https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/ 2026-05-06T11:51:31+00:00 https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/ https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/_media/wiki:dokuwiki.svg text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:backup_vpop3?rev=1542192349&do=diff How to Backup VPOP3 By default VPOP3 v3 and later will automatically perform a daily backup of the database into a file called DBBACK-x.DMP, where the backup file rotates on a weekly basis (DBBACK-0.DMP is Sunday's backup, DBBACK-1.DMP is Monday's backup, etc). text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:restore_a_backup_of_vpop3?rev=1542192349&do=diff How to Restore a backup of VPOP3 The instructions below are to restore a full backup. You may also be able to recover deleted messages if you do not need to restore a full backup. Version 5 or later If you just need to restore a database backup, see steps 4 to 7 below. text/html 2022-11-18T11:43:52+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:restore_deleted_calendars?rev=1668771832&do=diff Restore Deleted Calendars This article will help if a user has been deleted and all their calendars are lost and need to be restored. Note that this functionality is not built into VPOP3, and requires the use of Python3 to run a script First you need to install Python 3.8 or later, and the psycopg2 plugin text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:postgresql_server_won_t_start_due_to_damaged_log_files?rev=1542192349&do=diff PostgreSQL server won't start due to damaged log files If the PostgreSQL server won't start at all, because its transaction logs are damaged, you will probably need to recreate the database store totally. To rebuild the database: * Open a command prompt and find the VPOP\pgsql folder text/html 2019-11-08T15:37:52+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:upgrade_vpop3_to_version_5?rev=1573227472&do=diff How To Upgrade VPOP3 to version 5 or later Upgrading VPOP3 is usually a straightforward process. Download VPOP3 from our web site and back up your current installation just in case something goes wrong. Then simply run the installer that you downloaded and install it over the top of your existing VPOP3. All your settings and mail will be preserved. text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:database_maintenance?rev=1542192349&do=diff Database Maintenance VPOP3 uses the PostgreSQL database server for most of its data storage. Normally this will not require any special maintenance, because it will manage itself. To do any special database maintenance you will need to close down VPOP3 first, because PostgreSQL needs exclusive access to the database to perform any operations such as decreasing the size of database files. Note that these operations may take some time! There are some PostgreSQL utility programs in the VPOP3\pgs… text/html 2025-12-17T09:19:40+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:restore_a_database_backup?rev=1765963180&do=diff Restore a database backup By default VPOP3 makes a daily backup of the VPOP3 database to a file 'DBBACK-n.DMP' in the VPOP3 installation directory (it is possible to change this in the settings). These are cycled on a weekly basis so you will usually have the last seven days' worth of backups. These can be useful if the database gets damaged somehow. text/html 2021-03-08T10:48:40+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:install_vpop3?rev=1615200520&do=diff How to Install VPOP3 Simply download VPOP3 from the website, and run the installation program and follow the prompts. Occasionally people may have problems with the PostgreSQL part of the installation. If that happens, please contact us either by email at support@pscs.co.uk or by phone to +44 (0)1484 855800, and we will do our best to help. text/html 2024-01-15T11:35:45+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:repairing_corrupted_database?rev=1705318545&do=diff Repairing corrupted database With PostgreSQL (as with most high-end databases) the database system will automatically recover after power failures etc, if it can. If it can't then there is no manual 'repair' function, because the data cannot totally be recovered (or it would automatically have been recovered). text/html 2020-06-29T10:43:58+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:upgrade_vpop3_to_version_7?rev=1593427438&do=diff How to upgrade VPOP3 to version 7 or later from version 6 or earlier As usual the process to upgrade is simply to install the later version over your existing installation (do not uninstall anything first). The below is technical information detailing an extra step performed by the installer in this particular upgrade step. text/html 2020-09-03T15:07:34+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:upgrade_vpop3_to_version_8?rev=1599145654&do=diff Upgrading VPOP3 to version 8.x from v7 or earlier VPOP3 v8.x uses PostgreSQL 10 as its database engine, which is the latest supported 32 bit version of PostgreSQL. Later versions of PostgreSQL are 64-bit only, which means we cannot use them while continuing to support 32 bit versions of Windows. text/html 2019-11-12T16:09:08+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:v3_-_move_to_a_new_pc?rev=1573574948&do=diff Move VPOP3 Version 3 or 4 to a new PC Moving VPOP3 Version 3 or 4 to a new PC is slightly different from moving earlier versions, because of the database system. The summary of steps is: * Stop VPOP3 on the original PC * Manually make a backup of the database on the original PC text/html 2026-04-21T11:12:40+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:v5_-_move_to_a_new_pc?rev=1776769960&do=diff Move VPOP3 Version 5 (or later) to a new PC Moving VPOP3 Version 5 or later to a new PC is slightly different from moving earlier