I have a bunch of old mail spread variously across dovecot maildirs and mbox format files on several machines that are headed for the trash. Is there anything considered to be a portable archive format for mail messages, and if so are there tools to copy into it - or do I have to pick a client and copy to its local storage?
I have a bunch of old mail spread variously across dovecot maildirs and mbox format files on several machines that are headed for the trash. Is there anything considered to be a portable archive format for mail messages, and if so are there tools to copy into it - or do I have to pick a client and copy to its local storage?<<
-- Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com
The mbox format and mail messages in the dovecot maildirs can be copied as is to another server (or directory). The only thing that you don't need (or probably don't want) to copy would be the index files that live in the directory above the maildirs.
The index files are in the form: dovecot-* and dovecot.index* and usually live above the actual directory where the messages are stored. Also, most of the sub-folders have a leading '.' so would be "hidden" unless you use 'ls -la' to view the directory contents.
Cheers!
Simba Engineering
Vreme: 11/02/2011 07:53 PM, Phoenix, Merka piše:
I have a bunch of old mail spread variously across dovecot maildirs and mbox format files on several machines that are headed for the trash. Is there anything considered to be a portable archive format for mail messages, and if so are there tools to copy into it - or do I have to pick a client and copy to its local storage?<<
-- Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com
The mbox format and mail messages in the dovecot maildirs can be copied as is to another server (or directory). The only thing that you don't need (or probably don't want) to copy would be the index files that live in the directory above the maildirs.
The index files are in the form: dovecot-* and dovecot.index* and usually live above the actual directory where the messages are stored. Also, most of the sub-folders have a leading '.' so would be "hidden" unless you use 'ls -la' to view the directory contents.
There is simple script to convert maildir to mailbox format: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/a-script-to-convert-...
and scripts to convert mailbox to maildir: http://batleth.sapienti-sat.org/projects/mb2md/ http://perfectmaildir.home-dn.net/
There are many more, but this ones come at the top of the google search.
On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 2:23 PM, Ljubomir Ljubojevic office@plnet.rs wrote:
Vreme: 11/02/2011 07:53 PM, Phoenix, Merka piše:
I have a bunch of old mail spread variously across dovecot maildirs and mbox format files on several machines that are headed for the trash. Is there anything considered to be a portable archive format for mail messages, and if so are there tools to copy into it - or do I have to pick a client and copy to its local storage?<<
--
The mbox format and mail messages in the dovecot maildirs can be copied as is to another server (or directory). The only thing that you don't need (or probably don't want) to copy would be the index files that live in the directory above the maildirs.
The index files are in the form: dovecot-* and dovecot.index* and usually live above the actual directory where the messages are stored. Also, most of the sub-folders have a leading '.' so would be "hidden" unless you use 'ls -la' to view the directory contents.
There is simple script to convert maildir to mailbox format: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/a-script-to-convert-...
and scripts to convert mailbox to maildir: http://batleth.sapienti-sat.org/projects/mb2md/ http://perfectmaildir.home-dn.net/
There are many more, but this ones come at the top of the google search.
Thanks - I think most of what I'd want to keep is still accessible via imap. What I'm wondering is if there is a general consensus about the file format for long term storage that would be most likely to permit direct search and access from some future mail reader, possibly on some other OS. I suppose I could make a VM image that I could fire up as an imap server again, but that seems kind of cumbersome.
Vreme: 11/02/2011 09:42 PM, Les Mikesell piše:
Thanks - I think most of what I'd want to keep is still accessible via imap. What I'm wondering is if there is a general consensus about the file format for long term storage that would be most likely to permit direct search and access from some future mail reader, possibly on some other OS. I suppose I could make a VM image that I could fire up as an imap server again, but that seems kind of cumbersome.
Here is excellent comparison: http://www.linuxmail.info/mbox-maildir-mail-storage-formats/
If you disregard larger size issue (directory/file-system compression?), maildir is better since you have one mail = one file, so direct search will work.
On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 2:23 PM, Ljubomir Ljubojevic office@plnet.rs wrote:
Vreme: 11/02/2011 07:53 PM, Phoenix, Merka piše:
I have a bunch of old mail spread variously across dovecot maildirs and mbox format files on several machines that are headed for the trash. Is there anything considered to be a portable archive format for mail messages, and if so are there tools to copy into it
- or do I have to pick a client and copy to its local storage?<<
--
The mbox format and mail messages in the dovecot maildirs can be copied as is to another server (or directory). The only thing that you don't need (or probably don't want) to copy would be the index files that live in the directory above the maildirs.
