NAME
imapsync - IMAP synchronisation, sync, copy or migration tool.
Synchronise mailboxes between two imap servers. Good at IMAP migration.
More than 32 different IMAP server softwares supported with success.
$Revision: 1.315 $
INSTALL
imapsync works fine under any Unix OS with perl.
imapsync works fine under Windows (2000, XP) and ActiveState's 5.8 Perl
imapsync is already available directly on the following distributions (at least):
FreeBSD, Debian, Ubuntu, Gentoo, NetBSD, Darwin, Mandriva and OpenBSD (yeah!).
Get imapsync at
http://www.linux-france.org/prj/imapsync/dist/
You'll find a compressed tarball called imapsync-x.xx.tgz
where x.xx is the version number. Untar the tarball where
you want (on Unix):
tar xzvf imapsync-x.xx.tgz
Go into the directory imapsync-x.xx and read the INSTALL file.
The INSTALL file is also at
http://www.linux-france.org/prj/imapsync/INSTALL (for windows users)
The freshmeat record is at http://freshmeat.net/projects/imapsync/
SYNOPSIS
imapsync [options]
To get a description of each option just run imapsync like this:
imapsync --help
imapsync
The option list:
imapsync [--host1 server1] [--port1 <num>]
[--user1 <string>] [--passfile1 <string>]
[--host2 server2] [--port2 <num>]
[--user2 <string>] [--passfile2 <string>]
[--ssl1] [--ssl2]
[--tls1] [--tls2]
[--authmech1 <string>] [--authmech2 <string>]
[--noauthmd5]
[--folder <string> --folder <string> ...]
[--folderrec <string> --folderrec <string> ...]
[--include <regex>] [--exclude <regex>]
[--prefix2 <string>] [--prefix1 <string>]
[--regextrans2 <regex> --regextrans2 <regex> ...]
[--sep1 <char>]
[--sep2 <char>]
[--justfolders] [--justfoldersizes] [--justconnect] [--justbanner]
[--syncinternaldates]
[--idatefromheader]
[--buffersize <int>]
[--syncacls]
[--regexmess <regex>] [--regexmess <regex>]
[--maxsize <int>]
[--maxage <int>]
[--minage <int>]
[--skipheader <regex>]
[--useheader <string>] [--useheader <string>]
[--skipsize] [--allowsizemismatch]
[--delete] [--delete2]
[--expunge] [--expunge1] [--expunge2] [--uidexpunge2]
[--subscribed] [--subscribe]
[--nofoldersizes]
[--dry]
[--debug] [--debugimap]
[--timeout <int>] [--fast]
[--split1] [--split2]
[--reconnectretry1 <int>] [--reconnectretry2 <int>]
[--version] [--help]
DESCRIPTION
The command imapsync is a tool allowing incremental and recursive imap
transfer from one mailbox to another.
By default all folders are transferred, recursively.
We sometimes need to transfer mailboxes from one imap server to
another. This is called migration.
imapsync is a good tool because it reduces the amount of data
transferred by not transferring a given message if it is already on
both sides. Same headers, same message size and the transfer is done
only once. All flags are preserved, unread will stay unread, read will
stay read, deleted will stay deleted. You can stop the transfer at any
time and restart it later, imapsync works well with bad connections.
imapsync is CPU hungry so nice and renice commands can be a good help.
imapsync can be memory hungry too, especially with large messages.
You can decide to delete the messages from the source mailbox after a
successful transfer (it is a good feature when migrating). In that
case, use the --delete --expunge1 options.
You can also just synchronize a mailbox A from another mailbox B in
case you just want to keep a "live" copy of B in A.
OPTIONS
To get a description of each option just invoke:
imapsync --help
HISTORY
I wrote imapsync because an enterprise (basystemes) paid me to install
a new imap server without losing huge old mailboxes located on a far
away remote imap server accessible by a low bandwith link. The tool
imapcp (written in python) could not help me because I had to verify
every mailbox was well transferred and delete it after a good transfer.
imapsync started life as a copy_folder.pl patch. The tool
copy_folder.pl comes from the Mail-IMAPClient-2.1.3 perl module tarball
source (in the examples/ directory of the tarball).
EXAMPLE
While working on imapsync parameters please run imapsync in dry mode
(no modification induced) with the --dry option. Nothing bad can be
done this way.
To synchronize the imap account "buddy" on host "imap.src.fr" to the
imap account "max" on host "imap.dest.fr" (the passwords are located in
two files "/etc/secret1" for "buddy", "/etc/secret2" for "max"):
imapsync --host1 imap.src.fr --user1 buddy --passfile1 /etc/secret1 \
--host2 imap.dest.fr --user2 max --passfile2 /etc/secret2
Then, you will have max’s mailbox updated from buddy’s mailbox.
