Topic: Import old EMail into SME5.5

[serge]

I have completely rebuild my SME server and used the new version 5.5.

Because I had some strange symptoms with my old config (it was modified somewhat) I chose not to restore my backup on the new server.  I did not want to restore "problems" as well.

Now, with the new SME 5.5, I understand the EMail system has changed a little.  How can I iport (or copy) my old email messages from my old SME 5.1.2 into the new SME 5.5?

It seems that copying the messages into the home../MailDir/cur and changing the permissions does not do the trick.

Any ideas?

Serge.

[ralph]

Hi Serge,

if its just for a handfull of account and in case you got your mails stored on some kind of client locally, just connect to the users new mailbox on your sme server and copy the folder(s) over.

Simple and stupid way, but it does ..

greetings,

Ralph

[Morten Grendal]

I'm trying to do about the same thing, only that I want to import into a server with a completly new setup - new hostname and folder setup, and I've previously done a backup to desktop. When I'm trying to copy the files back I can't see them - not through webmail and not through Outlook/IMAP account.

Is what I'm trying to do possible, and/or what should I do? It's just a few messages so I don't mind some manual work...

Thanks,
Morten

[Serge Dutremble]

I am using IMAP to access my mail from many different computers.

Copying the files would only work when you use POP3.

Any other ideas?

Serge.

[Les Mikesell]

If you have an IMAP client with accounts on different machines you should be able to copy from any folder to any other, including the inboxes.   With GUI clients it should just be a drag and drop.

[leafer]

I always put them in the Maildir/new if there are probs let the server sort it out. Maybe it works for you.

[ralph]

Hi Serge,

depends on your mailclient. In case its outlook, go to tools, options, mailsetup, mailretrieval ( or kind a like ) and tell your outlook to download both mailbody and attachments completely ( you will have to do so for every folder ).

Than create a new mailaccount pointing to the new server and simply copy the stuff over.

Alternatively you can use your local store ( pst file ).

Hope that helps, cheers,
Ralph

[Serge Dutremble]

Placing them in /Maildir/new imported all the messages I had in the inbox.

What about the other folders I have?

Should I create them in IMP first and then move manually each old content in the appropriate new folder or is there a faster way?

I found from experience that creating the folders in Outlook Express sometimes has weird results:  the folders are not always created where you would expect and sub-sub-folders end-up not being visible either under Outlook Express or IMP.

I also suspect a restore from backup would have created quite a mess.

There is no warning that a restore of an SME 5.1.2 backup may cause mail to be screwed up under SME 5.5.

This is a major problem!!!

Am I seeing this wright?

Serge.

[Jason Judge]

Was there ever a file-based solution to this problem? I am trying to do the same thing.

I can back up the old SME 5.1.2 files onto another machine and installe SME 5.5/5.6 from scratch on the server. I then want to restore the mail messages, preserving folder structures and mail received timestamps.

Do I need to create the folders using a mail client then copy all the old mail files to the 'new' directories of each of these folders? I've tried this before and lost both a lot of the structure and the 'received' timestamps of the copied mail files (even after ensuring the files' timestamps were preserved.

Like the original poster, I have made many changes to the server over time to do the extra things I want the server to do. With the advent of 5.6 it looks like most of what I want is now included out of the box, so now I would like to baseline the server. Unfortunately I don't have a second server spare to migrate to.

-- Jason