The index files are in the form: dovecot-* and dovecot.index* and usually live above the actual directory where the messages are stored. Also, most of the sub-folders have a leading '.' so would be "hidden" unless you use 'ls -la' to view the directory contents.
There is simple script to convert maildir to mailbox format: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/a-script-to-co nvert-maildir-to-mailbox-format-381568/
and scripts to convert mailbox to maildir: http://batleth.sapienti-sat.org/projects/mb2md/ http://perfectmaildir.home-dn.net/
There are many more, but this ones come at the top of the google search.
Thanks - I think most of what I'd want to keep is still accessible via imap. What I'm wondering is if there is a general consensus about the file format for long term storage that would be most likely to permit direct search and access from some future mail reader, possibly on some other OS. I suppose I could make a VM image that I could fire up as an imap server again, but that seems kind of cumbersome.
-- Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com
You don't need an IMAP server to access these files. The MBOX format (one large file with all the messages inside) and MAILDIR format (collection of one text file per message within a directory) are simple text files. Most e-mail clients (such as Mozilla Thunderbird, MS Outlook, etc) offer the ability to import these into the e-mail client's message store.
In the old school UNIX/Linux world, these would be local files accessed by mail, pine, elm, or whatever your mail reader app was on the comand line.
ASCII files are the most portable format across almost every current system (MS Windows, MAC, Linux, etc.)
Use rsync to pull down the entire directory structure, and just burn it to a CD or DVD. As long as the media is still readable 5,10,15,.. years from now, the files should also be still readable/parse-able :-)
Cheers! Merka Phoenix TekSystems
"verum ipsum factum (understanding arises through making)" --Giambattista Vico, an Italian philosopher (1668-1744)
2011/11/2 Phoenix, Merka merka.phoenix@hp.com:
You don't need an IMAP server to access these files. The MBOX format (one large file with all the messages inside) and MAILDIR format (collection of one text file per message within a directory) are simple text files. Most e-mail clients (such as Mozilla Thunderbird, MS Outlook, etc) offer the ability to import these into the e-mail client's message store.
I understand the file types and contents - but was hoping that by now there would be a standard file type that didn't have to be 'imported' to a mail reader's message store before being accessed.
On 11/02/11 3:43 PM, Les Mikesell wrote:
I understand the file types and contents - but was hoping that by now there would be a standard file type that didn't have to be 'imported' to a mail reader's message store before being accessed.
well that depends on your mail program. if they use maildir or mbox, then you can just copy/move the appropriate format files into the apps message store and move on. of course, if the app has any other metadata like indexing and you want to merge your new stuff with some existing old stuff, you have to deal with that too.
On Wed, 2 Nov 2011, John R Pierce wrote:
On 11/02/11 3:43 PM, Les Mikesell wrote:
I understand the file types and contents - but was hoping that by now there would be a standard file type that didn't have to be 'imported' to a mail reader's message store before being accessed.
well that depends on your mail program. if they use maildir or mbox, then you can just copy/move the appropriate format files into the apps message store and move on. of course, if the app has any other metadata like indexing and you want to merge your new stuff with some existing old stuff, you have to deal with that too.
I've never used OfflineIMAP, offlineimap.org, but it looks like an interesting tool for maintaining a set of Maildir folders.
On Wed, Nov 02, 2011, Les Mikesell wrote: ...
Thanks - I think most of what I'd want to keep is still accessible via imap. What I'm wondering is if there is a general consensus about the file format for long term storage that would be most likely to permit direct search and access from some future mail reader, possibly on some other OS. I suppose I could make a VM image that I could fire up as an imap server again, but that seems kind of cumbersome.
I would store in Maildir format as it's simple, supported by several IMAP servers (e.g. courier-imap and dovecot), and it's very easy to use standard *nix tools to search and/or manipulate messages.
Bill
Vreme: 11/02/2011 11:26 PM, Bill Campbell piše:
On Wed, Nov 02, 2011, Les Mikesell wrote: ...
Thanks - I think most of what I'd want to keep is still accessible via imap. What I'm wondering is if there is a general consensus about the file format for long term storage that would be most likely to permit direct search and access from some future mail reader, possibly on some other OS. I suppose I could make a VM image that I could fire up as an imap server again, but that seems kind of cumbersome.
I would store in Maildir format as it's simple, supported by several IMAP servers (e.g. courier-imap and dovecot), and it's very easy to use standard *nix tools to search and/or manipulate messages.
Bill
Only mayor difference between two formats is that one keeps all mail in a single file,, keeping smaller storage footprint, while other keeps all e-mails in separate files, so it is easier to delete or categorize/separate or selectively delete them.
