When --enable-tcpserver-file=/etc/tcp.smtp is used in building vpopmail, applications linking to /var/vpopmail/lib/libvpopmail.a will use that same path. This is a problem with (for example) courier-imapd's authvchkpw module since it also attempts to create tmp files based on that path. The result: Jun 26 22:06:48 highvoltage imapd: Connection, ip=[127.0.0.1] Jun 26 22:06:48 highvoltage imapd: tcprules: fatal: unable to create /etc/tcp.smtptmp.7652: access denied My solution was to change the path in the ebuild --enable-tcpserver-file=/var/vpopmail/etc/tcp.smtp and create symlinks from /etc/tcp.smtp.* to /var/vpopmail/etc/. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. emerge and configure vpopmail 2. emerge and configure courier-imapd 3. attempt to authenticate via courier-imapd's authvchkpw Actual Results: In /var/log/mail.log: Jun 26 22:06:48 highvoltage imapd: Connection, ip=[127.0.0.1] Jun 26 22:06:48 highvoltage imapd: tcprules: fatal: unable to create /etc/tcp.smtptmp.7652: access denied Expected Results: A clear write of the tcp.smtptmp.xxxx file. Portage 2.0.48-r1 (default-x86-1.4, gcc-3.2.2, glibc-2.3.1-r4) ================================================================= System uname: 2.4.20-gentoo-r5 i686 Intel(R) Xeon(TM) CPU 2.40GHz GENTOO_MIRRORS="http://gentoo.oregonstate.edu http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/Linu x/distributions/gentoo" CONFIG_PROTECT="/etc /var/qmail/control /usr/share/config /usr/kde/2/share/confi g /usr/kde/3/share/config /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xkb" CONFIG_PROTECT_MASK="/etc/gconf /etc/env.d" PORTDIR="/usr/portage" DISTDIR="/usr/portage/distfiles" PKGDIR="/usr/portage/packages" PORTAGE_TMPDIR="/var/tmp" PORTDIR_OVERLAY="" USE="x86 oss 3dnow apm avi crypt cups encode gif jpeg libg++ mikmod mmx motif mp eg ncurses nls pdflib png quicktime slang spell truetype xml2 xmms xv zlib gdbm berkdb readline svga tcltk java guile sdl gpm libwww perl python esd imlib oggvo rbis opengl mozilla X gtk2 gnome gtk mysql tcpd pam ssl -alsa -qt -kde -arts" COMPILER="gcc3" CHOST="i686-pc-linux-gnu" CFLAGS="-O2 -mcpu=i686 -pipe" CXXFLAGS="-O2 -mcpu=i686 -pipe" ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="x86" MAKEOPTS="-j2" AUTOCLEAN="yes" SYNC="rsync://rsync.gentoo.org/gentoo-portage" FEATURES="sandbox ccache"
I'd say anything that wrote to either /etc/ OR /var/vpopmail/etc is severaly broken. I'm going to see about reproducing this and finding a better fix. I don't see why they want to write to the file anyway, they don't need tmp files at all.
old bug. I haven't seen anybody complain about this for a long time, and if the do, my answer remains the same. go and use the relay-ctrl package instead.