SECURITY
You can use --password1 instead of --passfile1 to give the password but
it is dangerous because any user on your host can see the password by
using the ’ps auxwwww’ command. Using a variable (like $PASSWORD1) is
also dangerous because of the ’ps auxwwwwe’ command. So, saving the
password in a well protected file (600 or rw-------) is the best
solution.
imasync is not totally protected against sniffers on the network since
passwords may be transferred in plain text if CRAM-MD5 is not supported
by your imap servers. Use --ssl1 (or --tls1) and --ssl2 (or --tls2) to
enable encryption on host1 and host2.
You may authenticate as one user (typically an admin user), but be
authorized as someone else, which means you don’t need to know every
user’s personal password. Specify --authuser1 "adminuser" to enable
this on host1. In this case, --authmech1 PLAIN will be used by default
since it is the only way to go for now. So don’t use --authmech1
SOMETHING with --authuser1 "adminuser", it will not work. Same
behavior with the --authuser2 option.
EXIT STATUS
imapsync will exit with a 0 status (return code) if everything went
good. Otherwise, it exits with a non-zero status.
So if you have an unreliable internet connection, you can use this loop
in a Bourne shell:
while ! imapsync ...; do
echo imapsync not complete
done
LICENSE
imapsync is free, gratis and open source software cover by the Do What
The Fuck You Want To Public License (WTFPL). See COPYING file included
in the distribution or the web site http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/COPYING
MAILING-LIST
The public mailing-list may be the best way to get support.
To write on the mailing-list, the address is:
<imapsync@linux-france.org>
To subscribe, send a message to:
<imapsync-subscribe@listes.linux-france.org>
To unsubscribe, send a message to:
<imapsync-unsubscribe@listes.linux-france.org>
To contact the person in charge for the list:
<imapsync-request@listes.linux-france.org>
The list archives may be available at:
http://www.linux-france.org/prj/imapsync_list/ So consider that the
list is public, anyone can see your post. Use a pseudonym or do not
post to this list if you want to stay private.
Thank you for your participation.
AUTHOR
Gilles LAMIRAL <lamiral@linux-france.org>
Feedback good or bad is always welcome.
The newsgroup comp.mail.imap may be a good place to talk about
imapsync. I read it when imapsync is concerned. A better place is the
public imapsync mailing-list (see below).
Gilles LAMIRAL earns his living writing, installing, configuring and
teaching free, open and gratis softwares. Do not hesitate to pay him
for that services.
BUGS and BUG REPORT
No known serious bug.
Report any bugs or feature requests to the public mailing-list or to
the author.
Help us to help you: follow the following guidelines.
Read the paper "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way"
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Before reporting bugs, read the FAQ, the README and the TODO files.
http://www.linux-france.org/prj/imapsync/
Make a good title, not just "imapsync" or "problem", a good title is
made of keywords summary, not too long (one visible line).
Don’t write imapsync in uppercase in the email title, we’ll know you
run windows(tm) and you haven’t read the README yet.
Help us to help you: in your report, please include:
- imapsync version.
- output given with --debug --debugimap near the failure point.
Isolate a message in a folder 'BUG' and use --folder 'BUG'
- imap server software on both side and their version number.
- imapsync with all the options you use, the full command line
you use (except the passwords of course).
- IMAPClient.pm version.
- operating system running imapsync.
- operating systems on both sides and the third side in case
you run imapsync on a foreign host from the both.
- virtual software context (vmware, xen etc.)
Most of those values can be found as a copy/paste at the begining of the output.
IMAP SERVERS
Failure stories reported with the following 4 imap servers:
- MailEnable 1.54 (Proprietary) http://www.mailenable.com/
- DBMail 0.9, 2.0.7 (GPL). But DBMail 1.2.1 works.
Patient and confident testers are welcome.
- dkimap4 2.39
- Imail 7.04 (maybe).
Success stories reported with the following 36 imap servers (software
names are in alphabetic order):
- 1und1 H mimap1 84498 [host1]
- Archiveopteryx 2.03, 2.04, 2.09, 2.10 [host2], 3.0.0 [host2]
(OSL 3.0) http://www.archiveopteryx.org/
- BincImap 1.2.3 (GPL) (http://www.bincimap.org/)
- CommuniGatePro server (Redhat 8.0) (Solaris), CommuniGate Pro 5.2.17[host2] (CentOS 5.4)
- Courier IMAP 1.5.1, 2.2.0, 2.1.1, 2.2.1, 3.0.8, 3.0.3, 4.1.1 (GPL)
(http://www.courier-mta.org/)
- Critical Path (7.0.020)
- Cyrus IMAP 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.1.15, 2.1.16, 2.1.18
2.2.1, 2.2.2-BETA, 2.2.10, 2.2.12,
v2.2.3-Invoca-RPM-2.2.3-8,
2.3-alpha (OSI Approved),
v2.2.12-Invoca-RPM-2.2.12-3.RHEL4.1,
2.2.13,
v2.3.1-Invoca-RPM-2.3.1-2.7.fc5,
v2.3.7,
(http://asg.web.cmu.edu/cyrus/)
- David Tobit V8 (proprietary Message system).
- DBMail 1.2.1, 2.0.4, 2.0.9, 2.2rc1 (GPL) (http://www.dbmail.org/).
2.0.7 seems buggy.
