Copy folders of messages from one system running an IMAP server to another system running an IMAP server.

Syntax

migrate -fromhost source-IMAP-host -fromuser source-username -frompass source-password -tohost destination-IMAP-host -touser destination-username -topass destination-password [optional-options]

Qualifiers	Defaults
-batch	Move in batch mode without prompting; see text
-debug n	Specify level of debugging
-freq n	How frequently to report messages moved
-fromport port	Specify a non-default port number
-fromprefix folder-prefix	See text
-fromrecon n	Reconnect to source host periodically
-h	Print help message
-log file-spec	Log operations to specified file
-lower	Destination folder names will be lowercased
-maxerr n	Maximum number of errors to allow before aborting
-noempty	Skip empty folders
-noinbox	Skip INBOX on source host
-nowastebasket	Skip WASTEBASKET on source host
-public	Copy public folders
-recover	Attempt to recover if there is a communication failure
-toport port	Specify a non-default port number
-toprefix folder-prefix	See text
-torecon n	Reconnect to destination host periodically

prompts

Parameters

source-IMAP-host

The fully qualified TCP/IP name of the system from which to copy messages. The system must be running an IMAP server.

source-username

The username of the account on the source system.

source-password

The password of the account on the source system.

destination-IMAP-host

The fully qualified TCP/IP name of the system to which to copy messages. The system must be running an IMAP server.

destination-username

The username of the account on the destination system.

destination-password

The password of the account on the destination system.

source-folder-prefix

A string specifying what folders to copy from.

destination-folder-prefix

A string specifying what folders to copy to.

Description

migrate is a utility for copying folders of messages from one system to another. Each system must have an IMAP server running.

You can run migrate interactively or in batch mode. To run it interactively, you will be prompted for the names of the systems to move from and to, as well as the usernames and passwords. If all the required arguments are specified, then migrate will run in automatic or batch mode, moving all messages from all folders to the destination system, using the same name for destination folders. With the optional -batch qualifier, you can skip the interactive confirmation prompt before each folder is copied. With the -fromprefix qualifier, you can specify a folder prefix for the source system; with the -toprefix qualifier, you can specify a folder prefix for the destination system. And with the -lower qualifier you can specify that the destination folder names should be lowercased. If you want to skip empty folders, specify -noempty. If you want public folders to be copied over as well, specify -public.

Assuming that the source system is VMS, the folders INBOX and WASTEBASKET are not skipped. If you want to skip the INBOX folder, specify -noinbox. If you want to skip the WASTEBASKET folder, specify -nowastebasket.

There can be a communications failure to either the source host or the destination host or both. By default, migrate exits immediately upon failure. Specify -recover to have migrate attempt recovery after a communications failure. Similarly, there can be problems in the IMAP servers on either the source or destination, such as the servers running out of memory if there are many folders with many large messages being migrated. Specify -fromrecon or -torecon to have migrate periodically disconnect and reconnect to the source or destination IMAP server.

Qualifiers

-batch

Do not prompt for confirmation of what folders to move.

-debug n

This qualifier enables debug output. n is a bit-encoded integer, with bits:

1	prints out progress/delay/login/logout messages
2	prints certain responses received, but not full message text
4	prints responses received, including full message text
8	prints commands sent

-freq n

Specify how freqently to report messages moved. Defaults to every 100 messages during copy.

-fromport port

Specify the IMAP port on the source system. The default is -fromport 143, the standard IMAP port.

-fromprefix folder-prefix

Specify the folder prefix for the source mailbox, if not the default mail file. For instance, if migrating from a PMDF IMAP server on OpenVMS system, the folder prefix would typically have the form #disk:[dir]mailfile.mai# or if migrating from an IMAP server on a UNIX system, the folder prefix would be a UNIX file specification (the UNIX default typically being mail/).

-fromrecon n

This qualifier tells migrate to disconnect and reconnect to the source host IMAP server every n number of messages. The default is to never disconnect and reconnect.

-h

Print help text.

-log file-spec

Specify a file in which to log operations.

-lower

Lowercase the folder names for the destination system.

-maxerr n

Specify the maximum number of errors that may be encountered before aborting. The default, if this qualifier is not specified, is to continue after all errors.

-noempty

Skip copying empty folders.

-noinbox

By default, the INBOX folder is not skipped when copying folders; the -noinbox qualifier instructs PMDF to skip this folder.

-nowastebasket

By default, the WASTEBASKET folder is not skipped when copying folders; the -nowastebasket qualifier instructs PMDF to skip this folder.

-public

Copy public folders on the source host. The default is to not copy folders with these prefixes: "Other Users/", "Public Flders/", "user.". Specifying the -public qualifier instructs PMDF to not skip such folders.

-recover

Attempt recovery if there is a communications failure to one of the IMAP servers. The default is to not attempt recovery, but to exit instead.

-toport port

Specify the IMAP port on the destination system. The default is -toport 143, the standard IMAP port.

-toprefix folder-prefix

Specify the folder prefix for the destination mailbox, if not the default mail file. For instance, if migrating to a PMDF IMAP server on OpenVMS system, the folder prefix would typically have the form #disk:[dir]mailfile.mai# or if migrating to an IMAP server on a UNIX system, the folder prefix would be a UNIX file specification (the UNIX default typically being mail/).

-torecon n

This qualifier tells migrate to disconnect and reconnect to the destination host IMAP server every n number of messages. The default is to never disconnect and reconnect.

EXAMPLES

% /pmdf/bin/migrate
From which host: admin.example.com 
Username on admin.example.com: alonso 
Password for alonso on admin.example.com:
To which host: hq.example.com 
Username on hq.example.com: alonso 
Password for alonso on hq.example.com:
Move 15 messages in sentmail to which folder (CR to skip): SENTMAIL 
Move 4 messages in mail to which folder (CR to skip): [RETURN]
... Skipping mail
      

In this example user alonso on admin.example.com also has an account on hq.example.com with two folders, mail and sentmail, and is copying the messages in the sentmail folder on admin.example.com to the SENTMAIL folder on hq.example.com.