Synchronizing Kmail between two or more computers?
I would like to synchronize my local mail between two or maybe three computers. Basic idea would be to use rsync, maybe unison or even subversion, to upload local changes to an ssh server. Is this feasible? Has someone any experience of this to share or maybe a recommendation for another solution? -- !++ ! Lennart Börjeson ! Partner, Developer ! Cinnober Financial Technology AB ! Industrigatan 2A ! S-112 46 STOCKHOLM ! Sverige/Sweden/Schweden/Suède ! mailto:Lennart.Borjeson@cinnober.com ! phone:+46-8-50304717 ! gsm:+46-70-3394717 ! fax:+46-8-50304701 ! http://www.cinnober.com !--
--- On 2 October 2006 09:51, Lennart Börjeson wrote: --- I would like to synchronize my local mail between two or maybe three computers. Basic idea would be to use rsync I use rsync to do that. But pay attention, I use it in a master/slave configuration : my laptop is the master and my desktop the slave; which is a normal backup configuration. The reason is that is not possible to guarantee that in a sync operation you don't delete older messages, in one of the computers, that you have not read yet. Any way, the man page of rsync has a good example of a complete synchronization, copying and deleting files in two computers. Regards Lívio Cipriano
Am Monday 02 October 2006 11:10 schrieb Lívio Cipriano:
--- On 2 October 2006 09:51, Lennart Börjeson wrote: ---
I would like to synchronize my local mail between two or maybe three computers. Basic idea would be to use rsync
Why don't you just use imap/dimap ? It has been designed just for this usecase ... bye adrian -- Adrian Schroeter SUSE Linux Products GmbH, Maxfeldstr. 5, 90409 Nuernberg, Germany email: adrian@suse.de
-------- On 2 October 2006 10:15, Adrian Schröter wrote: --------
Why don't you just use imap/dimap ? It has been designed just for this usecase ...
That is the best solution, if you don't have to work off line with a laptop. Regards, Lívio Cipriano
Am Monday 02 October 2006 11:29 schrieb Lívio Cipriano:
-------- On 2 October 2006 10:15, Adrian Schröter wrote: --------
Why don't you just use imap/dimap ? It has been designed just for this usecase ...
That is the best solution, if you don't have to work off line with a laptop.
That works great with dimap (read disconnected-imap). You have always a full cache on your notebook and can switch between online and offline mode. bye adrian -- Adrian Schroeter SUSE Linux Products GmbH, Maxfeldstr. 5, 90409 Nuernberg, Germany email: adrian@suse.de
-------- On 2 October 2006 10:59, Adrian Schröter wrote: --------
You have always a full cache on your notebook and can switch between online and offline mode.
I've to take a look. Sounds interesting to me. -- Regards, Lívio Cipriano
Mandag 02 oktober 2006 12:25 skrev Lívio Cipriano:
-------- On 2 October 2006 10:59, Adrian Schröter wrote: --------
You have always a full cache on your notebook and can switch between online and offline mode.
I've to take a look. Sounds interesting to me.
-- Regards, Lívio Cipriano
- For what it's worth... - when I try to connect to my server using Kmail, I get something like: "Wrong username or password.." (in danish). An imap server is running on the serverbox, I can to: telnet 143 and get a prompt and so forth. - should one setup special imap accounts/passwords on the server? If so, where can I read about it? Thank you ind advance!! -- ------------------------------ Med venlig hilsen/Best regards Verner Kjærsgaard
-------- On 2 October 2006 11:54, Verner Kjærsgaard wrote: --------
- For what it's worth... - when I try to connect to my server using Kmail, I get something like:
Well .. I must confess the only time I used a IMAP server was when I had to migrate my outlook mails to linux (kmail). I must also confess that I didn't used that solution, for that purpose, and I can't remember why, using instead Thunderbird. But I figure that IMAP is a good solution if if have to migrate several outlook pst files from several users. There is an intrinsic problem with pop/smtp mail messages, that is what we are truly discussing were : are point to point protocols (or server to server) protocols. You send a message from one server to another, so they are never in sync. To establish a sync system, you have always to elect a master server and setup all sync from it. -- Regards, Lívio Cipriano
On Monday 02 October 2006 12:54, Verner Kjærsgaard said:
- For what it's worth... - when I try to connect to my server using Kmail, I get something like:
"Wrong username or password.." (in danish). An imap server is running on the serverbox, I can to: telnet 143 and get a prompt and so forth. - should one setup special imap accounts/passwords on the server? If so, where can I read about it?
