Mac OS X Server 10.0 and later: About the IMAP Admin Access Port

This document explains the purpose of the IMAP Admin Access Port in Mac OS X Server 10.0 and later, and how to use it.
The IMAP options in Server Admin let you select "Allow IMAP Administrator Access," with a default TCP port of 626. Mail administrators can remotely access the server at this port, view outgoing mail waiting to be delivered to other SMTP hosts, and view mail in users' mailboxes.

Warning: Care should be taken to restrict this access to trusted administrators. The messages can be read, forwarded, and deleted. This is a very powerful feature that is useful in troubleshooting and mail server management.

How to enable Access

Preparing the administrator user

In your Users & Groups list, be sure you have at least one user set up for this purpose. The user must have have three characteristics:

Connecting to the IMAP Admin Access Port
Published Date: Feb 17, 2012