anouar1991 Zimbra Administration
Comprehensive guide for Zimbra server administration covering user management, domain configuration, server settings, and common administrative tasks.
Core Concepts
Zimbra Architecture
Zimbra Collaboration Suite consists of several components:
- mailboxd - Java application server handling mail storage, IMAP, POP, CalDAV
- MTA - Postfix mail transfer agent for SMTP
- LDAP - OpenLDAP directory for configuration and authentication
- proxy - nginx reverse proxy for HTTP/HTTPS/IMAP/POP
- memcached - Session caching
- convertd - Document conversion service
Command-Line Tools
Primary administration tools (run as zimbra user):
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
zmprov |
Provisioning - users, domains, COS, server config |
zmcontrol |
Service management - start, stop, status |
zmmailbox |
Mailbox operations - folders, messages, search |
zmcertmgr |
Certificate management |
zmlocalconfig |
Local server configuration |
zmsoap |
SOAP API command-line interface |
User Management
Create User Account
# Basic account creation
zmprov ca user@domain.com password
# With display name
zmprov ca user@domain.com password displayName "John Doe"
# With COS assignment
zmprov ca user@domain.com password zimbraCOSid <cos-id>
# With multiple attributes
zmprov ca user@domain.com password \
displayName "John Doe" \
givenName "John" \
sn "Doe" \
zimbraMailQuota 1073741824
Modify User Attributes
# Set single attribute
zmprov ma user@domain.com zimbraMailQuota 2147483648
# Set multiple attributes
zmprov ma user@domain.com \
zimbraMailQuota 2147483648 \
zimbraFeatureCalendarEnabled TRUE
# Add to multi-value attribute
zmprov ma user@domain.com +zimbraMailAlias alias@domain.com
# Remove from multi-value attribute
zmprov ma user@domain.com -zimbraMailAlias alias@domain.com
Query User Information
# Get all attributes
zmprov ga user@domain.com
# Get specific attribute
zmprov ga user@domain.com zimbraMailQuota
# Search accounts
zmprov -l sa "(&(objectClass=zimbraAccount)(zimbraAccountStatus=active))"
# List all accounts in domain
zmprov -l gaa domain.com
Account Status Management
# Lock account
zmprov ma user@domain.com zimbraAccountStatus locked
# Close account (no login, mail bounced)
zmprov ma user@domain.com zimbraAccountStatus closed
# Maintenance mode
zmprov ma user@domain.com zimbraAccountStatus maintenance
# Reactivate
zmprov ma user@domain.com zimbraAccountStatus active
# Delete account
zmprov da user@domain.com
Domain Management
Create Domain
# Basic domain
zmprov cd domain.com
# With settings
zmprov cd domain.com \
zimbraPublicServiceHostname mail.domain.com \
zimbraPublicServiceProtocol https \
zimbraPublicServicePort 443
Domain Settings
# Get domain info
zmprov gd domain.com
# Modify domain
zmprov md domain.com zimbraMailDomainQuota 10737418240
# Set default COS for domain
zmprov md domain.com zimbraDomainDefaultCOSId <cos-id>
# Delete domain
zmprov dd domain.com
Class of Service (COS)
COS defines feature sets and quotas for groups of users.
# List all COS
zmprov gac
# Create COS
zmprov cc "Standard Users" zimbraMailQuota 1073741824
# Get COS details
zmprov gc "Standard Users"
# Modify COS
zmprov mc "Standard Users" zimbraFeatureMailEnabled TRUE
# Assign COS to user
zmprov ma user@domain.com zimbraCOSid <cos-id>
# Delete COS
zmprov dc "Standard Users"
Server Management
Service Control
# Check all services
zmcontrol status
# Start all services
zmcontrol start
# Stop all services
zmcontrol stop
# Restart specific service
zmcontrol restart mta
zmcontrol restart mailbox
zmcontrol restart ldap
zmcontrol restart proxy
# Full restart
zmcontrol restart
Server Configuration
# Get server config
zmprov gs mail.domain.com
# Get specific setting
zmprov gs mail.domain.com zimbraSmtpHostname
# Modify server
zmprov ms mail.domain.com zimbraSmtpHostname localhost
# List all servers
zmprov gas
# Get global config
zmprov gacf
# Modify global config
zmprov mcf zimbraMailPurgeSleepInterval 1m
Common LDAP Attributes
Account Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
zimbraAccountStatus |
active, locked, closed, maintenance |
zimbraMailQuota |
Quota in bytes (0 = unlimited) |
zimbraMailAlias |
Email aliases (multi-value) |
zimbraMailForwardingAddress |
Forward destination |
zimbraFeatureCalendarEnabled |
Calendar access |
zimbraFeatureContactsEnabled |
Contacts access |
zimbraCOSid |
Assigned Class of Service |
Domain Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
zimbraDomainStatus |
active, locked, closed, maintenance |
zimbraDomainDefaultCOSId |
Default COS for new accounts |
zimbraMailDomainQuota |
Domain aggregate quota |
zimbraPublicServiceHostname |
Public hostname |
zimbraVirtualHostname |
Virtual host mapping |
Troubleshooting
Check Service Health
# Service status
zmcontrol status
# Check mailbox
zmmailboxdctl status
# Check MTA
zmmtactl status
# View logs
tail -f /opt/zimbra/log/mailbox.log
tail -f /opt/zimbra/log/zimbra.log
LDAP Issues
# Test LDAP connection
ldapsearch -x -H ldap://localhost:389 -D "uid=zimbra,cn=admins,cn=zimbra" \
-w $(zmlocalconfig -s -m nokey zimbra_ldap_password) -b "" -s base
# Check LDAP replication (multi-server)
/opt/zimbra/libexec/zmreplchk
Verify Configuration
# Describe attribute (verify it exists)
zmprov desc -a server | grep -i attributeName
# Dump all server attributes
zmprov gs $(hostname) > /tmp/server-config.txt
Version Differences
Zimbra 8.x vs 9.x/10.x
- 8.x: Classic Web Client, traditional admin console
- 9.x: Introduces Modern Web Client, GraphQL API
- 10.x: Enhanced Modern Web Client, deprecated Classic for new deployments
Command Compatibility
Most zmprov commands work across versions. Version-specific commands:
# Check Zimbra version
zmcontrol -v
# Zimbra 10.x specific
zmprov ms mail.domain.com zimbraModernWebClientEnabled TRUE
Additional Resources
Reference Files
For detailed attribute listings and advanced configurations:
references/zmprov-commands.md- Complete zmprov command referencereferences/ldap-attributes.md- Full LDAP attribute documentation
Example Files
Working scripts in examples/:
examples/bulk-create-users.sh- Bulk user provisioning from CSVexamples/export-accounts.sh- Export all accounts with attributes