On 11/2/2011 4:42 PM, Les Mikesell wrote:
On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 2:23 PM, Ljubomir Ljubojevicoffice@plnet.rs wrote:
Vreme: 11/02/2011 07:53 PM, Phoenix, Merka piše:
I have a bunch of old mail spread variously across dovecot maildirs and mbox format files on several machines that are headed for the trash. Is there anything considered to be a portable archive format for mail messages, and if so are there tools to copy into it - or do I have to pick a client and copy to its local storage?<<
--
The mbox format and mail messages in the dovecot maildirs can be copied as is to another server (or directory). The only thing that you don't need (or probably don't want) to copy would be the index files that live in the directory above the maildirs.
The index files are in the form: dovecot-* and dovecot.index* and usually live above the actual directory where the messages are stored. Also, most of the sub-folders have a leading '.' so would be "hidden" unless you use 'ls -la' to view the directory contents.
There is simple script to convert maildir to mailbox format: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/a-script-to-convert-...
and scripts to convert mailbox to maildir: http://batleth.sapienti-sat.org/projects/mb2md/ http://perfectmaildir.home-dn.net/
There are many more, but this ones come at the top of the google search.
Thanks - I think most of what I'd want to keep is still accessible via imap. What I'm wondering is if there is a general consensus about the file format for long term storage that would be most likely to permit direct search and access from some future mail reader, possibly on some other OS. I suppose I could make a VM image that I could fire up as an imap server again, but that seems kind of cumbersome.
If you are interested in local storage readable on multiple platforms then mbox format can be useful. There are many Linux/UNIX clients that can read it, and so can MSWin clients like Thunderbird.
Best Regards,
Dave Windsor
Robert Bosch LLC Team Leader, MES Database Infrastructure Group (AdP/TEF7.1)
From: Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com
I have a bunch of old mail spread variously across dovecot maildirs and mbox format files on several machines that are headed for the trash. Is there anything considered to be a portable archive format for mail messages, and if so are there tools to copy into it - or do I have to pick a client and copy to its local storage?
Maybe as .eml files? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail#Filename_extensions
JD
Les Mikesell wrote:
I have a bunch of old mail spread variously across dovecot maildirs and mbox format files on several machines that are headed for the trash. Is there anything considered to be a portable archive format for mail messages, and if so are there tools to copy into it - or do I have to pick a client and copy to its local storage?
I have a much more naive question along the same lines. Apologies if it is too far from the original query.
I'm running an IMAP (dovecot) server, with my mail stored in ~/maildir . I'm using KMail on my laptop to access the server (on another machine).
I'd like to archive some of my older email, ie transfer it to another disk on the server, but I don't understand exactly what will happen if I run Folder=>Archive Folder on my laptop, and don't like to try it without more knowledge.
Will the folder disappear from the list I see in KMail? Will the archive be saved on my laptop or on the server? In what format? Will I be able to "un-archive" it if I wish? Will the various dovecot index files be updated appropriately?
I suppose my problem basically is that I don't know how kmail on my laptop and dovecot on my server interact.
On Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 6:51 AM, Timothy Murphy gayleard@eircom.net wrote:
Les Mikesell wrote:
I have a bunch of old mail spread variously across dovecot maildirs and mbox format files on several machines that are headed for the trash. Is there anything considered to be a portable archive format for mail messages, and if so are there tools to copy into it - or do I have to pick a client and copy to its local storage?
I have a much more naive question along the same lines. Apologies if it is too far from the original query.
I'm running an IMAP (dovecot) server, with my mail stored in ~/maildir . I'm using KMail on my laptop to access the server (on another machine).
I'd like to archive some of my older email, ie transfer it to another disk on the server, but I don't understand exactly what will happen if I run Folder=>Archive Folder on my laptop, and don't like to try it without more knowledge.
Will the folder disappear from the list I see in KMail? Will the archive be saved on my laptop or on the server? In what format? Will I be able to "un-archive" it if I wish? Will the various dovecot index files be updated appropriately?
I suppose my problem basically is that I don't know how kmail on my laptop and dovecot on my server interact.
I'd expect it to ask some more questions and give you choices about those things, but you could make a new folder on the server with a few messages to experiment with. With imap, you should be able to copy/move messages back from local storage to the server or between folders on different servers if you have multiple accounts.
-
Bill Campbell -
John Doe -
John R Pierce -
Les Mikesell -
Ljubomir Ljubojevic -
Paul Heinlein -
Phoenix, Merka -
Timothy Murphy -
Windsor Dave L. (AdP/TEF7.1)