Topic: How to go from ezmlm to Mailman

[holck]

I recently shifted from ezmlm to Mailman for a dozen mailing-lists, and it went quite smoothly. I did this, because ezmlm seems outdated, and Mailman offers more possibilities and seems easier to administrate. Here is a "how to":

Preparations:

• Install the Mailman contrib
  $ yum install smeserver_mailman
• Get the script ezmlm2mbox from http://www.arctic.org/~dean/scripts/ezmlm2mbox

Then, for each of your lists do

• Get subscribers:
  $ ezmlm-list /home/e-smith/files/ezmlm/lists/mylist > mylist.subscribers
• Get denied subscribers:
  $ ezmlm-list /home/e-smith/files/ezmlm/lists/mylist deny > mylist.deny
• Convert the ezmlm list to an mbox-file:
  $ ./ezmlm2mbox /home/e-smith/files/ezmlm/lists/mylist > mylist.mbox
• Backup the ezmlm list, just in case ...
  $ tar -czf mylist.tgz /home/e-smith/files/ezmlm/lists/mylist
• Remove the ezmlm list, via the ezmlm web panel
• Create the new Mailman list, via the Mailman web panel
• Add subscribers to the new list, using the file you made in step 1. I prefer to do this in silence, without letting the subscribers know.
• Check the file mylist.deny from step 2, and - if needed - adjust the settings of your new list accordingly.
• Import the mbox to Mailman
  $ cp mylist.mbox  /var/lib/mailman/archives/private/mylist.mbox/mylist.mbox
  $ /opt/mailman/bin/arch --wipe mylist
• Check and fix ownerships and access rights
  $ /opt/mailman/bin/check_perms -f

[Stefano]

Well done and thank you for sharing
Would you mind to ask for a wiki access and add it to the wiki?
Thank you again

[holck]

Well done and thank you for sharing
Would you mind to ask for a wiki access and add it to the wiki?
Thank you again

Thanks, I can easily add the how-to to the wiki. Should I make it a part of the description of Mailman (wiki.contribs.org/Mailman)?

[Stefano]

I'd say yes..

Hope HSF will step in, he's our wiki master

[Jean-Philippe Pialasse]

I have updated the mailman wiki with your how to.

For your information, ezmlm is still pretty solid and the 3.3.1 interface allow a pretty easy configuration of the list. Also using, smeserver-userpanel you can delegate lists to users.