how to import users in qmail from text file
 

Hi all
I have been given the task to roll out a linux mail server which i have decided to use Debian and Qmail. I was wondering if there is any way to import bulk users eg: 1000 user accounts, from a text file say from Active Directory. we will be using unchangable passwords which suits the needs fine however apart from creating users through the qmailadmin web page i do not know how to create the accounts+mailboxes, if someone has done this in the past or has any recomendations it would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

If your system is using regular user accounts (i.e. passwd) then you could use the command "newusers". You can find out more by reading the man pages for "newusers". Here is a link that goes over his version of it. You can find many more by googling with the keywords "batch newusers".

Hope this helps,
Fordeck

thanks for the suggestion. how would i use system accounts? would this be technically for the default domain? would they show up in qmailadmin? i have used and most likely will do again go by the qmailrocks.org install guide.

If you're using the qmailrocks guide then you would have choosen to use either Mysql or system accounts. This decision would have been made on the "Part 5 - Vpopmail" portion of the install.

I have done it without mysql, so I probably won't be able to help much with mysql. However it's probably just as easy by doing some sort of a database import.

Regards,
Fordeck

thanks fordeck. i have only ever used QMR without mysql integration in the past. however I am unaware of how qmail manages individual user accounts, if they are managed via text files? is it dificult to switch from non-mysql to system accounts?

That is also the way I've done it in the past. So take a look at this link. Also take a look at the man pages for the "newusers" command. That should give you a pretty good understanding of the process. You will undoubtedly need to modify your user text file from exchange to be similar to the /etc/passwd file. Without seeing a sample of this text file I can't advise on how this could be done. But you have an example of the layout by looking at your /etc/passwd file. The /etc/passwd file shows you what the newusers command expects. Linux provides tools like "sed", "awk", "cut" that help automate modifying your exchange text file.