From: Martin Steigerwald <martin@lichtvoll.de>
To: ~alpine/users@lists.alpinelinux.org
Subject: 
 Dovecot 2.4 with Alpine 3.22 warning: dovecot.conf removed and configuration
 syntax changed
Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2025 18:52:51 +0200
Message-ID: <7813744.EvYhyI6sBW@lichtvoll.de>
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Hi!

On upgrading my private mail server with 3.21 to 3.22 with "apk upgrade --
available" Dovecot was not started cause of:

% service dovecot start
 * dovecot: `/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf' is not readable
 * ERROR: dovecot failed to start

That file was gone!

I restored it from backup.

And then I had to convert it to 2.4 format.

=46irst off I added

dovecot_config_version =3D 2.4.1
dovecot_storage_version =3D 2.4.1

at the beginning of dovecot.conf. It needs to be the first configuration=20
statement.

Then I went through

https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.1/installation/upgrade/2.3-to-2.4.html

and other parts of the documentation of Dovecot and the configuration file=
=20
example referenced in above link.

I started dovecot on command line to test changes as I did not see the=20
configuration syntax errors reported in "/var/log/messages" or "/var/log/
mail.log". The mail server uses Rsyslog.

Updating the configuration is not trivial. It is not completely explained=20
with examples in one page. I needed to review other parts of the Dovecot=20
2.4.1 documentation to dig out configuration examples on how things are=20
supposed to look now.

All in all the configuration seems to be more complex and more verbose=20
now: Sections need to be named, "passwd" section needs to have a "fields"=20
group with what was in "args" before, names of configuration directories=20
have been changed, configuration directives like "mail_location" have been=
=20
split up. Oh, and SSL cert file options have been renamed as well and do=20
not take input redirection with "<" anymore. If you still try Dovecot=20
treats the contents of the file as filename. So just remove that "<"=20
there. While some options may be clearer now I am not really sure I=20
whether I like most of those changes, but it is what it is.

It took me a bit more than half an hour for a simple private server=20
configuration in a single file in "/etc/dovecot/conf.d". Cause the version=
=20
declaration needs to be the first statement I now seem to have to modify
"/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf" as well. If there is a way around that please=20
let me know. I'd prefer to leave "dovecot.conf" untouched.

So if you upgrade, plan accordingly.

And make sure you have a backup / snapshot.

At least in the future due to setting the configuration file format=20
version such surprises should not happen anymore.

It is currently not mentioned in Alpine 3.22 release notes=C2=B2 but IMHO=20
should be.

I can open a bug report about the missing configuration file and also=20
about the release notes mentioning Dovecot configuration file syntax=20
change, if you advice on which packages / components to report to. I am=20
still quite new to Alpine Linux.

[1] Over the years Postfix has been much more comfortable for me than=20
Dovecot regarding configuration updates.

[2] https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/wiki/Release_Notes_for_Alpine_3.22.0

Best,
=2D-=20
Martin