PHP IMAP problem

hi there

i've got a problem with imap_open(). when i try to log in with a wrong
password, it doesn't le me in. perfect. but i can see that it tries to
log in three times (maybe three different modes like kerberos etc?).
now, the mailserver is configured, that it will lock a user as soon as
he types in a wrong password three times. that works fine with outlook
maybe, but it means for my web interface i have only one chance, i
mustn't mistype.

there are some possibilities on exchange's side like putting the count
of failed logins until locking up to 9 or disabling some login modes
maybe. but these are unlucky alternatives. i need a php side way. any
ideas?

thanks
lukas zierer