923387 - Getting mails does not work: "Server ... has disconnected. The server may have gone down..."

Status: NEW

(MailNews Core :: Networking: IMAP, defect)

Description

[u483717]

Attachment: Server has disconnected.png

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/24.0 (Beta/Release)
Build ID: 20130910160258

Steps to reproduce:

I tried to add an email account to the latest release version (24).


Actual results:

If Thunderbird tries to get the mails from the IMAP server, I get the error mentioned in the title (look at the attached picture for the full error message).

I did several clean installations - just Thunderbird, no addons, themes or anything else to figure out which versions work because it worked before the update to version 24.

The versions I tried are:
- 14.0: works
- 16.0: works
- 17.0.8: works
- 19.0b1: produces the error
- 20.0b1: produces the error
- 21.0b1: produces the error
- 22.0b1: produces the error
- 23.0b1: produces the error
- 24.0: produces the error
- 24.0b3: produces the error

Before this tests, I never used beta versions so I am pretty sure, I updated from 17.0.8 to 24.


Expected results:

As before the update, Thunderbird should be able to get the mails from the IMAP server.

Comment 1

[Ian Graham]

Confirmed. I am also seeing this problem - TB 24.2.0 / OSX 10.9 - but only with a Firefox client that is set to "Synchronize messages locally".  I have another system running TB but without local synchronization - and that is not showing this error.

Note the problem has apparently led to corruption / problems with my local IMAPMail/ folders - I had to delete the existing files & folders in IMAPMail (the mailbox/ folder, *.msf file and *.sbd/ folders) to get back to a sane view of the files on the IMAP server.

This may be related to bug #462156 , which reported some similar symptoms.

Comment 2

[Ian Graham]

Attachment: imap.log

Log file at start of TB client session - TB client with setting: "keep messages for this account on this server", and  "synchronize all messages locally regardless of age.". Thunderbird successfully authenticates to the server (mailbox3.utcc.) and then the server 'hangs up' and TB can't update any information.

I will upload a second log file from the TB client that does not keep messages on this computer - that seems to synch up fine.

Comment 3

[Ian Graham]

Attachment: Second imap log file - successfully connects to server (see comment #3)

Second log file (attachment 3 [details] [diff] [review]) but from at TB client (24.2.0)  that leaves all messages on the server (i.e. "Keep messages for this account on this computer" is NOT checked). In this case the client connects happily to server and updates the list of email message (removing deleted items, adding newly arrived ones).

Comment 4

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

m1, do you still see this in version 31?

Comment 5

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to Ian Graham from comment #3)
> Created attachment 8348214 [details]
> Second imap log file - successfully connects to server (see comment #3)
> 
> Second log file (attachment 3 [details] [diff] [review]) but from at TB
> client (24.2.0)  that leaves all messages on the server (i.e. "Keep messages
> for this account on this computer" is NOT checked). In this case the client
> connects happily to server and updates the list of email message (removing
> deleted items, adding newly arrived ones).

Hi Ian. Did you also see "Server ... has disconnected. The server may have gone down..."?
And, did your logfile get examined by irving or anyone else?

Comment 6

[Ian Graham]

Alas my server connection has been persistently good (fast, no latency issues, etc.) these past months, so I have not seen this problem again.  I of course see that as a good thing, save for that it means I don't see this bug :-/

Comment 7

[Rendergroup]

Hello,

I want to add this issue also, but only happens with the Sent folder, but If I use Mail for OSX I can get all of the mails (I really don't know how mail gets), but Thunderbird always gives me this annoying message: "Server Hotmail has disconnected. The server may have gone down or there may be a network problem".

I've put this issue in the Thunderbird forum http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=31  but they can't help me because they don't use a Mac :/

TB 38.0.1
OSX 10.10.4

Comment 8

[gene smith]

Logs above indicate this happened with offline storage but not without. That seems backwards since with offline storage less server activity should be required. Also, the error shown in log (aborting queued urls) is that same as I see here (Bug 538375) when try to copy or move a large folder between servers, but there is no error reported to the user. Not saying they are related.

Comment 9

[jim]

Still running into this with v78, on MacOS (Yosemite), Windows (7), and Linux Mint (18). And now with Thunderbird v81.0b4 (32-bit), on Win7.

