[SOLVED] cannot find email after procmail error

Dr. Cyber · 09-21-2018, 07:04 PM

I got the "couldn't create /var/spool/mail" error from procmail and solved it by creating the proper directories with the proper permissions. However procmail got my mail using pop and flushed it when it got the error and now I do not know where it put the mail. Does anyone know where procmail might have put my mail or how I can find it? Or did procmail just destroy my mail? I would really like to read the mail that I missed!

scasey · 09-21-2018, 07:33 PM

Typically, procmail processing is post-receipt, so if that fails the email probably went to the bit-bucket.

A line from my .procmailrc

Code:

MAILDIR=$HOME/Maildir/      # you'd better make sure it exists

(your MAILDIR would be different...but the important part if this example is the comment...)

Dr. Cyber · 09-21-2018, 07:50 PM

That is weird, I got

Code:

MAILDIR=$HOME/email

in my ~/.procmail yet procmail still tries to use /var/spool/mail. Seems like it uses /var/spool/mail if it can and otherwise prints an error and uses the directory that is specified by MAILDIR if that directory exists.
Anyway I found my mail in $HOME/email, thanks!

scasey · 09-21-2018, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Cyber

That is weird, I got

Code:

MAILDIR=$HOME/email

in my ~/.procmail yet procmail still tries to use /var/spool/mail. Seems like it uses /var/spool/mail if it can and otherwise prints an error and uses the directory that is specified by MAILDIR if that directory exists.
Anyway I found my mail there, thanks!

Ahh. Good. Some MTA's use /var/spool/mail/<user> as the delivery location for email. procmail will deliver it to your MAILDIR...apparently even if /var/spool/mail can't be used.
In my case, the MTA and procmail are using the same maildir location.

Glad you didn't lose the emails.