User Migration: Difference between revisions

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Migration from one mail system to another is often painful. It can result in a user having to look in two different places to find mail, or in the worst case mail disappearing.
Migration from one mail system to another is often painful. It can result in a user having to look in two different places to find mail, or in the worst case mail disappearing.


Copying the contents of one mail system to another often seems like a good idea, that way if anything goes wrong at least the old mail is still available.
Copying the contents of one mail system to another often seems like a good idea, that way if anything goes wrong at least the old mail is still available. Ideally you know exactly what you are going to do at the start, you move everything across, and then you kill the old mail system (or at least make it not visible from mail clients).  That way users are not confused by having two sets of identical folders.


Ideally you know exactly what you are going to do at the start, you move everything across and then you kill the old mail system (or at least make it not visible from Mail clients).  That way users are not confused by having two sets of identical folders.
In reality you may have to learn on the job. After user data has been migrated to Zimbra, users can access their mail via the web client without any additional setup until their mail client has been configured to access the Zimbra server.


In reality you may have to learnt on the Job, al least if you have to walk around a load of PCs
at least the users can be using the web based mail program until you get to them, to convert their mail client to point from old mail server to Zimbra


Many users think email means Outlook, this is unfortunate for a number of reasons.
== Migrating from an existing IMAP server ==


Lots of different versions of outlook exist, and upgrading a whole company to the same version
Currently, the recommended method for migrating users to Zimbra from an existing IMAP server is with the [http://freshmeat.net/projects/imapsync/ imapsync] tool written by Gilles Lamiral. The following guide to imapsync was originally posted to the forums by GertThiel:
may cost some money, so consiqently people do not upgrade.


Microsoft have not really gone the whole way to make Outlook work smoothly with IMAP, some have
Before you can use imapsync you must have both the source IMAP message store and ZCS up running and accessible to user accounts via IMAP. You can check that using an email client before starting the migration. You will need the login names (i.e. email addresses) and passwords for the users to be migrated. In addition, imapsync will not be able to authenticate to the Zimbra server until you enable clear text login for the IMAP service. You can set that option under the IMAP tab of the Global Settings or individual Server settings in the Zimbra Admin Console UI.  Finally, consider that imapsync will be a heavy load on your CPU and memory; the system running the migration will be less responsive.
argued that they have deliberately done this. Microsofts incentive is to make users move to Exchange server.


Inconsistancies like, you must have a personal folder when using imap or pop and don,t need one with exchange, leave users wondering why they have two inboxs trash etc. Also the fact that the personal folder always appears first and imap at the bottom, shows that when it come to open standards Microsoft are not your friend.
For this example my existing IMAP server is running on server.gtds.lan and I set up Zimbra on a new machine named zimbra.gtds.lan.


    imapsync --nosyncacls --syncinternaldates \
    --host1 server.gtds.lan --user1 yourAccount --password1 yourPassword \
    --host2 zimbra.gtds.lan --user2 yourZimbraAccount --password2 yourZimbraPassword


== The Good News ==
Of course the complete command belongs on one line (signified by the backslashes: \).


A slightly more secure method is to write each password into a seperate file, and then use the --passfile{1|2} options intead of the --password{1|2} options:


1) YOU DONT HAVE TO USE OUTLOOK
    imapsync --nosyncacls --syncinternaldates \
    --host1 server.gtds.lan --user1 yourAccount --passfile1 yourPasswordFile \
    --host2 zimbra.gtds.lan --user2 yourZimbraAccount --passfile2 yourZimbraPasswordFile


The Zimbra web client is adeqaute for a large number of users
You may interrupt imapsync at any time with CTRL-C. Simply restart the same command again to resume the migration.
Thunderbird has good imap support


2) IF THE USERS INSIST ON OUTLOOK
I used imapsync to migrate from a Cyrus IMAPd to Zimbra. The [http://www.linux-france.org/prj/imapsync/README ReadMe] lists a number of other IMAP servers compatible with imapsync.


