[Dovecot] Moving mail servers, moving mailboxes
So, I've done some searching - but search terms are hard to come by, that work, for this query.
In short, migrating a RHEL 5.9 server running the back-ported Dovecot 1.0.7 To: Ububtu 12.04 with 2.0.19, I believe.
[I'm not against compiling a more recent version if there's some real advantage to doing so. But I'd certainly prefer to stay with the packaged version.]
Most users are POP3, with some leaving messages on the server for a while.
Other users are IMAP - whole mail repository on server.
In an ideal world, I'd like to simply copy all the mailboxes/dirs from one server to the other. [Local/LAN file copies are possible]
It would be great if the message ID's wouldn't change, so the read/unread/new etc status all all the messages wouldn't change between the two servers for POP/IMAP.
So, does anyone have a reasonable walk-through for doing so? Is this a poor idea? Should I simply set myself on fire now and save everyone a lot of hassle? :) Would you suggest an alternative, and tell me if it might achieve the objectives above?
I'm more than glad to take pointers to threads on this topic. I just haven't been able to dredge this up with my Google-foo.
TIA -Greg
I hate to bug anyone about this again, but I'm really unsure of how best to proceed.
If someone could point me in a good direction - a web-link or link to a relevant listserv thread - I'd really appreciate it.
Some additional searches have given me _some_ new ideas.
- I've seen about dsync - but it appears that would only help between two v2.x Postfix machines, correct? [Or will it pull from 1.x to 2.x without an issue?]
TIA
-Greg
GS> So, I've done some searching - but search terms are hard to come by, GS> that work, for this query.
GS> In short, migrating a RHEL 5.9 server running the back-ported Dovecot 1.0.7 GS> To: Ububtu 12.04 with 2.0.19, I believe.
GS> [I'm not against compiling a more recent version if there's some real GS> advantage to doing so. But I'd certainly prefer to stay with the GS> packaged version.]
GS> Most users are POP3, with some leaving messages on the server for a GS> while.
GS> Other users are IMAP - whole mail repository on server.
GS> --- GS> In an ideal world, I'd like to simply copy all the mailboxes/dirs from one GS> server to the other. [Local/LAN file copies are possible]
GS> It would be great if the message ID's wouldn't change, so the GS> read/unread/new etc status all all the messages wouldn't change GS> between the two servers for POP/IMAP.
GS> --- GS> So, does anyone have a reasonable walk-through for doing so? GS> Is this a poor idea? GS> Should I simply set myself on fire now and save everyone a lot of hassle? :) GS> Would you suggest an alternative, and tell me if it might achieve the GS> objectives above?
GS> I'm more than glad to take pointers to threads on this topic. I just GS> haven't been able to dredge this up with my Google-foo.
GS> TIA GS> -Greg
Hi, I don't think dsync works between 1.x and 2.x.
I have migrated a few of my clients exchange servers to my dovecot servers and I always find LARCH https://github.com/rgrove/larch works really well.
Michael.
On 17/04/2013 2:59 PM, Gregory Sloop wrote:
I hate to bug anyone about this again, but I'm really unsure of how best to proceed.
If someone could point me in a good direction - a web-link or link to a relevant listserv thread - I'd really appreciate it.
Some additional searches have given me _some_ new ideas.
- I've seen about dsync - but it appears that would only help between two v2.x Postfix machines, correct? [Or will it pull from 1.x to 2.x without an issue?]
TIA
-Greg
GS> So, I've done some searching - but search terms are hard to come by, GS> that work, for this query.
GS> In short, migrating a RHEL 5.9 server running the back-ported Dovecot 1.0.7 GS> To: Ububtu 12.04 with 2.0.19, I believe.
GS> [I'm not against compiling a more recent version if there's some real GS> advantage to doing so. But I'd certainly prefer to stay with the GS> packaged version.]
GS> Most users are POP3, with some leaving messages on the server for a GS> while.
GS> Other users are IMAP - whole mail repository on server.
GS> --- GS> In an ideal world, I'd like to simply copy all the mailboxes/dirs from one GS> server to the other. [Local/LAN file copies are possible]
GS> It would be great if the message ID's wouldn't change, so the GS> read/unread/new etc status all all the messages wouldn't change GS> between the two servers for POP/IMAP.
GS> --- GS> So, does anyone have a reasonable walk-through for doing so? GS> Is this a poor idea? GS> Should I simply set myself on fire now and save everyone a lot of hassle? :) GS> Would you suggest an alternative, and tell me if it might achieve the GS> objectives above?
GS> I'm more than glad to take pointers to threads on this topic. I just GS> haven't been able to dredge this up with my Google-foo.
GS> TIA GS> -Greg
-- Regards, Michael.
