Question

How to import old Exchange folder structures into IMAP-served Thunderbird

Asked by: Smittles

Hi there,

I've got a special problem here.  Hopefully I've come to the right place.  

I have recently switched from an Exchange server to an Open Directory / IMAP served mail system, and switched mail clients from Outlook to Thunderbird.

I've very happy with open source tech, and I really want to get this working basically the same way I had it before, from a work-flow perspective.

I had a folder-structure in Outlook, which consisted of folders and also sub-folders.  For example, I had a folder marked Vendors, with sub-folders marked Newegg, Apple, TigerDirect, and so on.

How, now, can I import that folder structure so it's LIVE, on the imap server, so that the web-mail server reflects that same folder structure as I previously had.  I've already run an Import > Mail > Outlook to get those emails, folders, and sub-folders backed-up locally at least, and I haven't disabled the Exchange server yet, in anticipation of needing to import the folders to the server.

So, how do I do this?  Microsoft is pretty good about killing my dreams thus far.  Any ideas?

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Asked On
2009-07-20 at 14:58:22ID24585714
Tags

Thunderbird

,

Exchange

,

Folder structure

Topics

Thunderbird Email Client

,

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

,

Exchange Email Server

Participating Experts
1
Points
500
Comments
21

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Answers

 

by: nappy_dPosted on 2009-07-20 at 17:36:34ID: 24900432

Do have one person or many to do?

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-20 at 18:14:28ID: 24900640

It's just me, for now.

 

by: nappy_dPosted on 2009-07-20 at 18:21:33ID: 24900669

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-20 at 22:44:56ID: 24901497

I'm afraid that might not work, as:

"What this means is that you can move messeages from one IMAP server to another..."

is not what I need to do.  I need to move my Exchange server messages to my new IMAP server.  Exchange headers are different that straight-up IMAP, so it's not one-to-one.  

It might be a start, though.  I'll see if it does anything and I'll post back here with results.

Thanks, though.

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-21 at 20:11:12ID: 24911312

Anybody?

 

by: nappy_dPosted on 2009-07-22 at 01:37:02ID: 24912513

Why don't you enable the imap svc on your server and use the URL I provided to move your data?

This will keep your folder structures.

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-22 at 15:12:30ID: 24920152

This tool is clunky - I don't get it.  I have installed it on my personal laptop, running WAMP Server.  Do I need to actually put it on the new IMAP server?

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-22 at 15:24:09ID: 24920245

I get this when I try to run the scrip from my localhost machine:

Notice: Undefined variable: src_username in C:\wamp\www\migrationtool\archivesetup.php on line 6
src_username =
 
Notice: Undefined variable: src_password in C:\wamp\www\migrationtool\archivesetup.php on line 7
src_password =
 
Notice: Undefined variable: src_server in C:\wamp\www\migrationtool\archivesetup.php on line 8
src_server =
 
Notice: Undefined variable: dest_username in C:\wamp\www\migrationtool\archivesetup.php on line 9
dest_username =
 
Notice: Undefined variable: dest_password in C:\wamp\www\migrationtool\archivesetup.php on line 10
dest_password =
 
Notice: Undefined variable: dest_server in C:\wamp\www\migrationtool\archivesetup.php on line 11
dest_server =
 
Notice: Undefined variable: folder_date in C:\wamp\www\migrationtool\archivesetup.php on line 12
folder_date =
 
Notice: Undefined variable: inbox_date in C:\wamp\www\migrationtool\archivesetup.php on line 13
inbox_date =
 
Notice: Undefined variable: delete_src_msg in C:\wamp\www\migrationtool\archivesetup.php on line 14
delete_src_msg = 

                                              
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by: nappy_dPosted on 2009-07-22 at 15:53:14ID: 24920425

Have you defined the said variables?

A manual way to to this is:

  1. Create two imap accounts in Thunderbird 
  2. Login to both accounts 
  3. Drag the folders(one at a time) from the Exchange IMAP account to your Other IMAP account.  It will copy the data between IMAP servers.
     

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-22 at 17:05:54ID: 24920860

Well, I tried that first.  I get an "invalid header" error.

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-28 at 10:12:31ID: 24962726

Anybody?  

This expert forum is failing lil' old me... not worth the $$$.

