Error connecting to IMAP server: localhost

**Santy** · 14-04-2009

I am getting Error connecting to IMAP server: localhost when i try to login and read mail in Squirrelmail. Command service xinetd restart doesn't work. After rebooting the server still the same error. I suppose I need to install xinetd and imap myself.

How can i fix this problem ?

Please help

**Milton.J** · 14-04-2009

Make sure that your imap server is allowed to get connections from localhost,
try telnet localhost 143 for imap or 993 for imap over ssl.

If you run `netstat -an` does it show port 143 open?

Your error message references that it cannot connect to port 110, which is for POP3, not IMAP.

**SpearMan** · 14-04-2009

Seems that not just IMAP but even a POP connection couldn't be established to your server and these need to be started or check whether there is any issue with the firewall.

First figure out what email client services you are running, what program specifically. Not knowing what version of Linux you have installed, I can not guess what the default program is that handles IMAP which you need for webmail.

**Snake08** · 14-04-2009

Try using nmap to see if Courier is running.

nmap -sV localhost

Look for a line like this:

143/tcp open imap Courier Imapd (released 2005)

If its not there, try running /etc/rc.d/init.d/imap restart

**Larry ward** · 14-04-2009

it appears that for some reason your imap server isn't listening on localhost. You should check your dovecot configuration and also your firewalls.

I can't think of anything else it could be.