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Migrating from Barracuda Message Archiver#

This documentation applies to Piler enterprise edition 2.1.0

Revision #1

Publication date: 2025-DEC-12

Overview#

Barracuda Message Archiver stores emails in a proprietary format but provides an export feature that outputs ZIP files containing EML messages. This guide covers the self-service export process.

Note: Barracuda's professional migration services can cost $10,000-$50,000. The self-service approach described here is free but requires administrator effort.

Prerequisites#

  • Barracuda Message Archiver administrator access
  • Sufficient disk space for export (1.5-2x your archive size for ZIP + extracted files)
  • Network or USB storage for transferring data to Piler server

Step 1: Export from Barracuda#

Access the Web Interface#

  1. Log into the Barracuda Message Archiver web interface
  2. Navigate using an administrator account
  1. Go to Tools in the main navigation
  2. Click Export Messages

Configure Export Settings#

  1. Date Range: Select the time period to export
  2. For full migration, select your earliest archive date to today

  3. For large archives, consider exporting in yearly chunks

  4. Mailboxes: Select which mailboxes to export

  5. Choose "All" for complete migration

  6. Or select specific mailboxes/users

  7. Format: Select ZIP format

  8. ZIP files contain individual EML messages

  9. PST format requires Windows conversion step

  10. Destination: Choose where to save exports

  11. Network share recommended for large exports

  12. Local disk if transferring via USB later

  13. Click Export to begin

Monitor Export Progress#

  • Barracuda shows export progress in the interface
  • Large archives may take many hours or days
  • Exports may be split into multiple ZIP files

Download Exported Files#

  1. Once export completes, download all ZIP files
  2. Verify file integrity (check file sizes, no truncation)
  3. Store in accessible location for transfer

Step 2: Extract ZIP Files#

Before importing, extract all ZIP archives.

On Linux#

# Create extraction directory
mkdir -p /var/piler/import/barracuda

# Extract all ZIP files
cd /path/to/downloaded/zips
for zip in *.zip; do
  unzip -o "$zip" -d /var/piler/import/barracuda/
done

On Windows (if extracting before transfer)#

  1. Right-click each ZIP file
  2. Select "Extract All..."
  3. Extract to a folder for transfer

Verify Extraction#

# Count extracted EML files
find /var/piler/import/barracuda -name "*.eml" | wc -l

# Check sample file
head -20 /var/piler/import/barracuda/sample.eml

Step 3: Transfer to Piler Server#

If extracted on a different machine, transfer to Piler server.

rsync -avz --progress /path/to/barracuda/ piler-server:/var/piler/import/barracuda/

Using USB Drive#

For multi-TB archives:

  1. Copy extracted files to USB drive
  2. Connect to Piler server
  3. Mount and copy to import directory

Step 4: Import into Piler#

Set Permissions#

chown -R piler:piler /var/piler/import/barracuda/

Run Import#

pilerimport -dir /var/piler/import/barracuda \
  -tenantid fictive \
  -workers 8 \
  -progress

For very large archives:

pilerimport -dir /var/piler/import/barracuda \
  -tenantid fictive \
  -workers 16 \
  -progress

Monitor Progress#

Watch the progress bar for:

  • Total files discovered
  • Processing rate
  • Success/failure counts

Step 5: Verify Migration#

Review Import Statistics#

Import completed:
  Processed:  2,500,000
  Success:    2,450,000
  Duplicates:    45,000
  Failed:         5,000

Verify in Piler UI#

  1. Log into Piler web interface
  2. Search across different date ranges
  3. Verify attachments open correctly
  4. Confirm all expected users/mailboxes appear

Investigate Failures#

Common failure causes:

  • Corrupted EML files in Barracuda export
  • Encoding issues with special characters
  • Malformed headers in old emails

Review failed files manually if count is significant.

Troubleshooting#

ZIP extraction fails#

# Try unzip with different options
unzip -o -O CP437 archive.zip -d /var/piler/import/

# For corrupted ZIP, try recovering
zip -FF corrupted.zip --out fixed.zip

Non-EML files in export#

Barracuda may include metadata files. These are automatically skipped by pilerimport.

Very slow export from Barracuda#

  • Export during off-hours
  • Export in smaller date range chunks
  • Contact Barracuda support if export hangs

Memory issues during large import#

Reduce worker count:

pilerimport -dir /var/piler/import/barracuda -workers 4 -progress

High failure rate (>1%)#

  1. Check sample failed files for patterns
  2. Verify ZIP extraction completed fully
  3. Look for encoding issues in filenames
  4. Check Piler server disk space

Alternative: Barracuda Support Export#

If self-service export isn't feasible:

  1. Contact Barracuda Technical Support
  2. Request export assistance
  3. Be prepared for professional services fees ($10K-$50K)
  4. Barracuda will provide exported files in EML or PST format
  5. Follow import steps above once you receive the export

Cleanup#

After successful migration:

# Remove imported files
rm -rf /var/piler/import/barracuda/

# Remove original ZIP files
rm -rf /path/to/downloaded/zips/

Reference#