The tool above didn't work, transferring emails by hand didn't work, since I got invalid header errors. I need a tool that will fully convert the folder structure and the email structure into an IMAP-compatible open format.

I have literally thousands of emails I need to transfer, many of them have Exchange-native header formats that don't get parsed properly and come out the other end looking like a lot of XML.

I have folders nested in folders on the Exchange server, and while a local import gets those at least to my desktop, I want them back on my new server, intact, and with the emails legible.

Surely, I'm not the only professional moving TOWARD open source, from closed-property...

Help?

 

by: nappy_dPosted on 2009-07-28 at 10:22:35ID: 24962827

Try this one from sourceforge...http://sourceforge.net/projects/rximapmail/

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-28 at 13:29:47ID: 24964872

Thanks, nappy_d, for this... it's easier to use than the other previous app.

However, I get the following error.  I'm including the image and the text for searchability:


Error: 
MsgId:
System.Exception: Server returned:a1 NO The specified message set is invalid.
  at Radix.Util.IMAP.Client.IMAP_Client.FetchMessages(Imap_SequenceSet sequence_set, IMAP_FetchItem_Flags fetchFlags, Boolean setSeenFlag, Boolean uidFetch)
  at Radix.Util.ImapSync,MyImap.GetMessages(String folder)
  at Radix.Util.ImapSync.MyImapTransfer.CopyFolder(MyImapTransferFolder CurrentFolder)
  at Radix.Util.ImapSync.MyImapTransfer.Transfer()

                                              
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  • imap-Sync-error.JPG
    • 24 KB

    IMAPSync error displays when I try to migrate mail from Exchange IMAP server to Open Directory IMAP server

    IMAPSync error displays when I try to migrate mail from Exchange IMAP server to Open Directory IMAP server
 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-28 at 14:54:48ID: 24965577

Here's the .config I have set up for the ImapSync.exe.  Note the commented "google" settings that came with the program remain intact, still commented.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
  <appSettings>
    <add key="SourceHost" value ="192.168.1.24" />
    <add key="SourcePort" value ="143" />
    <add key="SourceSSL" value ="false" />
    
    <!--<add key="DestHost" value ="imap.google.com" />
    <add key="DestPort" value ="993" />
    <add key="DestSSL" value ="true" />-->
 
    <add key="DestHost" value ="192.168.1.10" />
    <add key="DestPort" value ="143" />
    <add key="DestSSL" value ="false" />
  </appSettings>
</configuration>

                                              
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by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-28 at 14:56:34ID: 24965584

And here is the resulting .xml document that gets spit out when you run the program with any modicum of success.  Note that there seems to be an issue as it touches the first nested folder inside *Billing1.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ArrayOfMyImapTransferFolder xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
  <MyImapTransferFolder>
    <Name>Outbox</Name>
    <Copied />
  </MyImapTransferFolder>
  <MyImapTransferFolder>
    <Name>AVG Help</Name>
    <Copied />
  </MyImapTransferFolder>
  <MyImapTransferFolder>
    <Name>*Billing1</Name>
    <Copied />
  </MyImapTransferFolder>
  <MyImapTransferFolder>
    <Name>*Billing1/Database Health Checks</Name>
    <Copied />
  </MyImapTransferFolder>
</ArrayOfMyImapTransferFolder>

                                              
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by: nappy_dPosted on 2009-07-28 at 15:31:58ID: 24965815

With this error I am now going to suggest you check out the support page for rximapmail.

They may have more info to help you on this. It may also be a limitation of the app with your nested mail directories.

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-30 at 12:04:57ID: 24983322

I believe this is a limitation based on the nested folders.  

 

by: nappy_dPosted on 2009-07-30 at 16:02:03ID: 24985149

As I thought could be the issue :)...

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-07-30 at 16:12:44ID: 24985203

Well, if I don't hear any other solutions in a couple days, I'll award you the points.

Thanks for your help!

 

by: nappy_dPosted on 2009-09-28 at 16:19:07ID: 25444473

I have provided the right solutions here http://#24965815 which the author agreed to :)

 

by: SmittlesPosted on 2009-09-28 at 16:22:21ID: 31605710

Not really a solution, since pointing out that there is no solution is not a solution.  Points awarded, and thanks for the help.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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