Thunderbird Auto Config

	Skill level: Medium
	The instructions on this page require a basic knowledge of linux.

Overview

This method allow an easy config for Thunderbird Client.
It's same method used by ISP: you just need to supply your name, password and e-mail.

It works by create a file in a very specific place: in a "mail" directory in same URL your domain is.
So if you have a www.mydomain.com site, create a mail directory there and publish this file under name config-v1.1.xml.
Verify you can read this file using a browser and the url: www.mydomain.com/mail/config-v1.1.xml.

Config file sample

This config below allow ONLY use of IMAP and SMTPs for all user using the autoconfig.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<clientConfig version="1.1">
  <emailProvider id="linuxfacil.net">
    <domain>linuxfacil.net</domain>
    <displayName>Linuxfacil Ltda</displayName>
    <displayShortName>Linuxfacil</displayShortName>
    <incomingServer type="imap">
      <hostname>mail.linuxfacil.net</hostname>
      <port>993</port>
      <socketType>SSL</socketType>
      <authentication>password-cleartext</authentication>
      <username>%EMAILLOCALPART%</username>    
    </incomingServer>
   <outgoingServer type="smtp">
     <hostname>mail.linuxfacil.net</hostname>
     <port>465</port>
     <socketType>SSL</socketType>
     <authentication>password-cleartext</authentication>
     <username>%EMAILLOCALPART%</username>
   </outgoingServer>
   <documentation url="http://kundenservice.freenet.de/hilfe/email/programme/config/index.html">
     <descr lang="pt-br">Págna de configuracoes Generica</descr>
     <descr lang="en">Generic settings page</descr>
   </documentation>
   <documentation url="http://kundenservice.freenet.de/hilfe/email/programme/config/thunderbird/imap-thunderbird/imap/index.html">
     <descr lang="pt-br">Configuracoes do Thunderbird ESR para IMAP</descr>
     <descr lang="en">Thunderbird ESR IMAP settings</descr>
   </documentation>
 </emailProvider>
</clientConfig>

In above sample you need to change all mail.linuxfacil.net strings with your own server.
You should change all linuxfacil.net references to your own domain.

On SME servers

I have configurated the smtp and imap on SME server using same hostname: mail.linuxfacil.net

So I create a new directory on Primary site. See below:

[root@rinoceronte ~]# ls -la /home/e-smith/files/ibays/Primary/html/mail/
total 12
drwxr-sr-x 2 root  shared 4096 Mar  2  2013 .
drwxr-s--- 4 admin shared 4096 Nov 18 23:36 ..
-rw-r--r-- 2 root  shared 1339 Mar  2  2013 config-v1.1.xml

Create a file named config-v1.1.xml (you cannot change the name!) and use the config sample above (replacing all "linuxfacil.net" with your own domain) as content.

You can create file using VI or any other text editor you know how to use!

The permissions must include READ to everyone, nothing more is required!

To create a template on SME8, do this:

 mkdir -p  /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/home/e-smith/files/ibays/Primary/html/mail/config-v1.1.xml/ 
 echo >>/etc/e-smith/templates-custom/home/e-smith/files/ibays/Primary/html/mail/config-v1.1.xml/Content   <<FINAL
{
my $COMPANYNAME = $ldap{defaultCompany}; 
my $DOMAINNAME = $DomainName;

    $OUT .=<<FIM

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<clientConfig version="1.1">
  <emailProvider id="$DOMAINNAME">
    <domain>$DOMAINNAME</domain>
    <displayName>$COMPANYNAME</displayName>
    <displayShortName>$COMPANYNAME</displayShortName>
    <incomingServer type="imap">
      <hostname>mail.$DOMAINNAME</hostname>
      <port>993</port>
      <socketType>SSL</socketType>
      <authentication>password-cleartext</authentication>
      <username>%EMAILLOCALPART%</username>    
    </incomingServer>
   <outgoingServer type="smtp">
     <hostname>mail.$DOMAINNAME</hostname>
     <port>465</port>
     <socketType>SSL</socketType>
     <authentication>password-cleartext</authentication>
     <username>%EMAILLOCALPART%</username>
   </outgoingServer>
   <documentation url="http://kundenservice.freenet.de/hilfe/email/programme/config/index.html">
     <descr lang="pt-br">Páina de configuracoes Generica</descr>
     <descr lang="en">Generic settings page</descr>
   </documentation>
   <documentation url="http://kundenservice.freenet.de/hilfe/email/programme/config/thunderbird/imap-thunderbird/imap/index.html">
     <descr lang="pt-br">Configuracoes do Thunderbird ESR para IMAP</descr>
     <descr lang="en">Thunderbird ESR IMAP settings</descr>
   </documentation>
 </emailProvider>
</clientConfig>

FIM
}
FINAL