ssl = yes
protocol imap {
  imap_client_workarounds = delay-newmail
  imap_id_log = *
  imap_idle_notify_interval = 120 s
  imap_logout_format = bytes=%i/%o
  imap_max_line_length = 65536
  mail_max_userip_connections = 40
  mail_plugins = $mail_plugins imap_quota zlib imap_zlib imap_acl
}
protocol pop3 {
  mail_max_userip_connections = 40
  mail_plugins = $mail_plugins zlib
  pop3_client_workarounds = outlook-no-nuls oe-ns-eoh
  pop3_enable_last = no
  pop3_lock_session = no
  pop3_logout_format = top=%t/%p, retr=%r/%b, del=%d/%m, size=%s
bytes=%i/%o pop3_reuse_xuidl = yes
  pop3_save_uidl = yes
  pop3_uidl_format = %Mf
}


----
    The contents of .../var/run/dovecot


# > ls -lA 
total 12
srw-------  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 anvil
srw-------  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 anvil-auth-penalty
srw-------  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 auth-client
srw-------  1 mail root       0 Aug 31 11:25 auth-login
srw-------  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 auth-master
srw-rw-r--  1 mail dovecot    0 Aug 31 11:25 auth-userdb
srw-------  1 mail root       0 Aug 31 11:25 auth-worker
srw-------  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 config
srw-------  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 dict
srw-------  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 director-admin
srw-------  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 director-userdb
srw-rw-rw-  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 dns-client
srw-------  1 root root       0 Aug 31 11:25 doveadm-server
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root      49 Aug 31 11:25 dovecot.conf
-> /usr/local/dovecot-2.0.1/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf drwxr-xr-x  2 root
root    4096 Aug 31 11:25 empty srw-rw-rw-  1 root root       0 Aug 31

11:25 lmtp drwxr-x---  2 root dovecot 4096 Aug 31 11:25 login
-rw-------  1 root root       6 Aug 31 11:25 master.pid