- Deerfield VisNetic MailServer 5.8.6 [host1]
- Domino (Notes) 4.61[host1], 6.5, 5.0.6, 5.0.7, 7.0.2, 6.0.2CF1, 7.0.1[host1], 8.0.1[host1]
- Dovecot 0.99.10.4, 0.99.14, 0.99.14-8.fc4, 1.0-0.beta2.7,
1.0.0 [dest/source] (LGPL) (http://www.dovecot.org/)
- Eudora WorldMail v2
- GMX IMAP4 StreamProxy.
- Groupwise IMAP (Novell) 6.x and 7.0. Buggy so see the FAQ.
- iPlanet Messaging server 4.15, 5.1, 5.2
- IMail 7.15 (Ipswitch/Win2003), 8.12
- MDaemon 7.0.1, 8.0.2, 8.1, 9.5.4 (Windows server 2003 R2 platform)
- Mercury 4.1 (Windows server 2000 platform)
- Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5, 6.0.6249.0[host1], 6.0.6487.0[host1],
6.5.7638.1 [host2], Exchange 2007 SP1 (with Update Rollup 2),
Exchange2007-EP-SP2,
Exchange 2010 RTM (Release to Manufacturing) [host2]
- Netscape Mail Server 3.6 (Wintel !)
- Netscape Messaging Server 4.15 Patch 7
- OpenMail IMAP server B.07.00.k0 (Samsung Contact ?)
- OpenWave
- Qualcomm Worldmail (NT)
- Rockliffe Mailsite 5.3.11, 4.5.6
- Samsung Contact IMAP server 8.5.0
- Scalix v10.1, 10.0.1.3, 11.0.0.431
- SmarterMail
- SunONE Messaging server 5.2, 6.0 (SUN JES - Java Enterprise System)
- Sun Java(tm) System Messaging Server 6.2-2.05, 6.2-7.05
- Surgemail 3.6f5-5
- UW-imap servers (imap-2000b) rijkkramer IMAP4rev1 2000.287
(RedHat uses UW like 2003.338rh), v12.264 Solaris 5.7 (OSI Approved)
(http://www.washington.edu/imap/)
- UW - QMail v2.1
- Imap part of TCP/IP suite of VMS 7.3.2
- Zimbra-IMAP 3.0.1 GA 160, 3.1.0 Build 279, 4.0.5, 4.5.2, 4.5.6, 5.5.
Please report to the author any success or bad story with imapsync and
do not forget to mention the IMAP server software names and version on
both sides. This will help future users. To help the author maintaining
this section report the two lines at the begining of the output if they
are useful to know the softwares. Example:
Host1 software:* OK louloutte Cyrus IMAP4 v1.5.19 server ready
Host2 software:* OK Courier-IMAP ready
You can use option --justconnect to get those lines. Example:
imapsync --host1 imap.troc.org --host2 imap.trac.org --justconnect
Please rate imapsync at http://freshmeat.net/projects/imapsync/ or
better give the author a book, he likes books:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1C9UNDIH3P7R7/ (or its
paypal account gilles.lamiral@laposte.net)
HUGE MIGRATION
Pay special attention to options --subscribed --subscribe --delete
--delete2 --expunge --expunge1 --expunge2 --uidexpunge2 --maxage
--minage --maxsize --useheader --fast
If you have many mailboxes to migrate think about a little shell
program. Write a file called file.csv (for example) containing users
and passwords. The separator used in this example is ’;’
The file.csv file contains:
user0001;password0001;user0002;password0002
user0011;password0011;user0012;password0012 ...
And the shell program is just:
{ while IFS=';' read u1 p1 u2 p2; do
imapsync --user1 "$u1" --password1 "$p1" --user2 "$u2" --password2 "$p2" ...
done ; } < file.csv
Welcome in shell programming !
Hacking
Feel free to hack imapsync as the WTFPL Licence permits it.
Links
Entries for imapsync:
http://www.imap.org/products/showall.php
SIMILAR SOFTWARES
imap_tools : http://www.athensfbc.com/imap_tools
offlineimap : http://software.complete.org/offlineimap
mailsync : http://mailsync.sourceforge.net/
imapxfer : http://www.washington.edu/imap/
part of the imap-utils from UW.
mailutil : replace imapxfer in
part of the imap-utils from UW.
http://www.gsp.com/cgi-bin/man.cgi?topic=mailutil
imaprepl : http://www.bl0rg.net/software/
http://freshmeat.net/projects/imap-repl/
imap_migrate : http://freshmeat.net/projects/imapmigration/
imapcopy : http://home.arcor.de/armin.diehl/imapcopy/imapcopy.html
migrationtool : http://sourceforge.net/projects/migrationtool/
imapmigrate : http://sourceforge.net/projects/cyrus-utils/
wonko_imapsync: http://wonko.com/article/554
see also tools/wonko_ruby_imapsync
pop2imap : http://www.linux-france.org/prj/pop2imap/
Feedback (good or bad) will always be welcome.
$Id: imapsync,v 1.315 2010/06/11 02:51:54 gilles Exp gilles $