Existing data contained in personal folders can be saved to a PST file from within outlook
then a utility is provided by Zimbra to move this data to the Zimbra server.


You need the ZCS Import Wizard see how to get this below.  This does not always work 100%
== Migrating from POP3 ==
and you may need to be selective about what you export from outlook to the PST file before doing the import.


Just put this into your browser :-


http://your.mailserver.com/zimbra/downloads/index.html


and select the  ZCSImportWiz-(version).exe download and run it.
== Migrating from Exchange ==


*Here are some really useful [[Outlook PST Import Wizard Tips]].


3) IF MOVING FROM EXCHANGE


Zimbra have provided an excelent utiliy for moving everything from an excahnge server to a Zimbra
== Migrating from Lotus Domino/Notes ==
server.
 
Just put this into your browser :-
 
http://your.mailserver.com/zimbra/downloads/index.html
 
and select the ZCSMigWiz-(version).exe
 
This is a great program because you can pick the accounts you want it to move, tell it to do it then
go home early.
 
== Summary ==
 
The Open Source world and Closed Source world do not always mix.
If all you need from email is simple IMAP-style access, use Open Source Zimbra with the Zimbra webmail interface for calendars/contacts and then additionally Thunderbird for IMAP on the desktop.
 
If your users really really really love their Outlook, you should purchase Zimbra Network Edition. This is especially important if you are moving from Exchange- as users will whine if they loose functionality. Also, the Zimbra developers need to eat!

Revision as of 03:04, 1 April 2006

Migration from one mail system to another is often painful. It can result in a user having to look in two different places to find mail, or in the worst case mail disappearing.

Copying the contents of one mail system to another often seems like a good idea, that way if anything goes wrong at least the old mail is still available. Ideally you know exactly what you are going to do at the start, you move everything across, and then you kill the old mail system (or at least make it not visible from mail clients). That way users are not confused by having two sets of identical folders.

In reality you may have to learn on the job. After user data has been migrated to Zimbra, users can access their mail via the web client without any additional setup until their mail client has been configured to access the Zimbra server.


Migrating from an existing IMAP server

Currently, the recommended method for migrating users to Zimbra from an existing IMAP server is with the imapsync tool written by Gilles Lamiral. The following guide to imapsync was originally posted to the forums by GertThiel:

Before you can use imapsync you must have both the source IMAP message store and ZCS up running and accessible to user accounts via IMAP. You can check that using an email client before starting the migration. You will need the login names (i.e. email addresses) and passwords for the users to be migrated. In addition, imapsync will not be able to authenticate to the Zimbra server until you enable clear text login for the IMAP service. You can set that option under the IMAP tab of the Global Settings or individual Server settings in the Zimbra Admin Console UI. Finally, consider that imapsync will be a heavy load on your CPU and memory; the system running the migration will be less responsive.

For this example my existing IMAP server is running on server.gtds.lan and I set up Zimbra on a new machine named zimbra.gtds.lan.

   imapsync --nosyncacls --syncinternaldates \
   --host1 server.gtds.lan --user1 yourAccount --password1 yourPassword \
   --host2 zimbra.gtds.lan --user2 yourZimbraAccount --password2 yourZimbraPassword

Of course the complete command belongs on one line (signified by the backslashes: \).

A slightly more secure method is to write each password into a seperate file, and then use the --passfile{1|2} options intead of the --password{1|2} options:

   imapsync --nosyncacls --syncinternaldates \
   --host1 server.gtds.lan --user1 yourAccount --passfile1 yourPasswordFile \
   --host2 zimbra.gtds.lan --user2 yourZimbraAccount --passfile2 yourZimbraPasswordFile

You may interrupt imapsync at any time with CTRL-C. Simply restart the same command again to resume the migration.

I used imapsync to migrate from a Cyrus IMAPd to Zimbra. The ReadMe lists a number of other IMAP servers compatible with imapsync.


Migrating from POP3

Migrating from Exchange

Migrating from Lotus Domino/Notes

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