# Dovecot: User doesn't exist



## Mayhem30 (Aug 30, 2014)

I've just finished moving everything over to a new server and when I try to start dovecot, I'm getting this error message.


```
Aug 29 23:18:37 localhost dovecot: Dovecot v1.2.17 starting up
Aug 29 23:18:37 localhost dovecot: auth(default): Fatal: User doesn't exist: virtual
Aug 29 23:18:37 localhost dovecot: dovecot: Fatal: Auth process died too early - shutting down
```
To be completely honest, I did not originally install / set it up. Postfix and Dovecot are setup to use MySQL to store all the mailbox users, etc.

When I moved servers, I copied the 4 dovecot conf files from /usr/local/etc/+ the entire MySQL directory, virtual and www folders located in /usr/opt/.

I'm assuming I missed some file, but any ideas where to start looking?


----------



## AzaShog (Aug 30, 2014)

You could post the output of `dovecot -n` . I don't immediately recognize the error message, but it is quite possible that user virtual was used for ownership over maildirs between Postfix and Dovecot, as that's a common setup.


----------



## Mayhem30 (Aug 30, 2014)

AzaShog said:
			
		

> You could post the output of `dovecot -n` . I don't immediately recognize the error message, but it is quite possible that user virtual was used for ownership over maildirs between Postfix and Dovecot, as that's a common setup.



Thank you, that was the issue.


```
socket:
    type: listen
    client:
      path: /var/spool/postfix/private/auth
      mode: 438
    master:
      path: /var/run/dovecot/auth-master
      mode: 384
      user: virtual
      group: virtual
```

Virtual is no where to be found (as a user or group) on the system.


----------



## AzaShog (Aug 30, 2014)

Mayhem30 said:
			
		

> Virtual is no where to be found (as a user or group) on the system.



Default installation of Dovecot does not assume preferred setup and does not configure for virtual (as in virtual address) maildirs. That user must be something the previous admin did.


----------



## Mayhem30 (Aug 30, 2014)

AzaShog said:
			
		

> Mayhem30 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes, and creating the user virtual (with the custom UID) solved the issue.

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.


----------

