Using multiple maildirs

Hello world )

We're going to migrate to new mailserver. Old and new
mailservers use the same 
set of services - FreeBSD, Postfix, Courier-IMAP, Áll
settings for mail are 
kept in MySQL.

We have a problem with moving users maildirs from old server
to new one - it 
must use too much time if offline.

Is it possible to use users maildirs at old and new servers
together and 
transparently for users?
For example, user connects to new server by IMAP/POP3, new
server looks 
maildirs for this user in new place and in old place. After
some time old 
server will be stopped. Email will be received by new
server, old server will 
only keep old messages.

Thanks.
Malik.

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Zed wrote:
> Hello world )
>
> We're going to migrate to new mailserver. Old and new
mailservers use the same 
> set of services - FreeBSD, Postfix, Courier-IMAP, Áll
settings for mail are 
> kept in MySQL.
>
> We have a problem with moving users maildirs from old
server to new one - it 
> must use too much time if offline.
>
> Is it possible to use users maildirs at old and new
servers together and 
> transparently for users?
> For example, user connects to new server by IMAP/POP3,
new server looks 
> maildirs for this user in new place and in old place.
After some time old 
> server will be stopped. Email will be received by new
server, old server will 
> only keep old messages.
NFS mount the old server's Maildirs on the new server.  Then
use 
symlinks on the new server to point to the NFS Mount and
user's home.  e.g.:

New server mounts old servers Maildirs under:
/mnt/oldserver/maildirs/

New server has local Maildirs under:
/var/maildir/

already moved users would have Maildirs like:
/var/maildir/joesmith/Maildir

create symlinks so that users not yet migrated still appear
in the same 
place on new server:
/var/maildir/janesmith ->
/mnt/oldserver/maildirs/janesmith

Then you can keep your MySQL database unchanged and move the
Maildirs 
over slowly.  Your other option would be to make the change
in MySQL for 
persons on the old server, pointing their home at the NFS
mount of the 
old server but the symlink method is easier IMHO.

Jay

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On Wednesday 04 April 2007 17:39, Jay Lee wrote:
> Zed wrote:
> > Hello world )
> >
> > We're going to migrate to new mailserver. Old and
new mailservers use the
> > same set of services - FreeBSD, Postfix,
Courier-IMAP, Áll settings for
> > mail are kept in MySQL.
> >
> > We have a problem with moving users maildirs from
old server to new one -
> > it must use too much time if offline.
> >
> > Is it possible to use users maildirs at old and
new servers together and
> > transparently for users?
> > For example, user connects to new server by
IMAP/POP3, new server looks
> > maildirs for this user in new place and in old
place. After some time old
> > server will be stopped. Email will be received by
new server, old server
> > will only keep old messages.
>
> NFS mount the old server's Maildirs on the new server. 
Then use
> symlinks on the new server to point to the NFS Mount
and user's home. 
> e.g.:
>
> New server mounts old servers Maildirs under:
> /mnt/oldserver/maildirs/
>
> New server has local Maildirs under:
> /var/maildir/
>
> already moved users would have Maildirs like:
> /var/maildir/joesmith/Maildir
>
> create symlinks so that users not yet migrated still
appear in the same
> place on new server:
> /var/maildir/janesmith ->
/mnt/oldserver/maildirs/janesmith


Hm...
I don't understand how users will migrate? If I create
symlink from old 
maildir to new all messages will be placed in NFS mounted
dirs on old server.



>
> Then you can keep your MySQL database unchanged and
move the Maildirs
> over slowly.  Your other option would be to make the
change in MySQL for
> persons on the old server, pointing their home at the
NFS mount of the
> old server but the symlink method is easier IMHO.
>
> Jay

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Zed wrote:
> I don't understand how users will migrate? If I create
symlink from old 
> maildir to new all messages will be placed in NFS
mounted dirs on old server.
>   

You would do the migrations manually.  You could configure a
script that 
moved say 5-10 accounts each night.  You could notify users
that their 
email may be unavailable on their given night for a short
time.  Unless 
their Maildirs are very large, there would only be a very
short window 
of downtime for them between when you removed the symlink
and moved the 
actual user directory.

Jay

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Ok, thank you for good idea. I'll try )


On Wednesday 04 April 2007 21:10, Jay Lee wrote:
> Zed wrote:
> > I don't understand how users will migrate? If I
create symlink from old
> > maildir to new all messages will be placed in NFS
mounted dirs on old
> > server.
>
> You would do the migrations manually.  You could
configure a script that
> moved say 5-10 accounts each night.  You could notify
users that their
> email may be unavailable on their given night for a
short time.  Unless
> their Maildirs are very large, there would only be a
very short window
> of downtime for them between when you removed the
symlink and moved the
> actual user directory.
>
> Jay

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On Wed, Apr 04, 2007 at 03:42:43PM +0600, Zed wrote:
> We're going to migrate to new mailserver. Old and new
mailservers use the same 
> set of services - FreeBSD, Postfix, Courier-IMAP, ?ll
settings for mail are 
> kept in MySQL.
> 
> We have a problem with moving users maildirs from old
server to new one - it 
> must use too much time if offline.
> 
> Is it possible to use users maildirs at old and new
servers together and 
> transparently for users?

See the not-very-well-documented "loginexec"
facility - it's described in
INSTALL.

Put a loginexec file inside the new Maildir which runs a
script which copies
the mailbox from the old server (via IMAP, via NFS mount,
via ssh and tar,
or whatever's convenient). This lets you arrange so that
when the user first
logs into the new mailserver it will copy their mail across
from the old.

But you do have to write the migration script yourself.

Regards,

Brian.

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