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imapsync gives errors, here's my previous post.

So is it possible to migrate mail servers (dovecot to dovecot) using rsync? If not, then how to migrate mail servers? Is there any tools other than imapsync?

EDIT

I didn't want to use rsync, if you read my previous post, a user called Gilles LAMIRAL said:

From dovecot to dovecot rsync will be faster, by a magnitude of 100.

I asked him: how to migrate email users and mails using rsync? He didn't reply, so I asked you.

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Lynob
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  • Where are your mail directories stored? What format (Mbox|Maildir) are your mails in? Are you using NFS, mysql for the user authentication? – NickW Mar 19 '13 at 15:45
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    I... I don't even... I mean... just... no. Don't try to migrate mail servers with rsync. – HopelessN00b Mar 19 '13 at 15:48
  • I actually migrated user mail from maildir to maildir between dovecot servers with rsync, but as voretaq7 stated, it was something I had tested and planned. – NickW Mar 19 '13 at 16:07
  • @HopelessN00b so you said `For what it's worth, migrating the mail data is sometimes done with rsync, but that's not the same thing as migrating a mail sever.` What do you think i should use? – Lynob Mar 19 '13 at 16:08
  • @NickW what would happen, if rsync mygration didn't work? – Lynob Mar 19 '13 at 16:12
  • You find another way, rsync is only a part of the process, you will use it to move user mail (and the storage structure) from A to B. The authentication, configuration and other pieces will use other tools. – NickW Mar 19 '13 at 16:15

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rsync does not "migrate" anything. It simply copies files from A to B. From the man page:

rsync is a program that behaves in much the same way that rcp does, but has many more options and uses the rsync remote-update protocol to greatly speed up file transfers when the destination file is being updated.

So the answer to your question is "It is possible to migrate mail servers using rsync, if and only if it is possible to do so by copying files from A to B." -- If you aren't sure if that is the case, test in a lab before you try it in production.

voretaq7
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    For what it's worth, migrating the mail data is sometimes done with rsync, but that's not the same thing as migrating a mail sever. – HopelessN00b Mar 19 '13 at 15:51
  • I'll try using rsync but if rsync doesn't migrate, what's the right tool then? – Lynob Mar 19 '13 at 16:09
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    @Fischer The right tools are time, a thorough understanding of your mail infrastructure, and good Unix skills (possibly including good DB skills) -- A mail server is not a lightbulb, and because email is almost always "business critical" the migration is something that requires substantial thought and planning (possibly including a test environment if this is your first migration). – voretaq7 Mar 19 '13 at 16:40