[HOWTO] Install Qpopper (POP3 server)

[gatorparrots]

What is Qpopper?
Qpopper is the most widely-used server for the POP3 protocol (this allows users to access their mail using any POP3 client). Qpopper supports the latest standards, and includes a large number of optional features. Qpopper is normally used with standard UNIX mail transfer and delivery agents such as sendmail or smail.

Qpopper's goals are: security, stability, safety, features, and performance.

The 3 and later code base has multiple levels of protection again common security vulnerabilities, so even if there is a bug at one level, the other levels can protect against an exploit. Stability means running without crashing or other problems. All bug reports are reviewed and taken seriously. Safety means protecting the user's mail. Qpopper takes extra precautions to guard against spool corruption, even if there is a system crash or power failure during an update. Qpopper provides a large number of features, such as bulletins, support for wireless devices, APOP, integration with packages such as Kerberos, drac, etc. Qpopper strives for the maximum possible performance consistent with safety. You can also tell Qpopper when it is running in an environment where some precautions are not required, resulting in extra performance (for example, if users do not access mail using shell accounts).

This server is fully compliant with RFC 1939 (which defines the POP protocol) and RFC 2449 (which defines the POP extension mechanism and the extended response codes), and works with all known POP3 clients.

Here is a summary of the installation procedure for qpopper on Mac OS X 10.1.5. This will net you a working pop3 daemon that runs under inetd.

# download and decompress the source
curl -O ftp://ftp.qualcomm.com/eudora/server...er4.0.4.tar.gz
tar -zxf qpopper4.0.4.tar.gz
cd qpopper4.0.4
# build the executable
./configure
make
sudo make install
# manually move the binary executable
sudo mv popper/popper /usr/libexec/popper
# 'man'ually move the man pages
sudo mv man/* /usr/share/man/man8/
# rebuild the man index
sudo /usr/libexec/makewhatis /usr/local/man
# configure and restart inetd
sudo -s
echo "pop3 stream tcp nowait root /usr/libexec/popper qpopper -s" \
>> /etc/inetd.conf
kill -HUP `cat /var/run/inetd.pid`
exit

Here is a summary of the installation procedure for qpopper on Mac OS X 10.2.x. This will net you a working pop3 daemon that runs under xinetd.

Download and decompress the source:
curl -O ftp://ftp.qualcomm.com/eudora/server...er4.0.4.tar.gz
tar -zxf qpopper4.0.4.tar.gz
cd qpopper4.0.4
Build the executable
./configure
make
sudo make install
Manually move the binary executable:
sudo mv popper/popper /usr/libexec/popper
'man'ually move the man pages
sudo mv man/* /usr/share/man/man8/
Rebuild the man index
sudo catman -w

Configure xinetd:
sudo -s
pico /etc/xinetd.d/pop3

Enter the following lines:

service pop3
{
        disable = no
        socket_type     = stream
        wait            = no
        protocol        = tcp
        user            = root
        server          = /usr/libexec/popper      
        server_args     = qpopper -s            
        port            = 110           
}

Press Ctrl+O to write out the file and Ctrl+X to exit pico.
Restart xinetd to affect the changes:
kill -HUP `cat /var/run/xinetd.pid`
exit

You can do a quick test to see if it is working like so:
sudo lsof -i | grep pop3
A line returned like this means you have successfully installed your pop3 daemon:
xinetd 379 root 7u inet 0x03aeafac 0t0 TCP *:pop3 (LISTEN)