dovecot - Sep 2005 - "$default_mail_env/cur" not found with passwd-file authentication on v1.0-test80

hi all,

i've built

	dovecot: Sep 09 18:04:24 Info: Dovecot v1.0-test80 starting up

on OSX 10.4.2.

in addition to pgsql auth, which is working 4 me, i'd like to step-by-step 
verify simple passwd-file authentication/testing.

unfortunately, i'm having a problem with the login process NOT FINDING the 
".../cur" dir.

here are the details ....

my config includes:

	...
	default_mail_env = 
maildir:/var/Data/Mail/%d/Accounts/%1u/%u/Maildir:INDEX=/var/Data/Mail/indexes/%d/%n
	...
	auth default {
		mechanisms               = plain
		userdb passwd-file {args = /var/Settings/Security/test_user_file}
		passdb passwd-file {args = /var/Settings/Security/test_user_file}
		...
	}
	...

my 'test_user_file' has a test user "testuser at
testdomain.com" with an
appropriately CRYPT'd pwd

	% grep /var/Settings/Security/test_user_file testuser
 
	testuser at
mydomain.com:XXXXXXXXXX:65001:65001:/var/Data/Mail/mydomain.com/Accounts/t/testuser/Maildir::::

when i login via telnet/shell, i get:

	% telnet localhost 143
		Trying 127.0.0.1...
		Connected to localhost.
		Escape character is '^]'.
		* OK IMAP ready
		x login testuser at mydomain.com testuser
		x OK Logged in.
		Connection closed by foreign host.

and my log shows:

	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: auth(default): client in: AUTH   1       PLAIN 
service=IMAP    secured lip=127.0.0.1   rip=127.0.0.1 
resp=AGJsYWtlcnNAb3BlbmV4ZWMuY29tAGJsYWtlcnM	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info:
auth(default): client out: OK    1
user=testuser at mydomain.com
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: auth(default): master in: REQUEST        1 
1486    1
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: auth(default): master out: USER  1 
testuser at mydomain.com    uid=65001       gid=65001 
home=/var/Data/Mail/mydomain.com/Accounts/t/testuser/Maildir
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap-login: Login: 
user=<testuser at mydomain.com>, method=PLAIN, rip=127.0.0.1,
lip=127.0.0.1,
secured
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): Effective 
uid=65001, gid=65001
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): Namespace: 
type=private, prefix=Private/, sep=/, inbox=yes, hidden=no, subscriptions=no
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): maildir 
autodetect: stat($default_mail_env/cur) failed: No such file or directory
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): mbox autodetect:
data=$default_mail_env
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): mbox autodetect:
INBOX file: stat($default_mail_env) failed: No such file or directory
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): mbox autodetect:
has .imap/: stat($default_mail_env/.imap) failed: No such file or directory
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): mbox autodetect:
has inbox: stat($default_mail_env/inbox) failed: No such file or directory
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): mbox autodetect:
has mbox: stat($default_mail_env/mbox) failed: No such file or directory
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Error: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): Ambiguous mail 
location setting, don't know what to do with it: $default_mail_env (try 
prefixing it with mbox: or maildir:)
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Error: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): Failed to
create
storage for 'Private/' with data: $default_mail_env
	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Error: child 1496 (imap) returned error 89


ignoring, for the moment the mbox 'complaints', and worrying first about
the
first:

	dovecot: Sep 09 18:17:39 Info: imap(testuser at mydomain.com): maildir 
autodetect: stat($default_mail_env/cur) failed: No such file or directory

i'm a bit stymied ....

if i understand correctly, that:

	autodetect: stat($default_mail_env/cur)

is looking for: 
"/var/Data/Mail/mydomain.com/Accounts/t/testuser/Maildir/cur",
which, on my system, exists:

	% ls -d /var/Data/Mail/mydomain.com/Accounts/t/testuser/Maildir/cur
		/var/Data/Mail/mydomain.com/Accounts/t/testuser/Maildir/cur


as i've had all this working fine with pgsql authentication, i have this 
sneaking suspicion that i'm missing something obvious here.

thoughts? suggestions?

thx!

richard