src/go/plugin/go.d/modules/dovecot/integrations/dovecot.md
<!--startmeta
custom_edit_url: "https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/src/go/plugin/go.d/modules/dovecot/README.md"
meta_yaml: "https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/src/go/plugin/go.d/modules/dovecot/metadata.yaml"
sidebar_label: "Dovecot"
learn_status: "Published"
learn_rel_path: "Collecting Metrics/Mail Servers"
most_popular: False
message: "DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE DIRECTLY, IT IS GENERATED BY THE COLLECTOR'S metadata.yaml FILE"
endmeta-->
# Dovecot
<img src="https://netdata.cloud/img/dovecot.svg" width="150"/>
Plugin: go.d.plugin
Module: dovecot
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/maintained%20by-Netdata-%2300ab44" />
## Overview
This collector monitors Dovecot metrics about sessions, logins, commands, page faults and more.
It reads the server's response to the `EXPORT\tglobal\n` command.
This collector is supported on all platforms.
This collector supports collecting metrics from multiple instances of this integration, including remote instances.
### Default Behavior
#### Auto-Detection
Automatically discovers and collects Dovecot statistics from the following default locations:
- localhost:24242
- unix:///var/run/dovecot/old-stats
#### Limits
The default configuration for this integration does not impose any limits on data collection.
#### Performance Impact
The default configuration for this integration is not expected to impose a significant performance impact on the system.
## Metrics
Metrics grouped by *scope*.
The scope defines the instance that the metric belongs to. An instance is uniquely identified by a set of labels.
### Per Dovecot instance
These metrics refer to the entire monitored application.
This scope has no labels.
Metrics:
| Metric | Dimensions | Unit |
|:------|:----------|:----|
| dovecot.session | active | sessions |
| dovecot.logins | logins | logins |
| dovecot.auth | ok, failed | attempts/s |
| dovecot.commands | commands | commands |
| dovecot.context_switches | voluntary, voluntary | switches/s |
| dovecot.io | read, write | KiB/s |
| dovecot.net | read, write | kilobits/s |
| dovecot.syscalls | read, write | syscalls/s |
| dovecot.lookup | path, attr | lookups/s |
| dovecot.cache | hits | hits/s |
| dovecot.auth_cache | hits, misses | requests/s |
## Alerts
There are no alerts configured by default for this integration.
## Setup
### Prerequisites
#### Enable old_stats plugin
To enable `old_stats` plugin, see [Old Statistics](https://doc.dovecot.org/configuration_manual/stats/old_statistics/#old-statistics).
### Configuration
#### File
The configuration file name for this integration is `go.d/dovecot.conf`.
You can edit the configuration file using the `edit-config` script from the
Netdata [config directory](/docs/netdata-agent/configuration/README.md#the-netdata-config-directory).
```bash
cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/dovecot.conf
```
#### Options
The following options can be defined globally: update_every, autodetection_retry.
<details open><summary>Config options</summary>
| Name | Description | Default | Required |
|:----|:-----------|:-------|:--------:|
| update_every | Data collection frequency. | 1 | no |
| autodetection_retry | Recheck interval in seconds. Zero means no recheck will be scheduled. | 0 | no |
| address | The Unix or TCP socket address where the Dovecot [old_stats](https://doc.dovecot.org/configuration_manual/stats/old_statistics/#old-statistics) plugin listens for connections. | 127.0.0.1:24242 | yes |
| timeout | Connection, read, and write timeout duration in seconds. The timeout includes name resolution. | 1 | no |
</details>
#### Examples
##### Basic (TCP)
A basic example configuration.
<details open><summary>Config</summary>
```yaml
jobs:
- name: local
address: 127.0.0.1:24242
```
</details>
##### Basic (UNIX)
A basic example configuration using a UNIX socket.
<details open><summary>Config</summary>
```yaml
jobs:
- name: local
address: unix:///var/run/dovecot/old-stats
```
</details>
##### Multi-instance
> **Note**: When you define multiple jobs, their names must be unique.
Collecting metrics from local and remote instances.
<details open><summary>Config</summary>
```yaml
jobs:
- name: local
address: 127.0.0.1:24242
- name: remote
address: 203.0.113.0:24242
```
</details>
## Troubleshooting
### Debug Mode
**Important**: Debug mode is not supported for data collection jobs created via the UI using the Dyncfg feature.
To troubleshoot issues with the `dovecot` collector, run the `go.d.plugin` with the debug option enabled. The output
should give you clues as to why the collector isn't working.
- Navigate to the `plugins.d` directory, usually at `/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/`. If that's not the case on
your system, open `netdata.conf` and look for the `plugins` setting under `[directories]`.
```bash
cd /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/
```
- Switch to the `netdata` user.
```bash
sudo -u netdata -s
```
- Run the `go.d.plugin` to debug the collector:
```bash
./go.d.plugin -d -m dovecot
```
### Getting Logs
If you're encountering problems with the `dovecot` collector, follow these steps to retrieve logs and identify potential issues:
- **Run the command** specific to your system (systemd, non-systemd, or Docker container).
- **Examine the output** for any warnings or error messages that might indicate issues. These messages should provide clues about the root cause of the problem.
#### System with systemd
Use the following command to view logs generated since the last Netdata service restart:
```bash
journalctl _SYSTEMD_INVOCATION_ID="$(systemctl show --value --property=InvocationID netdata)" --namespace=netdata --grep dovecot
```
#### System without systemd
Locate the collector log file, typically at `/var/log/netdata/collector.log`, and use `grep` to filter for collector's name:
```bash
grep dovecot /var/log/netdata/collector.log
```
**Note**: This method shows logs from all restarts. Focus on the **latest entries** for troubleshooting current issues.
#### Docker Container
If your Netdata runs in a Docker container named "netdata" (replace if different), use this command:
```bash
docker logs netdata 2>&1 | grep dovecot
```