versions, because of the database system, which was introduced for version 3 and modified for version 5. The summary of steps is: * Stop VPOP3 on the original PC text/html 2026-03-18T20:49:54+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:upgrade_vpop3_to_version_9?rev=1773866994&do=diff Upgrading VPOP3 to version 9.x from v7 or v8 VPOP3 v9 and later requires a 64 bit version of Windows 8.1 or later VPOP3 v9.x uses PostgreSQL 18 as its database engine. This can only easily be upgraded from PostgreSQL 9.3 or later, which means it must be an upgrade of VPOP3 v7 or later. If you are using an earlier version of VPOP3, then upgrade it to v8.7 first, then upgrade to v9 or later text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:vpop3_not_starting_properly?rev=1542192349&do=diff VPOP3 Not Starting Properly If VPOP3 is not starting properly, then the first thing to check is whether the database server is starting. In VPOP3 v3 and later, VPOP3 uses a PostgreSQL Database server for data storage, so if the database server is not running, VPOP3 will not be able to start properly. In this case, the VPOP3.EXE process may appear in Task Manager, but it won't respond to anything, or it may appear in Task Manager and then stop after a short period. text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:database_backup_failed?rev=1542192349&do=diff Database Backup Failed VPOP3 version 3 and later will, by default, make a backup of the database used by VPOP3 into a file. This uses the PostgreSQL utility 'pg_dump' If an error occurs whilst running this program, VPOP3 will create a 'Database Backup Failed' error message to the administrator. text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:total_rebuild_of_database?rev=1542192349&do=diff Total Rebuild of Database If you suspect database corruption, sometimes the best thing to do is to totally rebuild the database. This involves six steps: * Stop VPOP3 * Backup Database * Delete Database * Re-create Database * Restore/Create Database text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:software_conflicting_with_database?rev=1542192349&do=diff Software conflicting with database service We strongly recommend that virus scanners exclude the VPOP3\pgsql\data folder and all subfolders. If a virus scanner decides to quarantine a file from within this folder structure, that can cause VPOP3 not to run, and could lead to data loss or corruption. text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:upgrading_database_software?rev=1542192349&do=diff Upgrading PostgreSQL Database Software To upgrade the PostgreSQL database software used by VPOP3 * stop VPOP3 * backup the database (<http://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to;backup_vpop3#manual_database_backup1>) * uninstall PostgreSQL (from within Windows) if necessary * rename the VPOP3\pgsql folder to something else text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:v3_-_move_message_store?rev=1542192349&do=diff How to move the VPOP3 Message Store to a new PC Use this option if you want to have VPOP3 running on one PC, but have the message store database on another PC. Manually Install PostgreSQL on the new PC Download the 'pgInstaller' version of PostgreSQL from the text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:move_the_message_store_-_alternative_method?rev=1542192349&do=diff Move the message store - alternative method This method moves the database data storage location, but not the whole database. This means that the database configuration, logs, transaction logs etc are still stored in the VPOP3\pgsql\data folder, but the actual database tables & indexes are stored in the new location. This may be simpler, but, depending on your requirements, text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:restore_folder_-_v5?rev=1542192349&do=diff Restore selected mail folders or mailbox in VPOP3 v5 or later (This option is only available in VPOP3 Enterprise) First - if the problem is that messages were deleted very recently (the default is within 3 days), you can probably use the Undelete feature in VPOP3. text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:vpop3_is_using_a_lot_of_disk_space?rev=1542192349&do=diff VPOP3 is using a lot of disk space If VPOP3 is using a lot of disk space, the problem is usually that there is lots of data there, so it has to use the disk space. Message Storage In VPOP3 version 5 and later, all users' messages are stored in the database, so they will occupy space in the VPOP3\pgsql\data folder. text/html 2025-09-11T13:02:45+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:database_issues?rev=1757595765&do=diff Database Issues VPOP3 version 3 and later use the PostgreSQL] database server. This is an open source enterprise level database server. Several VPOP3 problems are due to problems with the database service. * Database & Disk Caching * Software conflicting with database * VPOP3DB Service not starting * Database Size Database corruption If VPOP3 won't start even though the process is running, then that is often because the PostgreSQL service is not running. If the PostgreSQL service won… text/html 2026-03-18T20:20:50+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:how_to?rev=1773865250&do=diff "How To" Articles Installation/Upgrades * Download VPOP3 * Install VPOP3 * Move VPOP3 * Upgrade VPOP3 * Upgrade VPOP3 to version 5.x or 6.x from version 4 or earlier * Upgrade VPOP3 to version 7.x from version 6 or earlier * Upgrade VPOP3 to version 8.x from version 7 or earlier * Upgrade VPOP3 to version 9 or later from version 7 or 8 * Performance Requirements * Installation Checklist General Configuration * Initial Configuration * Users * Add an Alias * Create… text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:moving_messages?rev=1542192349&do=diff How to move messages