Wietse Venema wrote:

> When moving an existing account, it is standard practice to backup
> that account's existing files and to restore them in the new place.
> This is routine system administrator duty, and should not need
> discussion on an MTA's mailing list.

You are aware that the average mailer does create a maildir in case
it is missing? I don't think it is illogical to assume this also
applies to maildirs, >>>especially if the code says it does so.<<<

> We seem to have an expectation problem. Postfix is an evolving mail
> system. As such it is necessarily incomplete. That applies not only
> to source code, but also to documentation. You are welcome to
> contribute to either, as long as it does not introduce vulnerability.

If I may summarize what I think has been discussed so far, please feel
free to correct when/where necessary:

1) you are aware many users wonder why postfix doesn't create a maildir
   when this directory is missing

2) you have been looking into this problem and cannot find a *secure*
   way of creating one. Would there be such a secure way, you wouldn't
   mind implementing it into postfix

If this summary is *not* correct then stop reading here please.

OK, the summary so far is correct.

Not yet entirely clear to me:

3) You think it is the responsibility of the sysadmin to create the
   maildir, not postfix' responsibility. Postfix doesn't need to
   create this dir.

IMHO the following is needed for a short-term solution:

1) A small note in the faq, stating that postfix will not create a
   maildir when the recipient has no right to do so. This is also
   true in case it would be a subdirectory of $mail_spool_directory
   in the case it is not world writable.

   This probably has to be rewritten to make sense for the average
   reader, especially the one that doesn't speak English.

2) A small note in postfix/src/local/maildir.c accompanying the line
   "Create any missing directories on the fly." basically stating the
   same as in (1)

And for the long-term either:
1) A formal statement that postfix doesn't and will never create
   directories unless the receipient could have done so himself
-or-
2) A safe way to create a directory. Probably something similar to:
   (copied from mailbox.c)
   * If delivering to the mail spool directory, and the spool directory is
   * world-writable, deliver as the recipient; if the spool directory is
   * group-writable, use the recipient user id and the mail spool group id.
   *
   * Otherwise, use root privileges and chown the mailbox.

Alex
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