[Dovecot] Convert MBOX

[Erin D. Hughes]

Evaggelos Balaskas wrote:
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> to avoid such problems i simple create a new user with
> userdb_mail=maildir and using thunderbird i just copied the emails from
> one account to other :)
>   

Thanks Evaggelos for your reply unfortunately I need to convert about 
17,000 mboxes to maildirs.
Re-reading my last mail I see that maybe I was not so clear.

I have a old system using mbox format (sendmail/pop3d).
I am moving them to a new system using maildir format (postfix/dovecot).

I would like to rsync all of the old mail boxes to one directory on my 
new system.  Then tell dovecot that this is the location of old mbox 
file, when the user logs in for the first time convert/copy their old 
mbox to their existing mail dir on the new.  Finally copy the old mbox 
file to some thing like mbox-convert so it is not converted again.
 

I understand that the convert plugin is capable of doing this. I am 
havening trouble with the syntax though.

I read http://wiki.dovecot.org/Plugins/Convert?highlight=%28convert%29

The wiki and it seems to say.

"convert_mail= mbox:/users/home/dir/mail/:INBOX=/location/of/old/MBOX/file"

I have tried a number of different combinations but am still failing to 
get the mail/{cur,new,tmp} created in the correct user directory with 
actual mail in them.

Can some one please help w/this?

Additionally is there a way to run mail_convert on the command line to 
try to sort out the arguments? I noticed the converts are .so and .a in  
/usr/local/lib/dovecot/ so I doubt it, but it can not hurt to ask.

Regards,

Erin