Moving email to BC from Network Solutions

[JacksonFranzen]

I am a new BC partner and I am taking my first client live at a domain name that has had a hosted site and email at Network Solutions for several years.  I understand the stuff about changing name servers and DNS, but what about moving email to BC?  I could not find step-by-step instructions anywhere in the BC partner documentation for migrating an existing email account to BC.  Can someone help with step-by-step guidance that will minimize the time my client is without email service at his primary address?  Thank you!

[smitchell80 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Please note you cannot migrate or export emails to or from a BC mail account. 

In your case the client will need to back-up (archive) their current emails locally. Since there are no migration feature for email the BC mail account will start fresh. Or they can choose to remain with the external mail provider if that's an option. 

- http://kb.worldsecuresystems.com/000/bc_8.html#main_How_to_create_an_external_MX_record

Hope this helps clarify.

-Sidney

[JacksonFranzen]

Thanks Sidney - this is a great start.  Since my client is paying separately for the email service at Network Solutions, he would like to use the email accounts that will be included with his BC eCommerce plan.  He has 7 active addresses, all of which are being pulled down to client email programs (either macmail or outlook). What is the step-by-step procedure to stop the emails from being served at Network Solutions and have BC start serving them with as little downtime as possible?  I am ready now to upgrade his BC site to a paid site and enter the domain name to start the re-delegation process.  Thank you!  - Jack

[smitchell80]

Jackson,

Once you are all set and ready to go live.  Upgrade the site and update the DNS to BC while adding the domain to the site. 

Generally it'll take a few hours or less to have everything propagate which you can then begin to access the site under the new domain.  Also you'll then be able to create the new mail accounts.

- http://kb.worldsecuresystems.com/000/bc_6.html (DNS Redelegation)

- http://kb.worldsecuresystems.com/000/bc_6.html#main_Propagation (Propagation)

That should be it on your end just make sure you back-up/archive the old mail account before switching. 

Cheers!

-Sidney

[JacksonFranzen]

Thanks again, Sidney.  I'm sorry for beating this issue to death, but does the redelegation / propagation process automatically re-route the emails from the current email server just like it re-routes where the website content is found?  In other words, do we need to do anything at Network Solutions other than cancel the email hosting plan once the emails begin being processed at BC?  How do we know when the email processing has switched?  Thanks.  - Jack

[smitchell80]

Jackson,

That's correct cancel the current mail service.  Then when you add the domain to the BC site just ensure you select "this service" for the MX record which will switch email service to BC.  Once completed and you've redelegated the NS records for the domain over to BC you can then start to create new email accounts for your clients using BC email service.

Hope that clarifies!

-Sidney

[Daryl Barnes]

Sidney Mitchell wrote:

Hi,

Please note you cannot migrate or export emails to or from a BC mail account. 

In your case the client will need to back-up (archive) their current emails locally. Since there are no migration feature for email the BC mail account will start fresh. Or they can choose to remain with the external mail provider if that's an option. 

- http://kb.worldsecuresystems.com/000/bc_8.html#main_How_to_create_an_e xternal_MX_record

Hope this helps clarify.

-Sidney

Hi Sidney.  I noticed within the BC webmail interface there is the ability to use POP to get email from a different email account.  Can't this in fact be used to migrate email from another account to BC?  Is there some sort of limitation that I'm unaware of?

[smitchell80]

Hi Daryl,

Yes correct you can POP/IMAP your BC emails in mail clients (outlook, macmail, etc). 

However you cannot migrate your email account to like an external provider like (godaddy, google aps, etc). 

Hopes this clarifies.

-Sidney

[Daryl Barnes]

No, that's not what I meant.  Apparently in the webmail interface of BC, there is the ability to enter the POP details of another email service.  So for instance if you were using gmail, you can enter the POP details for gmail and import all of your gmail email into your BC email account.  As far as I can see, you certainly can migrate your email account from an external provider this way.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't know if this is new or not but I've attached a screenshot below of the POP feature:

[mario_gudelj]

Hi Daryl et al,

That's indeed the purpose of that webmail section. You can import emails from another service by setting it up in the POP section.

See http://mail.businesscatalyst.com/webmail/static/help/deg/en/help-31770382.html#q47 in webmail help.

Cheers,

mario