between users There are several ways to do this, depending on your exact needs Via Administrator Console You can view a user's 'Inbox' messages by clicking on the message count on the Users list, then select the messages, choose the target user, and press the text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:pop3_client_problem?rev=1542192349&do=diff VPOP3 - POP3 Client Problem These errors occur whilst VPOP3 is communicating with your ISP's POP3 mail server to retrieve your mail. The server connection was closed unexpectedly If the message text is Error with Pop3 Client (XXXX (YY)) The server connection was closed unexpectedly text/html 2019-02-06T17:10:31+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:postgresql_replication?rev=1549473031&do=diff PostgreSQL Replication PostgreSQL 9.1 (used in VPOP3 5 and later) supports replication from a 'Master' to a 'Slave' database server. This can be used with VPOP3 for having a near-realtime backup of your settings & messages. To use the replication, you need to have a file share which is accessible from both PCs. The thing to watch out for is that the PostgreSQL services may be running as a different user from the currently logged in user, so make sure that the user(s) which the PostgreSQL servi… text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:restore_folder_v3?rev=1542192349&do=diff Restore a single user's mailbox or folder in v3 or v4 To restore a single user's Mailbox or folder is currently only possible in VPOP3 Enterprise, and requires a second PC to act as a temporary VPOP3 server. You need to: * Restore your latest VPOP3 backup to another PC (a temporary VPOP3 server) text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:upgrade_vpop3?rev=1542192349&do=diff How To Upgrade VPOP3 Note: if you are upgrading to VPOP3 version 5 or later from version 4 or earlier, please see How To Upgrade VPOP3 to version 5 Upgrading VPOP3 is a straightforward process. Download VPOP3 from our web site and ideally back up your current installation just in case something goes wrong. Then simply run the installer that you downloaded and install it over the top of your existing VPOP3. All your settings and mail will be preserved. text/html 2026-01-05T09:31:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:vpop3_re-downloading_old_messages_from_isp_pop3_server?rev=1767605507&do=diff VPOP3 re-downloading old messages from the ISP POP3 server If you tell VPOP3's POP3 mail collector to leave messages on the ISP's server for a few days, you may find that sometimes VPOP3 will redownload all the messages from the ISP mailbox again. text/html 2025-10-06T15:21:37+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:error_messages?rev=1759764097&do=diff Error Messages This is the place to look if you are trying to trouble shoot a problem and you have received or have access to a specific error message or error code. If instead your problem is that something you think is set up correctly is not working then the best place to look would be the text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:estimate_db_upgrade_time?rev=1542192349&do=diff How to estimate Database Upgrade Time When upgrading from VPOP3 version 3 or 4 to version 5, the PostgreSQL database engine needs to be upgraded. This involves backing up the database data, upgrading the database engine, then restoring the data. This can take some time on large databases. text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:exceptions?rev=1542192349&do=diff Exceptions An exception happens if VPOP3 encounters a problem it did not expect. In some cases it can recover automatically, but in other cases that isn't possible. Common causes VPOP3 2.6 and earlier In VPOP3 2.6 and earlier it was quite common for there to be database corruption problems with the SQLite database which was used in those versions. text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:incoming_smtp_feed?rev=1542192349&do=diff Incoming SMTP Feed An incoming SMTP feed is where incoming mail is sent directly to your mail server without going through your ISP's POP3 mail server on the way. Advantages An incoming SMTP feed has several advantages over going via a POP3 mailbox: text/html 2025-09-11T13:48:07+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:recovering_messages_from_corrupted_database_into_fresh_database?rev=1757598487&do=diff Recovering messages from corrupted database into fresh database If the VPOP3 message database is corrupted, then one option is to build a fresh database and restore the settings into it, then recover the messages from the old database using the 'Message Restore' function in VPOP3. This has minimal downtime, but old messages will not all be available until the restore has completed. New messages will be available quickly, and you will be able to send messages. text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:sender_policy_framework?rev=1542192349&do=diff Sender Policy Framework / SPF SPF is a system used to tell mail servers which IP addresses can send mail from which domains. It is designed to reduce 'spoofing' of email addresses. For instance, if you receive an email message from your bank, your mail software can check that it came from an IP address authorised to send mail from your bank, and treat the message with suspicion if it didn't come from an authorised IP address. text/html 2018-11-14T10:45:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://wiki.pscs.co.uk/how_to:vpop3db_service_doesn_t_exist?rev=1542192349&do=diff VPOP3DB Service doesn't exist If VPOP3 v3 or later won't start, and you find that the VPOP3DB (or PostgreSQL-VPOP3) service does not exist in the Windows Services list, it may be that you have just moved VPOP3 and made a mistake following the move procedure or something has removed the service for some reason.