[Dovecot] how to migrate from one server to another?

[Bram Mertens]

Jon Roma wrote:
> 
> 
> Bram Mertens <bram-mertens at linux.be> wrote:
> 
>> Hi
>>
>> I have purchased and installed a new PC and would like to transfer my
>> mail (in Maildir format) to it.
>>
>> Are there any precautions I must take before copying the mail over?
>>
>> I will disable mail delivery temporarily so no new mail gets written to
>> disk but I don't know if dovecot has to be stopped before copying/editing
>> mail for backup or migrating purposes.
>>
>> Anything else I must pay attention to?
> 
> 
> I would advise not only stopping mail delivery but stopping dovecot as
> well; the rule of thumb is that you want NOTHING to be manipulating the
> mail when you're moving it or backing it up.  This includes dovecot.

Thanks I'll keep that in mind.

> I'd recommend making a backup and/or saving the old mail for as long as
> necessary to ensure that everything's in good shape on your new machine.

The old machine will still contain a copy but I did plan on making an 
extra backup.

> I just completed a conversion (not only of servers but of mail formats)
> of about 3 gigabytes -- while your conversion may be simpler and less
> tedious than mine, I can't overstate the importance of having a "safe"
> backup copy of your mail should anything go awry.
> 
> You didn't mention what OS you're using, but assuming you're using a UNIX
> or Linux system, you might make a tar image of your maildir tree, squirrel
> away a copy of the image for safekeeping, and then copy the image to the
> new box.

I'm using Debian Linux (testing on one machine, Sarge on the other) 
(sorry I didn't mention this I'm starting take it for granted... :)

I'll make sure I have the exact same version of dovecot on both machines 
to be sure.

> Then when you untar the image, be sure you preserve the ownership and
> permissions or run 'find' to fix them up after you explode the tarball
> into its new home.

Thanks I'll give it a try tommorow!

Regards

Bram