How it reproduces on my machine (for addition context & reproduction):
a) It appears to be causing messages to get duplicated, when attempting to move them between folders
b) It sometimes appears to not move messages at all, when attempting to move them between folders
c) It causes a very annoying UX issue (and possibly serious a11y issue) in that it is hard to grab and drag the splitter line that divides the message list pane from the (selected message's) header area. This appears to mostly be due to the fact that when the "Server ... has disconnected ... " message appears, the application, as a whole, appears to continually attempting to get/download messages. When it is doing that, I see (on the Win 7 client): a continuously animated icon on the "Inbox" tab; and the mouse pointer changes to the 'with hourglass/active state', when it is over everything but the actual text of the selected message. The mouse pointer state makes it hard to discern the pointer's hot spot, which makes it hard for a user (even with 'typical' vision and fine motor control) to grab the splitter bar!

*** SEVEN YEARS AGO, and counting, this was reported. ***

Sorry, but lack of action on this really does not make me think I should renew my donation to the Thunderbird development team, even if It might not seem like a high-impact issue to some folks.

Can we get a fix for this prioritized, PLEASE???

Comment 10

[gene smith]

(In reply to jim from comment #9)

Still running into this with v78, on MacOS (Yosemite), Windows (7), and Linux Mint (18). And now with Thunderbird v81.0b4 (32-bit), on Win7.

Are you still seeing the error described in the opening comment 0: "Server %S has disconnected. The server may have gone down or there may be a network problem." ?

How it reproduces on my machine (for addition context & reproduction):
a) It appears to be causing messages to get duplicated, when attempting to move them between folders

Are these move within the same account for between accounts? What goes on is a lot different depending on which. If your copy/move fails and you try again you will usually get dupes.

b) It sometimes appears to not move messages at all, when attempting to move them between folders

Same for copies? Also, how many messages are you trying to copy/move at one time? Are you copy/moving the whole folder or just some messages in the folder.

c) It causes a very annoying UX issue (and possibly serious a11y issue) in that it is hard to grab and drag the splitter line that divides the message list pane from the (selected message's) header area. This appears to mostly be due to the fact that when the "Server ... has disconnected ... " message appears, the application, as a whole, appears to continually attempting to get/download messages. When it is doing that, I see (on the Win 7 client): a continuously animated icon on the "Inbox" tab; and the mouse pointer changes to the 'with hourglass/active state', when it is over everything but the actual text of the selected message. The mouse pointer state makes it hard to discern the pointer's hot spot, which makes it hard for a user (even with 'typical' vision and fine motor control) to grab the splitter bar!

Not sure what you mean by animated icon on the Inbox tab. When there are network problems the UI spinner/hourglass tends to remain active. But don't think I have observed a problem adjusting pane sizes when this happens.

If you can provide a new IMAP:5 log that records up to the point where problems arise it might help. Not sure if the ones previously recorded above are relevant to your issue. See https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Logging. Thanks.

P/S: Need to know if you are storing imap messages locally or only at the imap server.

Comment 11

[jim]

(In reply to gene smith from comment #10)

(In reply to jim from comment #9)

Still running into this with v78, on MacOS (Yosemite), Windows (7), and Linux Mint (18). And now with Thunderbird v81.0b4 (32-bit), on Win7.

Are you still seeing the error described in the opening comment 0: "Server %S has disconnected. The server may have gone down or there may be a network problem." ?

Yes, I am still seeing the Server XXX has disconnected... message. But more intermittently.

How it reproduces on my machine (for addition context & reproduction):
a) It appears to be causing messages to get duplicated, when attempting to move them between folders

Are these move within the same account for between accounts? What goes on is a lot different depending on which. If your copy/move fails and you try again you will usually get dupes.

I am moving messages between folders of the SAME account. For example, from the "Inbox" folder to a (sub-) folder under the "Archives" folder.

b) It sometimes appears to not move messages at all, when attempting to move them between folders

Same for copies? Also, how many messages are you trying to copy/move at one time? Are you copy/moving the whole folder or just some messages in the folder.

I'm moving any where from one message to dozens at a time. I am not moving entire folders.

c) It causes a very annoying UX issue (and possibly serious a11y issue) in that it is hard to grab and drag the splitter line that divides the message list pane from the (selected message's) header area. This appears to mostly be due to the fact that when the "Server ... has disconnected ... " message appears, the application, as a whole, appears to continually attempting to get/download messages. When it is doing that, I see (on the Win 7 client): a continuously animated icon on the "Inbox" tab; and the mouse pointer changes to the 'with hourglass/active state', when it is over everything but the actual text of the selected message. The mouse pointer state makes it hard to discern the pointer's hot spot, which makes it hard for a user (even with 'typical' vision and fine motor control) to grab the splitter bar!

