Migrating existing emails

[gmarcus]

Hello fellow site owners.

I have been having problems grabbing my existing emails from FQ. Here are some options you may want to explore for yourself. I have only been using IMAP connections.

1. Use your local email client to transfer messages between servers
In theory, you can add both server accounts to your mail client, and then go folder by folder and copy messages from source server to destination server. For example, I am moving messages from FQ to Google. I added both as separate accounts to my local mail client. I then selected all emails from source INBOX and dragged them to destination INBOX. The repeat for each folder.

This has been hit-or-miss for me. When my messages land on Google (may only be a Google issue), they sometimes miss the target folder and only live in "All Mail". This is especially true for the Sent folder.

2. Use a locally running transfer tool
There is a popular tool called imapsync (https://imapsync.lamiral.info) that when run locally, will pull IMAP folders from source and upload to destination. It is not the most user-friendly app, but it seems to handle many edge cases and kinda just works. There are many links to help you install/setup/troubleshoot. The tool can also be used to do "dry runs", which does not move any messages, but will log what the tool would do for you to review before attempting the move.

3. Use an online transfer service
Many online transfer services use the tool mentioned above, but wrap it in a web-app so you don't need to use your own bandwidth. imapsync runs their own service that is free for 0-3Gb mailboxes or paid if you need to transfer a larger mailbox. The online service can be found at https://imapsync.lamiral.info/X/

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The author of imapsync also maintains a list (as of 2021) of other tools as well as other online transfer services, some free and some paid. That list is at
https://imapsync.lamiral.info/S/external.shtml

Some Notes
based on my trial-and-error

Do not change your MX records before moving your mailbox
- If you change your MX record for your FQ DNS, then FQ will disable internal email for that domain. The mailbox still exists, but you will not be able to login to your mailbox on that domain. If you have other domains (IRO/IMO), you can login with the same username/pw at one of your alternate domains. ex: if you have two domains site1.com and site2.com and change DNS MX records on site1.com, you will no longer be able to connect to email for site1.com. So if you have a mailbox called user1, you can connect to that mailbox on user1@site2.com with the same password you used for user1@site1.com

[SteveYoung]

There is a popular tool called imapsync

This is your option 2 after reviewing all options we tested this today.

Thank you for this information, we installed it and backed up (downloaded and put on our new hosting system) our Imap mail. We have quite a bit of data, including detailed business information in those emails.

It worked very well, it was easy to operate, and we could see instant results on the new server.

We are following your guidance, regarding changing the MX records.

[rick-k]

I was surprised how fast the updated DNS started working for email. I got my first email at Pair within ten minutes.

"Started working" is an important notation. I still got an email at FutureQuest some 36 hours later. I used Questmail to get it. It turned out to be nothing I wanted.

It's been a little fun seeing which blackhole addresses I need to recreate at Pair. Someone's spambot is still trying to reach me at addresses I put on the blackhole list a decade ago. The spambot is vigorous too. Several messages to each address each day.

[SteveYoung]

I was surprised how fast the updated DNS started working for email. I got my first email at Pair within ten minutes.

Yes, not like it was 10 or more years ago where it took 24 hours. I remember the 90's two days for propagation.

We are not there yet, 15 we are moving from FQ, and merging with another 12 on 2M host. We used them as a backup. Nice people, and they upgraded their systems. Going to them as time is very short to move all this and get it working while making revenue to keep eating.

[Mohawk]

I'm trying to migrate to FastMail for a couple domains. I've modified MX1 and added an MX 2 record, now they want me to add CNAME entries, but what they show doesn't match the options in CNC. FastMail shows to add a CNAME record with host "fm1._domainkey" with value "fm1.mywebsite.com.dkim.fmhosted.com"

CNC just has "Entry [blank, waiting for my input]. mywebsite/Type=CNAME/Address/Lable =??

Not sure where Host or Value are supposed to go in CNC

Edit:
As a follow-up, I used fm1.imywebsite.com.dkim.fmhosted.com as a value but then got an error saying CNAME records are not allowed for the bare domain name. Not sure what that means...

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Mohawk

I'm trying to migrate to FastMail for a couple domains. I've modified MX1 and added an MX 2 record, now they want me to add CNAME entries, but what they show doesn't match the options in CNC. FastMail shows to add a CNAME record with host "fm1._domainkey" with value "fm1.mywebsite.com.dkim.fmhosted.com"

CNC just has "Entry [blank, waiting for my input]. mywebsite/Type=CNAME/Address/Lable =??

Not sure where Host or Value are supposed to go in CNC

Edit:
As a follow-up, I used fm1.imywebsite.com.dkim.fmhosted.com as a value but then got an error saying CNAME records are not allowed for the bare domain name. Not sure what that means...

DomainKeys is an anti-spam feature. This is not the time to be adding new features to your email and you should not be adding things to our DNS serves. Our DNS servers are going away and if your domain is still using them it will quit working. You need to get your DNS and your email to a new provider ASAP.

[Mohawk]

It's def a work in progress-emails going first to FastMail, then domain moving to Pair, so it's all in flux...

FastMail was the first to get me logged in and setting up all the email users takes time so that was my first move..

[Mohawk]

Originally Posted by Kevin

DomainKeys is an anti-spam feature. This is not the time to be adding new features to your email and you should not be adding things to our DNS serves. Our DNS servers are going away and if your domain is still using them it will quit working. You need to get your DNS and your email to a new provider ASAP.

Kevin,

I think I see, I was making the changes in the CNC DNS Manager, but should be at the new hosting site (pair.com for website).

If I point the nameservers at GoDaddy (where domain is registered) from NS1/NS2/NS3.FUTUREQUEST.NET to Pair's Nameserver, I can do what I need there, but I need to migrate my WordPress site from FQ first before making the NS change for the domain or I'll lose access to the files here at FQ. Do I have that more or less correct?