Typically you will have to set the correct password on the imap server; it does not just authorise you using your usual login password but has its own password database. With cyrus you can do this with cyradm. Will
Mandag 02 oktober 2006 11:15 skrev Adrian Schröter:
Am Monday 02 October 2006 11:10 schrieb Lívio Cipriano:
--- On 2 October 2006 09:51, Lennart Börjeson wrote: ---
I would like to synchronize my local mail between two or maybe three computers. Basic idea would be to use rsync
Why don't you just use imap/dimap ? It has been designed just for this usecase ...
bye adrian
--
Adrian Schroeter SUSE Linux Products GmbH, Maxfeldstr. 5, 90409 Nuernberg, Germany email: adrian@suse.de
Dear Adrian, - my 10 cents here... - I have EXACTLY the same problem with my mail, I've had it for years. I'd REALLY like to use imap with my KDE 3.4.2 level "b" on my SuSE10 with Kmail 1.8.2 - only, I NEVER got it working. I have been looking for how-tos and all, and I never ever found anything that would work. I spoke, both in real life and though e-mail to lots of people. No one ever got imap/kmail working. I'd really appreciate any hints or links to directions as to how-to get such a thing going with SuSE10, KDE and Kmail. The server which is receiving the mail is a SuSE9 - soon to be upgraded to a proper SLES9. -- ------------------------------ Med venlig hilsen/Best regards Verner Kjærsgaard
Hi Werner, Op maandag 2 oktober 2006 12:40, schreef Verner Kjærsgaard:
I'd really appreciate any hints or links to directions as to how-to get such a thing going with SuSE10, KDE and Kmail. The server which is receiving the mail is a SuSE9 - soon to be upgraded to a proper SLES9.
Does you server have an imap server running? If not are you able to get an imap server running on that system? Why do you upgrade to SLES9 and not 10? -- Richard Bos Without a home the journey is endless
Mandag 02 oktober 2006 22:03 skrev Richard Bos:
Hi Werner,
Op maandag 2 oktober 2006 12:40, schreef Verner Kjærsgaard:
I'd really appreciate any hints or links to directions as to how-to get such a thing going with SuSE10, KDE and Kmail. The server which is receiving the mail is a SuSE9 - soon to be upgraded to a proper SLES9.
Does you server have an imap server running? If not are you able to get an imap server running on that system? Why do you upgrade to SLES9 and not 10?
-- Richard Bos Without a home the journey is endless
Hi Richard and list, - I have an Imap server running on my SuSE9. I actually tried more than one...and it's listening, you can telnet to it. And netstat -apn | grep 143 gives that it's indeed listening. - When I set it up in Kmail giving my username and password from /etc/passwd (i.e. my credentials on the server), I get (in danish): "Could not log in, username or password most likely wrong..) In Kmail setup, I give the path to the mail like this: /var/spool/mail (and lots of combinations of that..) All no luck. Not only on this machine, but on quite a few others that I've tried too... Any hints? -- ------------------------------ Med venlig hilsen/Best regards Verner Kjærsgaard --
On Tue, Oct 03, 2006 at 09:09:07AM +0200, Verner Kj??rsgaard wrote:
Mandag 02 oktober 2006 22:03 skrev Richard Bos:
Hi Werner,
Op maandag 2 oktober 2006 12:40, schreef Verner Kj??rsgaard:
I'd really appreciate any hints or links to directions as to how-to get such a thing going with SuSE10, KDE and Kmail. The server which is receiving the mail is a SuSE9 - soon to be upgraded to a proper SLES9.
Does you server have an imap server running? If not are you able to get an imap server running on that system? Why do you upgrade to SLES9 and not 10?
-- Richard Bos Without a home the journey is endless
Hi Richard and list,
- I have an Imap server running on my SuSE9. I actually tried more than one...and it's listening, you can telnet to it. And netstat -apn | grep 143 gives that it's indeed listening.
- When I set it up in Kmail giving my username and password from /etc/passwd (i.e. my credentials on the server), I get (in danish): "Could not log in, username or password most likely wrong..)
What server are you running? Cyrus e.g has its own user db AFAIK.
In Kmail setup, I give the path to the mail like this: /var/spool/mail (and lots of combinations of that..)
Such a path would not be necessary.
All no luck. Not only on this machine, but on quite a few others that I've tried too...
Can you try with thunderbird. Try to trace the traffic with e.g. ethereal. -- Richard
Tirsdag 03 oktober 2006 09:31 skrev Richard Bos:
On Tue, Oct 03, 2006 at 09:09:07AM +0200, Verner Kj??rsgaard wrote:
Mandag 02 oktober 2006 22:03 skrev Richard Bos:
Hi Werner,
Op maandag 2 oktober 2006 12:40, schreef Verner Kj??rsgaard:
I'd really appreciate any hints or links to directions as to how-to get such a thing going with SuSE10, KDE and Kmail. The server which is receiving the mail is a SuSE9 - soon to be upgraded to a proper SLES9.
