Topic: Converting POP to IMAP

[Brett Knuchel]

I am running SME Server 5.6 at work and SME Server 6.0 at home.  Both have been on POP email retrieval and I want to convert to IMAP for backup purposes.  At home and some of the work machines we are running Outlook XP with some of the work machines running Outlook Express 6.0 for email clients.  I tried converting my home system first and Outlook is reporting that the files are stored on the client computer's hard drive.  What is the correct procedure to convert from POP to IMAP.  I also noticed that under the Server-Manager for SME Server 6.0 we don't seem to have Email Retrieval settings that is a listed item under 5.6. (Which is where you could change email retrieval method as far as the server was concerned from POP to IMAP).

[Hasan Muhammad]

Can't address most of your issues; however...

All versions of Outlook and Outlook Express save a local copy of email, which is separate from the email stored on the server. The good news about IMAP is that the server copy and client(s) copy of the email can be kept in sync [think home, work, and laptop computer]. This includes the Inbox and some other folders (but not the Outlook personal folders).

[%sig%]

[Boris]

I would create on the computer another account for the same server as IMAP, subscribe to the IMAP folders with this account and then, just drag messages from the local folders to the IMAP folders if you want them to sit on the server.

[Brett Knuchel]

Boris, that is exactly what I did.  It seems to me as though Outlook has a copy for offline reading now on the hard drive.  The one problem I still have is that it seems as though the SME Server is still operating like a POP server because when I booted up in Mandrake 9.2 Linux (dual boot on the client workstation) and went to access the mail folders the ones that had been copied accross were there but there had been one new message since I did the copy accross in Outlook and that new message only appeared in Outlook and not in Kmail (on Mandrake).

Any ideas on how to overcome this problem.

Boris wrote:

> I would create on the computer another account for the same
> server as IMAP, subscribe to the IMAP folders with this account
> and then, just drag messages from the local folders to the IMAP
> folders if you want them to sit on the server.

[Boris]

Server works as both POP3 and IMAP. Its up to you how to configure the client software and handle the messages. If you configure one of the client to download messages (and erase) from the server, other clients will not see them. If you need a copy of the messages on the server, use IMAP for all your clients or enable the option to leave copy on the server for your POP clients.