[Discuss] Discuss Digest, Vol 154, Issue 7

[Dale R. Worley]

> From: dan moylan <jdm at moylan.us>
> 
> # .fetchmailrc
>   set logfile fetchmail.log
>   poll mail.moylan.us with proto POP3 and options no dns
>      user 'moylanus' there with pass "xxxxxxxxxxxx"  is 'moylan' here options ssl sslfingerprint "6B:4B:1A:AC:17:FC:4C:03:8F:10:50:C7:64:C1:30:FB"
>      user 'jdm'      there with pass "xxxxxxxxxxxx"  is 'moylan' here options ssl sslfingerprint "6B:4B:1A:AC:17:FC:4C:03:8F:10:50:C7:64:C1:30:FB"
>      smtphost localhost
>
> # fetchmail.log
> fetchmail: Authorization failure on moylanus at mail.moylan.us
> fetchmail: For help, see http://www.fetchmail.info/fetchmail-FAQ.html#R15
> fetchmail: Query status=3 (AUTHFAIL)
> fetchmail: Authorization failure on jdm at mail.moylan.us
> fetchmail: For help, see http://www.fetchmail.info/fetchmail-FAQ.html#R15
> fetchmail: Query status=3 (AUTHFAIL)
>
> finding authentication problems using fetchmail.  anything
> obviously wrong?

Looking at http://www.fetchmail.info/fetchmail-FAQ.html#R15, I see it
starts with

    First, try upgrading to fetchmail 6.3.18 or newer.

So first I'd check the version of fetchmail.

Next, given the log, it appears that fetchmail isn't barfing on the
syntax of .fetchmailrc, so you probably do have a problem in the
authentication process.  The easiest attack would be to run fetchmail
with your .fetchmailrc and have it show you the dialog with the server.
I see that the manual page includes

   SUPPORT, TROUBLESHOOTING
       For troubleshooting, tracing and debugging, you need to increase fetch‐
       mail's verbosity to actually see what happens. To do that,  please  run
       both  of  the  two  following commands, adding all of the options you'd
       normally use.

              env LC_ALL=C fetchmail -V -v --nodetach --nosyslog

              (This command line prints in English how  fetchmail  understands
              your configuration.)

              env LC_ALL=C fetchmail -vvv  --nodetach --nosyslog

              (This  command line actually runs fetchmail with verbose English
              output.)

       Also see item #G3 in fetchmail's FAQ ⟨https://fetchmail.sourceforge.io/
       fetchmail-FAQ.html#G3⟩

       You  can  omit  the LC_ALL=C part above if you want output in the local
       language (if supported). However if you are posting to  mailing  lists,
       please  leave it in. The maintainers do not necessarily understand your
       language, please use English.

That may not suffice to show the interaction so you may have to dig
through the 50(!) page manual page to find the options you need.

Of course, you can always check the passwords you are using the hard
way, but telenting to the POP3 port and executing POP3 by hand.  See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_Office_Protocol and the RFCs that
references.

Dale