Does you server have an imap server running? If not are you able to get an imap server running on that system? Why do you upgrade to SLES9 and not 10?
-- Richard Bos Without a home the journey is endless
Hi Richard and list,
- I have an Imap server running on my SuSE9. I actually tried more than one...and it's listening, you can telnet to it. And netstat -apn | grep 143 gives that it's indeed listening.
- When I set it up in Kmail giving my username and password from /etc/passwd (i.e. my credentials on the server), I get (in danish): "Could not log in, username or password most likely wrong..)
What server are you running? Cyrus e.g has its own user db AFAIK.
In Kmail setup, I give the path to the mail like this: /var/spool/mail (and lots of combinations of that..)
Such a path would not be necessary.
All no luck. Not only on this machine, but on quite a few others that I've tried too...
Can you try with thunderbird. Try to trace the traffic with e.g. ethereal.
-- Richard
Hi Richard and list, SOLVED! - looking for the version of imap I used YAST, of course. In doing so, I came uppon reading /usr/share/doc/packages/imap/ (duh!). There I found one file named README.Suse. It explained everything... namely I needed to generate a privately signed certificate. Et voila Everything is now working like a breeze. Thank You! -- ------------------------------ Med venlig hilsen/Best regards Verner Kjærsgaard --
Verner Kjærsgaard schrieb:
Hi Richard and list,
- I have an Imap server running on my SuSE9. I actually tried more than one...and it's listening, you can telnet to it. And netstat -apn | grep 143 gives that it's indeed listening.
I guess you can connect to the IMAP server via telnet but you didn't tried to login via telnet, did you?
- When I set it up in Kmail giving my username and password from /etc/passwd (i.e. my credentials on the server), I get (in danish): "Could not log in, username or password most likely wrong..
Which IMAP server are you using (Cyrus, UWash, Courior)? AFAIK all server may use different ways for login: /etc/passwd, LDAP, RDMS and other. Did you configure it to use /etc/passwd? BTW: I have an IMAP server running and connecting via kmail is no problem, so it should be your configuration and not an kmail bug. regards, Verena
Verner Kjærsgaard wrote:
- I have an Imap server running on my SuSE9. I actually tried more than one...and it's listening, you can telnet to it. And netstat -apn | grep 143 gives that it's indeed listening. I guess you tried to connect but not to login via telnet, did you?
- When I set it up in Kmail giving my username and password from /etc/passwd (i.e. my credentials on the server), I get (in danish): "Could not log in, username or password most likely wrong..)
Which IMAP server do you use (Courier, Cyrus, UWash)? AFAIK all of them may be configured using different authentification backends, like /etc/passwd, RDMS, LDAP, ... Did you configure yours to use /etc/passwd? BTW: I am using kmail to connect to an IMAP server and it is working perfecty, so I think it is a configuration problem and not a kmail bug. Regards, Verena -- open source. open mind. open future. www.triosolutions.at office@triosolutions.at
Lívio Cipriano wrote:
--- On 2 October 2006 09:51, Lennart Börjeson wrote: ---
I would like to synchronize my local mail between two or maybe three computers. Basic idea would be to use rsync
I use rsync to do that. But pay attention, I use it in a master/slave configuration : my laptop is the master and my desktop the slave; which is a normal backup configuration.
The reason is that is not possible to guarantee that in a sync operation you don't delete older messages, in one of the computers, that you have not read yet. Any way, the man page of rsync has a good example of a complete synchronization, copying and deleting files in two computers.
Regards
Lívio Cipriano
I have many email accounts and I use a very simple solution. I found KMail to be painfully slow, so I use Thunderbird. I use Thunderbird in this way: 1) I have each account set to leave the messages on the server; and 2) each account is set to delete the messages from the server when I either: a) delete the message, or b) move it to another folder; and 3) each account is set to BCC: new msgs back to the account they are being sent from. No syncing involved with that strategy. I can go to a client site, and on a client's workstation or server I can pull up all the email from any account I want to use; or, likewise, I can be at home and have the same email available to me. Granted, this is a low tech solution--but it works!! ;-) :-D
-------- Original Message on 2 October 2006 21:30 --------
Granted, this is a low tech solution--but it works!! ;-) :-D
Well ... I agree with you ... But you are oversight two or three issues (or are just not important for you): 1. Confidentially, you let your messages in a server that you not control; 2. Safety, if a disaster happens on the servers, and there are no backups, you loose your messages; 3. There must be a space limit on your server so, although far fetched, you might loose messages sent to you, if the limit is reached. -- Regards, Lívio Cipriano
Lívio Cipriano wrote:
-------- Original Message on 2 October 2006 21:30 --------
Granted, this is a low tech solution--but it works!! ;-) :-D
Well ... I agree with you ... But you are oversight two or three issues (or are just not important for you):
1. Confidentially, you let your messages in a server that you not control;
2. Safety, if a disaster happens on the servers, and there are no backups, you loose your messages;
3. There must be a space limit on your server so, although far fetched, you might loose messages sent to you, if the limit is reached.
