On Tue, 2012-08-07 at 13:24 -0600, Brian A Anderson wrote: > Attached is the file notes containing my notes about the migration of > Evolution data from 2.24.5 to 3.4.3. > The basics of this file is the procedure to migrate data (not a complete > configuration) from 2.24.5 to 3.4.3. > The data can be merged into already existing data running under 3.4.3.
Thanks for your notes on how you did it. A couple of observations, and in no way is this a criticism of your method. First, I'm always very wary of playing around with Evolution's private files (i.e. the ones under .local) - if you know what you are doing, then it will probably be fine, and Evolution will try and cope with inconsistencies introduced by altering files manually. However, that may not always be the case, and naive tinkering with those files may cause data loss. At the very least, when you say "shut evolution down", you should make sure it is fully terminated using the command "evolution --force-shutdown" to make sure there is nothing hanging around that might introduce inconsistencies. Second, as I've said a few times on this list before [1], the easiest way of importing files from the old mbox format (if the automatic translation doesn't work) is to make a copy of the old Evolution data tree somewhere, find which directory all the mbox files are held in, then create an account within Evolution of type "Standard Unix mbox spool directory" and point the path at the directory containing the mbox files. The new account in Evolution will then contain all your old mail. You can then copy all the mail you want from that account into the normal folders in Evolution. This will ensure that all Evolution's files are kept internally consistent. Once you've copied all the mail over, you can remove the account in Evolution. But the beauty of Unix is that in general there is more than one way to achieve a result - all methods are equally valid, just use the one that works best for you. > <Begin editorial mode> > The key things that I learned here are; > 1. the two different versions of Evolution had two different mailbox > styles. > 2. The two versions of Evolution were not compatible. > 3. the evolution of Evolution had abandoned those with older systems. > Cynical but apparently true. I don't think that's entirely true or fair. Did you give Evolution a chance to upgrade your data structure? i.e. did you start Evolution with the old files in their original place rather than trying to do it through the backup files? > > Backwards compatibility is very important. > The useful migration of data is not as simple as constantly updating > your mailsystem as each version comes out. Evolution is probably one of the best applications I know for upgrading internal storage formats - it is quick, unfussy and accurate. Most of the time you don't even know it's happened. It's a damn sight better than "apply this sql patch, run this program, apply next sql patch, delete the following directories" etc. etc. that I often come across. > Some versions may not offer a real reason to migrate. > I for one don't want to become a slave to updates like Windows users > are a slave to updates. But you *must* install updates for any operating system - they fix bugs and, most importantly, they fix security holes. It just simply should not be optional to install updates. > > Rather I look at my Linux environment the same way I looked at HP-UX > as a stable working environment that changed when we had to. Not just > as HP came out with new versions. When our old machines became HP > Obsolete then we were forced to move. In that case, with all due respect, why are you using Fedora! Fedora versions are obsoleted after about a year - which means that all updates, including security ones, will cease. And you really, really don't want to run a Linux system without security updates. If you want stability, then use a RHEL clone such as CentOS or ScientificLinux - they will guarantee support for about 5 years after EoL of a particular version - but you still have to install updates. P. [1] e.g. https://mail.gnome.org/archives/evolution-list/2012-June/msg00042.html _______________________________________________ evolution-list mailing list [email protected] To change your list options or unsubscribe, visit ... https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/evolution-list
