The EHCP / EHCP force Mailbox creation bug.
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 2:09 pm
Impact Level: LOW
Workaround Found: YES
Workaround Complexity: EASY
Bug Description
In maybe 1 to 5 percent of cases, when you create a new email account from within the EHCP control panel, you cannot log into your new email account.
More Information
What is happening is that the welcome email is getting sent by EHCP, before the mail server software is aware of the new mailbox.
When using the EHCP default email system (Courier), the system requires an email to be sent before you are able to log into your new email account. In other words, Courier requires an email to be received, before it will create the mailbox file structure, and without this existing, it will not allow you to log in using an email client.
This is not an issue when using Dovecot however, as the mailbox will be created without an email being received (yet another reason to use Dovecot).
What may also happen is that the welcome email will be received by the postmaster account instead, telling the postmaster that the email has bounced.
This bug has most likely existed in all previous versions of EHCP and EHCP force, but has gone unnoticed as it happens once in every blue moon.
It is more prevalent on older and slower hardware.
If you used my old 24.04 version of EHCP force, I added a “Quick and dirty” fix for this, but in this version I have not, as if you used Dovecot, it is not a problem. At the time of creating the 24.04 version, I thought this only effected the first email account, but I was wrong.
This issue should be quite fixable programmatically, but this is a Job for the author of EHCP force as I have not modified the main EHCP force application file, in the 26.04 version (to help with EHCP force updates).
The Workaround
If you are using Dovecot, then no need to do anything, as you will be able to log into your new email account, but it will of course be empty.
If you are using courier, then just delete the email account, wait 5 minutes and then re-create it.
To avoid this, you could try waiting a few minutes between operations, in other words wait 2 or 3 minutes before creating an email account, if you have just done something else within the EHCP control panel.
If you are creating more than one email account, maybe wait a few minutes between each.
One final note, just remember that most of you will never be affected by this bug.
Workaround Found: YES
Workaround Complexity: EASY
Bug Description
In maybe 1 to 5 percent of cases, when you create a new email account from within the EHCP control panel, you cannot log into your new email account.
More Information
What is happening is that the welcome email is getting sent by EHCP, before the mail server software is aware of the new mailbox.
When using the EHCP default email system (Courier), the system requires an email to be sent before you are able to log into your new email account. In other words, Courier requires an email to be received, before it will create the mailbox file structure, and without this existing, it will not allow you to log in using an email client.
This is not an issue when using Dovecot however, as the mailbox will be created without an email being received (yet another reason to use Dovecot).
What may also happen is that the welcome email will be received by the postmaster account instead, telling the postmaster that the email has bounced.
This bug has most likely existed in all previous versions of EHCP and EHCP force, but has gone unnoticed as it happens once in every blue moon.
It is more prevalent on older and slower hardware.
If you used my old 24.04 version of EHCP force, I added a “Quick and dirty” fix for this, but in this version I have not, as if you used Dovecot, it is not a problem. At the time of creating the 24.04 version, I thought this only effected the first email account, but I was wrong.
This issue should be quite fixable programmatically, but this is a Job for the author of EHCP force as I have not modified the main EHCP force application file, in the 26.04 version (to help with EHCP force updates).
The Workaround
If you are using Dovecot, then no need to do anything, as you will be able to log into your new email account, but it will of course be empty.
If you are using courier, then just delete the email account, wait 5 minutes and then re-create it.
To avoid this, you could try waiting a few minutes between operations, in other words wait 2 or 3 minutes before creating an email account, if you have just done something else within the EHCP control panel.
If you are creating more than one email account, maybe wait a few minutes between each.
One final note, just remember that most of you will never be affected by this bug.