Re: backup and synchronize to fastmail

[John Goerzen <jgoerzen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tuesday 13 May 2008 6:10:41 pm Alejandro Jakubi wrote:
> In addition to answers to my previous questions, I need explanations about
> these issues:
>
> 1. Sorting. My guess is that inmediatelly after runing offlineimap for
> the first time, there will be a period of transfer (ie backup) from my
> folders on my departmental account to my fastmail account. Will the order
> of the messages in my departmental account folders be preserved in this
> process? I am worried about this because of my experience with mailutil
> (from the Pine toolbox) which, apparently depending on the version of the
> imap server, keep or alter this order on copy or move.

Maildir does not have a defined storage order.  The order of display is 
defined by your mail agent.  IMAP also does not have a defined storage 
order.  There is no way to enforce this.

> 2. Testing, log, simulation. Of course, I know that my use of offlineimap
> is at my own risk. Because of this, specially during the initial
> (critical) period, until I check that things go well, I would like to take
> precautions for the risk of loosing mail.
>
> So, I wonder whether offlineimap can:
>
> a. run in a "simulation mode" ie telling what things it would
> do without actually doing them.

No, such would be difficult to implement because earlier passes alter the 
state of the system for later passes.

>
> b. write to a logfile its activities during its normal operation (I do not
> mean debugging)

What is your definition of debugging then?  I think that its default 
verbosity would be fine for most people.

> And for testing, besides of backing up all my folders, what is the
> standard procedure to test that offlineimap works well in a particular
> setting?

Backup first, then try it out.

-- John