1. When you 'sync-up' you're messages are passing thru a server, and if I'm on the wire running tcpdump, I'd capturing all your messages, so how much more secure are you? As for the server I'm going thru, it's my personal ISP, so I either have to trust them, get another ISP, or completely encrypt every msg. If it was sensitive data, I probably wouldn't even be using email at all. 2. Been on the net since 1982 and have never had that happen yet. But you're right, the possibility is always there. 3. The space limit is handling thousands of emails for me on various accounts, so that's not an issue or concern. I appreciate you pointing all that out, just in case I wasn't aware of those issues. I was offering a quick, simple solution, even if only good for short-term use. You never know--someone on this list may find that low tech solution useful. You know that old saying, "The only truly secure computer is one that's turned off and unplugged." LOL :-D
-------- On 2 October 2006 23:53, John wrote: --------
When you 'sync-up' you're messages are passing thru a server, and if I'm on the wire running tcpdump, I'd capturing all your messages, so how much more secure are you?
Well .. we could get in an endless discussion about information theory ... But I would like to notice, that that is a feature of the system : you know that you can be eavesdropped when you sync-up. What you don't know, is what happens to your mails in the server :-) -- Regards, Lívio Cipriano
On Monday 02 October 2006 15:51, Lennart Börjeson wrote:
I would like to synchronize my local mail between two or maybe three computers. Basic idea would be to use rsync, maybe unison or even subversion, to upload local changes to an ssh server. Is this feasible? Has someone any experience of this to share or maybe a recommendation for another solution?
It is possible to use rsync for this purpose. You can set the other computers that want to be synchronized with your pc. The command at the other pc would be: rsync -avzgorp --delete -e ssh user@yourpcip:/home/.kde/share/apps/kmail/ /home/.kde/share/apps/kmail/ But I suspect that this method is not very effective, since the other kmail would have to rebuild their indexes every after synchronization. CMIIW, -- Fajar Priyanto | Reg'd Linux User #327841 | Linux tutorial http://linux2.arinet.org 5:21pm up 10:17, 2.6.16.13-4-default GNU/Linux Let's use OpenOffice. http://www.openoffice.org
Aha! Thank you, that's the kind of problems I feared. That means I shall probably have to set up some kind of imap server on my tiny NSLU2... /Lennart måndag 02 oktober 2006 12:27 skrev Fajar Priyanto:
But I suspect that this method is not very effective, since the other kmail would have to rebuild their indexes every after synchronization.
-- !++ ! Lennart Börjeson ! Partner, Developer ! Cinnober Financial Technology AB ! Industrigatan 2A ! S-112 46 STOCKHOLM ! Sverige/Sweden/Schweden/Suède ! mailto:Lennart.Borjeson@cinnober.com ! phone:+46-8-50304717 ! gsm:+46-70-3394717 ! fax:+46-8-50304701 ! http://www.cinnober.com !--
___/ On Mon 02 Oct 2006 09:51:52 BST, [ Lennart Börjeson ] wrote : \___
I would like to synchronize my local mail between two or maybe three computers. Basic idea would be to use rsync, maybe unison or even subversion, to upload local changes to an ssh server. Is this feasible? Has someone any experience of this to share or maybe a recommendation for another solution?
Hi, If IMAP is not an option, why not consider having one box set as a primary and then SSH to it from the all others (much of the process can be automated). That's how I keep my mail 'in sync' across 2/3 boxes, either with KMail or Thunderbird. The only caveat, of course, is the speed of the connection. The same principles assist in keeping passwords, cookies, cache, history, etc. in a single place, without the need for Google/Moz extensions, for instance (those which retain the settings on a server). Hope it helps, Roy -- Roy S. Schestowitz, Ph.D. Candidate in Medical Biophysics http://Schestowitz.com | GNU/Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E http://othellomaster.com - GPL'd 3-D Othello http://iuron.com - proposing a non-profit search engine
participants (11)
-
Adrian Schröter -
Fajar Priyanto -
John -
Lennart Börjeson -
Lívio Cipriano -
Richard Bos -
Richard Bos -
Roy Schestowitz -
Verena Ruff -
Verner Kjærsgaard -
Will Stephenson