Transferring e-mails from one ISP to another

[alphabyte]

Hi All,

I'm sitting with a question (actually two) that I don't know the best way to solve. The situation is that as a hosting reseller, I'm in the process of shifting some of my hosting from one ISP to another, i.e. domains, websites and e-mail addresses.

One of my clients has a large number of e-mails, about 600 e-mail messages of about 100MB, still on the server. The reason for this is that she does not at the moment have her own PC where she can download them, so she accesses them from time to time with webmail from an internet cafe.

Question 1: how can I best transfer the messages from one server to the other? I've asked both ISP's this question, and their response is basically the same, i.e. download them with your e-mail client and then forward them to the new server after the transfer. Very messy and very time-consuming, but if there is no better option I'll have to do it...

Question 2: If I simply forward the messages after the domain transfer has gone through, then all the messages will take on the new forwarding date, so the user will lose the fact that at the moment they are at least sorted by date, e.g. newest message at the top of the list. Any thoughts on this?

Any help or advice will be much appreciated.

 

[herbertk]

If you are referring to pop3 just store the email locally no need to store the email on the server... problem 1 solved if the emails are forwarded it will change date and sender just export it to a pst.

If you are the owner of the domain you can forward the mail to his new address no issues... just get the isp to do the MX records or do it yourself if the ISP offers those tools.

Add more detail if you need more info.

 

[alphabyte]

Hi Herbertk, thanks for your response. Sorry, but I don't understand your first sentence "... just store the email locally ..." The email has to be on a server so that the user of the e-mail address can access the messages.

The second sentence is closer to what I had in mind. Remember that I am shifting the whole domain and website hosting from one ISP to another, from Web Africa to Hetzner to be more specific. The user's e-mail address will remain the same, but the domain will be shifted, so I don't see how changing the MX records solves the problem?

 

[guest2013-1]

AFAIK (and depending on if you're running linux or windows hosting). Web Africa has SmarterMail for their email server. It's quite possible just to get them to zip the directories for you that contains the data to transfer to the new server/hosting, provided you also run SmarterMail on it.

However, a better way to do this for as a temporary measure without having to download the messages yourself/re-forward:

Step 1) Open up (or get her to open up) a GMail account
Step 2) POP the server containing the emails with your GMail account (this will pull all the messages currently there to GMail)
Step 3) Reference GMail for any emails "in the archive" and keep on using the new providers web mail / mail server software
Step 4) Profit

 

[alphabyte]

Hmm, that might be the solution I need. Thanks a million, I'm going to give it a try.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

You can setup an offlineimap / offlinepop3 instance on a PC. Sync all the email to your PC. Then once your new hosting is up, sync the email back to the new account.

You can also do the same with GMAIL as per AZ. (We just switched from free gmail to hosted domain gmail in the office and used various methods to transfer our email.)

 

[alphabyte]

Hi AcidRaZor, It worked like a charm: steps 1 & 2 completed, 3 in progress, 4 to follow. Thanks, I owe you a beer (or 2).

 

[guest2013-1]

I drink Heineken

 

[DarkStreet]

Many mail applications (been a while since I worked with SmarterMail but a quick search confirms this is possible) allow you to backup mailboxes, settings, etc. which can then be "unpacked" on the new server. Quick and easy.

 

[James]

I personally would open up your favourite email client, add the current account as an IMAP account, then add the new server as an IMAP account and simply drag all the messages into the new folder. IMAP supports coping of messages (provided they have valid names). This way all messages will still be available server side and when the switch happens you will still have the same structure as before.

 

[guest2013-1]

I personally would open up your favourite email client, add the current account as an IMAP account, then add the new server as an IMAP account and simply drag all the messages into the new folder. IMAP supports coping of messages (provided they have valid names). This way all messages will still be available server side and when the switch happens you will still have the same structure as before.

That's only IF his client had internet at home, but as he said, she accesses it from an internet cafe via webmail. So the best way I reckon would be the GMail route (which worked). Otherwise he sits with a logistical nightmare trying to get her data back to her when the new server is up. Now, she has quick access to everything and she doesn't have to do squat (neither does he). So no IMAP or Syncing of mail to PC and re-forwarding them and/or using some elaborate backup measures would work in this case to ensure consistent and ready access to her account at all times while making the move.

Plus now that it's setup that way, she can use her GMail account as her main webmail box choice, helping filter even more spam perhaps...

 

[Linux_newb]

alphabyte,

Which control do you use on both servers? cPanel/WHM has a built in account transfer tool where you can transfer a whole account with e-mails, content and settings from one server to another.

Hope the info helps.

Linux_Newb.

 

[guest2013-1]

alphabyte,

Which control do you use on both servers? cPanel/WHM has a built in account transfer tool where you can transfer a whole account with e-mails, content and settings from one server to another.

Hope the info helps.

Linux_Newb.

Sup n00b, please refer to:

It worked like a charm

Which gives the indication he already transferred the mails. And seeing as he didn't specifically mention anything about the server, how much control he has over it, which OS he's running etc... I think the solution would have been best to keep general and give him the fastest most convenient and easy way to do this in. Most hosts don't give you the ability to transfer settings like that to begin with. I know hostgator doesn't, not even on their reseller packages... so even though cPanel/WHM has the ability built in, doesn't mean he has access to it.

I wish I could close *solved* threads...

 

[Linux_newb]

AcidRaZor,

To be honest, if I was his client I would have a huge problem with a Gmail account - I'm paying for hosting and would like to work on my domain's webmail, not on Gmail, otherwise I would've opened a Gmail account from the start.

I read that it was solved and I added that, for future reference, if he decides to move hosting account and now know that cPanel can do it (and if he is even on cPanel), he can ask his new provider if they can import the accounts from another server.

It is something the system admin can do from his root login, all you need is the reseller's username and password and server IP - root user logs into WHM, select transfer accounts from another server, enter u/n & p/w, select accounts and import.

It might just save you a lot of time next time, INCASE you have cpanel/whm and your service provider would login and do the transfer for you.

You can now close the thread.

 

[alphabyte]

Hi Guys, Thank you all for your inputs on the topic.

Linux_newb: Yes, first prize would have been to export/import the account from one ISP to the other, but both ISP's involved informed me that they could not do it. The original ISP uses Parallels Plesk control panel, b.t.w. And sure, I agree that the client's concern comes first, but this particular e-mail user has left the Company that owns the domain, and was very happy that she could maintain her old e-mails on Gmail. I could have taken the easy way out and simply deleted all her stuff. She is happy, and the Company is happy, and thanks to AcidRaZor's suggestion I am also happy.

Case solved, and we could close the thread if it were possible.

 

[RSkeens]

Linux_newb: Yes, first prize would have been to export/import the account from one ISP to the other, but both ISP's involved informed me that they could not do it. The original ISP uses Parallels Plesk control panel, b.t.w

They clearly have no idea what they are talking about - you can easily restore a Plesk account to cPanel (unless Plesk was running under Windows, then they are right )

 

[guest2013-1]

They clearly have no idea what they are talking about - you can easily restore a Plesk account to cPanel (unless Plesk was running under Windows, then they are right )

From what I've seen (for whatever reason) a lot of people who run hosting companies run Plesk on Windows... don't ask me why... they just do. However, Parallels support has been on the decline since about the time they took over Plesk/HELM and I'm glad I didn't buy licenses when I setup my server a year back. Pain in the ass.