Not sure what you mean by animated icon on the Inbox tab. When there are network problems the UI spinner/hourglass tends to remain active. But don't think I have observed a problem adjusting pane sizes when this happens.

Right now, this issue is not showing up on my Linux (Mint 18) machine, running TB v.68.10 (64-bit). Nor on my Windows (7) machine, running TB 81.0 (32-bit). On the MacOS (Yosemite) machine, running TB v64.11 (32-bit), the animated icon shows up briefly, on the left side of the top-level tab which has the name of the selected mail folder. E.G. [in-box icon|spinner icon] Inbox.

If you can provide a new IMAP:5 log that records up to the point where problems arise it might help. Not sure if the ones previously recorded above are relevant to your issue. See https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Logging. Thanks.
Hmm . . . my first attempt to capture the TB session in a log file did not work. Will try again.

P/S: Need to know if you are storing imap messages locally or only at the imap server.

I'm not sure how to verify that. For the email account that I am using, in "Account Settings" - "Synchronization & Storage" - "Message Synchronizing" the "Keep messages in all folders for this account on this computer" checkbox IS checked.

Comment 12

[gene smith]

Hmm . . . my first attempt to capture the TB session in a log file did not work. Will try again.

Yes, a log may show something but sometimes it doesn't help. (The log does not always make it clear who initiates a disconnect, tb or the server.)

I am moving messages between folders of the SAME account.

Ok, good to know. That's a lot simpler than between accounts/servers. Some servers support MOVE of messages while others only support COPY of messages -- tb must then simulate MOVE by doing a copy and and then deleting the original messages. Can only tell by looking at a log which your server does.

I asked before if you see the same problem when just doing copies but I didn't see an answer.

Anyhow, losing the connection seems to be the real problem which will require an IMAP:5 log. If that doesn't help, you may need to run a network sniffer (e.g., wireshark) to know what is happening.

"Keep messages in all folders for this account on this computer" checkbox IS checked

Yes, that means you are storing locally and not just on the server. But since the problem occurs within the same account this probably doesn't matter.

Comment 13

[jim]

I'm not able to reproduce this issue anymore. It is unclear why. The change in reproducibility is possibly due to taking an update to Thunderbird on my machines. However, as I have all my TB instances (on three machines, with three different operating systems) set to check for updates, but NOT to automatically install them, and I don't recall allowing recent updates, this scenario is unlikely. This is speculative . . . but the commmon denominator is my mail service provider. Possibly they were doing something that caused the problems that I was experiencing. Or maybe exposed a latent (but rare?) defect that still exists in TB. Again, that's speculation. FYI, I'm going to suspend contributing further to this bug ticket unless/until I have a re-occurence that's reasonably reproducible. (But I do worry that there's still a latent defect . . .)

Comment 14

[Ian Graham]

There is similarity between this bug and bug #462156, in which case this problem may only crop up when you have a really slow, intermittently failing or bad latency from TB to the IMAP server.

If that is true it will be hard to test this bug unless you can somehow mimic a bad network, and see id network issues trigger the bug ....

Comment 15

[Larry Gale]

Since upgrading Thunderbird to 78.13.0, I see an error recurring when using IMAP on Earthlink mail.

"Server imap.earthlink.net has disconnected. The server may have gone down or there may be a network problem."

This is on a Windows 10 machine.

My wife's machines is Windows 7, and she has updated to the newer Thunderbird version 78.13.0, and she is NOT experiencing this problem. However, she is using POP, not IMAP.

I'd prefer to use IMAP, but it seems that perhaps POP would be less troublesome...

Comment 16

[gene smith]

Does this occur when you select a few folders in fairly quick succession or does this just occur on Inbox when you start TB? Details on when it occurs would be helpful.
There has been a recent bug reported for some yahoo based servers (not sure about Earthlink if they use yahoo as the server), Bug 1727971.
You may have to reduce the number of "cached connections" down to 3 to keep their imap server from complaining if it is behaving like yahoo's:

• go to the account settings
• select server settings
• click Advanced... button
• change the "max number of server conns to cache" down to 3 (default is 5).
• click OK
• restart TB

If that doesn't fix it, you can set it back to 5 and you might record and attach an IMAP:5 log using the instructions here: https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Logging.

Comment 17

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Larry, please see questions in comment 16.