49 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
49 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
# IMAP Email Migration — SiteGround → MXroute
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## Source Server Quirks (SiteGround)
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- IMAP host: `c1113726.sgvps.net:993`
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- Folder separator is `.` (not `/`)
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- Folders are subfolders of INBOX (e.g. `INBOX.Trash`, `INBOX.Sent Messages`, `INBOX.Deleted Messages`)
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- The LIST response format is nonstandard: `(\HasChildren) "." INBOX` — folder names often appear as `.`
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- Folder names with spaces use quotes in SELECT: `select('"INBOX.Sent Messages"')`
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- Explicit folder names to check: `INBOX`, `INBOX.Trash`, `INBOX.spam`, `INBOX.Junk`, `INBOX.Drafts`, `INBOX.Sent`, `INBOX.Sent Messages`, `INBOX.Deleted Messages`, `INBOX.Archive`
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- Do NOT rely on `LIST` response parsing to discover all folders — the SiteGround/CoreMail server returns many `.` (root) entries that mask subfolders. Use a hardcoded list of known folder names and test each with SELECT.
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## Migration Pattern
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```python
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old = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL(OLD_HOST, 993)
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old.login(email, old_pw)
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new = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL(NEW_HOST, 993)
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new.login(email, new_pw)
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# Hard-code folder mappings
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FOLDERS = [
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("INBOX", "INBOX"),
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("INBOX.Deleted Messages", "Trash"),
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("INBOX.Sent Messages", "Sent"),
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("INBOX.Sent", "Sent"),
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("INBOX.Trash", "Trash"),
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("INBOX.Drafts", "Drafts"),
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("INBOX.spam", "INBOX.spam"),
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("INBOX.Junk", "Junk"),
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("INBOX.Archive", "Archive"),
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]
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for src, dst in FOLDERS:
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old.select('"' + src + '"')
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# Search ALL, fetch each UID with (RFC822), append to destination
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# new.append(folder, flags, date_time, email_bytes)
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```
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## After Migration Checklist
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- DNS: MX records must point to new host. Verify with `dig +short MX domain.com`
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- SPF: Must include new mail provider. Typical MXroute SPF: `v=spf1 include:mxroute.com -all`
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- Test both IMAP login and send capabilities before removing old provider
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- If old provider had SMTP as part of its plan, the SMTP sends may stop immediately on migration even though IMAP continues working during overlap
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## IMAP-to-IMAP Copy Pitfalls
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- COPY command only works between folders on the same server. Use FETCH + APPEND to cross servers.
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- Append preserves email content but may not preserve flags (read/unread). Read emails will appear as unread on the new server.
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- Use `uid` for FETCH to avoid race conditions with concurrent incoming mail.
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- Set a reasonable timeout (30s+ per FETCH for large messages). Batch in small groups for progress visibility.
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