On 16.4.2013, at 2.48, Gregory Sloop <gregs@sloop.net> wrote:
In short, migrating a RHEL 5.9 server running the back-ported Dovecot 1.0.7 To: Ububtu 12.04 with 2.0.19, I believe.
Dovecot v2.0 can use v1.0's mbox/maildir files including their metadata. v2.0 should also be able to read v1.0's index files without errors.
In an ideal world, I'd like to simply copy all the mailboxes/dirs from one server to the other. [Local/LAN file copies are possible]
You can do that. Or use rsync.
On 17/04/2013 10:58, Timo Sirainen wrote:
On 16.4.2013, at 2.48, Gregory Sloop<gregs@sloop.net> wrote:
In short, migrating a RHEL 5.9 server running the back-ported Dovecot 1.0.7 To: Ububtu 12.04 with 2.0.19, I believe.
Dovecot v2.0 can use v1.0's mbox/maildir files including their metadata. v2.0 should also be able to read v1.0's index files without errors.
We've a similar wish, except that we were hoping to install 2.2 on a different box (intending in our case to run Debian Squeeze instead of Ubuntu LTS). Can 2.2 (or, if not, then 2.1) also read 1.0 metadata?
(Or is 'only' 2.0 able to read 1.0 metadata? In which case we'd probably migrate through 2.0.x to 2.2, on Squeeze.)
Note on the Wiki: The Migration page http://wiki2.dovecot.org/Migration is good at describing migration 'to' Dovecot from other systems, and does suggest that Dovecot will read existing files. I think there were earlier discussions on the list about Dovecot version changes which meant that newer versions could read older versions' data, but older versions could not read newer versions' data. These aspects are not relevant for 'migrating to' Dovecot, but are worth keeping in mind for 'upgrading' Dovecot.
There is version to version upgrading advice, covering all aspects, not only which version can read what, here http://wiki2.dovecot.org/Upgrading
What I can see, from the descriptions of each version change, is that V2.x can read V1.x, but V1.2.4 or lower cannot read V2.x data. Permissions for Maildir changed, though, in V2.0 and, then for all mailbox types (it says 'creating home directories', actually), in V2.2. This latter change in 2.2 seems to be relevant for any mailboxes that will be accessed by several different users who are actually 'system users', ie, a mail service where the mailbox is 'shared', and the installation is using 'system users' (not, therefore, using 'virtual users', if I have understood correctly).
This info is (surely) fully understood already by all the serious mail-server users on the list, but I wonder if it might be helpful to spell it out for less confident users who are getting up to speed with these aspects. If the text I've written above is correct, shall I add it to the upgrading page of the Wiki, so that there is a definitive answer to the query which version(s) read what?
regards, Ron
TS> On 16.4.2013, at 2.48, Gregory Sloop <gregs@sloop.net> wrote:
In short, migrating a RHEL 5.9 server running the back-ported Dovecot 1.0.7 To: Ububtu 12.04 with 2.0.19, I believe.
TS> Dovecot v2.0 can use v1.0's mbox/maildir files including their TS> metadata. v2.0 should also be able to read v1.0's index files without errors.
Thanks Timo for the answer - that helps a lot...
Now, some follow-up.
I assume this means that all version of 2.x (to current) can read 1.x files. [If I'm wrong, please correct me.]
Is there a tool to convert/migrate the mailbox format from v1 to 2, or does v2 do it "automagically" or something?
[I'm sure there must be a tool, but some searching wasn't finding it for me.]
As long as I'm asking about mailbox formats, is it possible to use DBox with postfix - it appears on the Wiki that it's not, but then I find posts on the web that appear to indicate it *is* possible. [We're using Postfix as our MTA.]
Thanks again all!
-Greg
In an ideal world, I'd like to simply copy all the mailboxes/dirs from one server to the other. [Local/LAN file copies are possible]
TS> You can do that. Or use rsync.
-- Gregory Sloop, Principal: Sloop Network & Computer Consulting Voice: 503.251.0452 x82 EMail: gregs@sloop.net http://www.sloop.net
On Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 07:18:54AM -0700, Gregory Sloop wrote:
As long as I'm asking about mailbox formats, is it possible to use DBox with postfix - it appears on the Wiki that it's not, but then I find posts on the web that appear to indicate it *is* possible.
Postfix has native support only for mbox and maildir. But Postfix can invoke the Dovecot LDA via a pipe(8) transport(5), or lmtp(8) to Dovecot's LMTP service.
http://wiki2.dovecot.org/HowTo/PostfixDovecotLMTP http://wiki2.dovecot.org/LDA http://wiki2.dovecot.org/LMTP
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participants (5)
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Gregory Sloop
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Michael
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Ron Leach
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Timo Sirainen