[Imap-uw] email client connection time out

[Mark Crispin]

You don't want to turn off the imapd inactivity timeout.  If you do that, 
you'll end up collecting lots of long-abandoned imapd processes.  What's 
more, some clients depend upon that timeout.

The "IMAP connection timeout" message in Microsoft Oulook 2003 is 
something else.  Outlook treats IMAP like HTTP, and times out at its end 
very quickly.  Too quickly for some operations, as you've found out.

In Outlook's configuration panel someplace, there is a slider that allows 
you to set it higher.

Personally, I find Outlook to be a highly unsatisfactory email client, and 
I don't use it as such (although I do use it for calendering, tasks, and 
contacts).

The workaround after 29 minutes that you mention is in imap-2004g, as well 
as the modern imap-2006 series.  In fact, it was added during the 
development of imap-2002, on June 5, 2002.  That facility is for the 
misimplementation of the IDLE extension in both Outlook and Outlook 
Express, which is a completely different issue.

As you can see, there are a lot of "timeout" class issues, and you can 
cause a lot of confusion (and harm) by focusing on the wrong one.

In your case, I think that the remedy is to find that slider in the 
Outlook configuration, and make sure that it set at its maximum value.  Or 
use a real IMAP client.

On Mon, 14 May 2007, Emy Loanzon wrote:
> Mark,
>
> Thank you for the response.
>
> The question relates to my users are getting "IMAP connection timeout"
> messages in their Outlook 2003 email client, not for the GroupWise
> client. It is an annoyance to these Outlook 2003 users and generates
> helpdesk calls :-(.
>
> I read in the IMAP documentation that the respective protocol
> specifications (POP, IMAP and HTTP) require the server to keep an idle
> connection open for a minimum amount of time. The default times are 10
> minutes for POP, 30 minutes for IMAP, 3 minutes for HTTP.
>
> At the risk of being repetitious here, is there a way in UW IMAPD to
> set this default idle setting for IMAP to 0 or make the default idle
> time longer?
>
> Does the 2400g version of imapd have a work around to automatically
> reporting "fake" new mail after 29 minutes?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Emy
>
>>>> "Mark Crispin" <MRC at CAC.Washington.EDU> 5/11/2007 1:54 PM >>>
> The answer to your question depends upon the IMAP client that you use
> since this is entirely a client feature.  You seem to use Novell
> Groupwise; I know nothing about that program other than its name.
>
> On Fri, 11 May 2007, Emy Loanzon wrote:
>> Where can I find the setting to modify the email client time-out
>> setting to the pop-imap server?
>> How is this modified so email clients won't see a server IMAP
>> connection timeout?
>
> -- Mark --
>
> http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
> Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
> Si vis pacem, para bellum.
>
>
>

-- Mark --

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