imapsync/README

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: 1.267 $

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]
               [--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]
               [--syncinternaldates]
               [--idatefromheader]
               [--buffersize  <int>]
               [--syncacls]
               [--regexmess <regex>] [--regexmess <regex>]
               [--maxsize <int>]
               [--maxage <int>]
               [--minage <int>]
               [--skipheader <regex>]
               [--useheader <string>] [--useheader <string>]
               [--skipsize]
               [--delete] [--delete2]
               [--expunge] [--expunge1] [--expunge2]
               [--subscribed] [--subscribe]
               [--nofoldersizes]
               [--dry]
               [--debug] [--debugimap]
               [--timeout <int>] [--fast]
               [--split1] [--split2] 
               [--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 transfered, recursively.

    We sometimes need to transfer mailboxes from one imap server to another.
    This is called migration.

    imapsync is the adequate 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 is adapted to a bad connection. 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 loosing 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 its life being 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 in case CRAM-MD5 is not
    supported by your imap servers. Use --ssl1 and --ssl2 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 a buggy internet connection, you can use this loop in a
    Bourne shell:

            while ! imapsync ...; do 
                  echo imapsync not complete
            done

AUTHOR
    Gilles LAMIRAL <lamiral@linux-france.org>

    Feedback good or bad is always welcome.

    The newsgroup comp.mail.imap is a good place to talk about imapsync. I
    read it when imapsync is concerned.

    Gilles LAMIRAL earn his living writing, installing, configuring and
    teaching free open and gratis softwares. Do not hesitate to pay him for
    that services.

LICENSE
    imapsync is free, gratis and open source software cover by the GNU
    General Public License. See the GPL file included in the distribution or
    the web site http://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html

MAILING-LIST
    Here is the welcome message:

    Welcome on the imapsync mailing-list.

    This list is dedicated to the users of imapsync
    http://www.linux-france.org/prj/imapsync/

    To write on the list, the address is: mailto:imapsync@linux-france.org

    To unsubscribe, send a message to:
    mailto:imapsync-unsubscribe@listes.linux-france.org

    To subscribe, send a message to:
    mailto:imapsync-subscribe@listes.linux-france.org

    To contact the person in charge for the list:
    mailto: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.

BUGS and BUG REPORT
    No known serious bug.

    Report any bug or feature request to the author or the mailing-list.

    Before reporting bugs, read the FAQ, this README and the TODO files.

    Don't write imapsync in uppercase in the email title, I'll know you run
    windows and you haven't read the README yet.

    Make a good title, not just "imapsync" or "problem", a good title is
    made of keywords summary, not too long (one visible line).

    Before reporting bugs, read the FAQ, this README and the TODO files.
    http://www.linux-france.org/prj/imapsync/

    Help me to help you: in your report, please include:

     - imapsync version.
     - output given with --debug --debugimap near the failure point.
     - operating system running imapsync.
     - imap servers softwares 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.

     Those values can be found as a copy/paste at the begining of the output.

     And also, if it can help :

     - operating systems on both sides and the third side in case
       you run imapsync on a foreign host from the both.

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 35 imap servers (softwares
    names are in alphabetic order) :

     - Archiveopteryx 2.03, 2.04, 2.09, 2.10 [dest], 3.0.0 [dest]
       (OSL 3.0) http://www.archiveopteryx.org/
     - BincImap 1.2.3 (GPL) (http://www.bincimap.org/)
     - CommuniGatePro server (Redhat 8.0)
     - 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 [from]
     - 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/)
     - Domino (Notes) 4.61[from], 6.5, 5.0.6, 5.0.7, 7.0.2, 6.0.2CF1, 7.0.1 [from]
     - 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[from], 6.5.7638.1 [dest]
     - 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 System Messaging Server 6.2-2.05
     - 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:

     From software :* OK louloutte Cyrus IMAP4 v1.5.19 server ready
     To   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
    Have a special attention on options --subscribed --subscribe --delete
    --delete2 --expunge --expunge1 --expunge2 --maxage --minage --maxsize
    --useheader

    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 content is :

    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 GPL 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 be always welcome.

    $Id: imapsync,v 1.267 2008/10/07 11:36:02 gilles Exp $