[kdepim-users] Re: Akonadi + nfs home directories

[Ingo Klöcker]

On Tuesday 05 April 2011, Martin (KDE) wrote:
> Am Dienstag, 5. April 2011 schrieb Lars Behrens:
> > Am 05.04.2011 00:52, schrieb Myrosia Dzikovska:
> > > rm -r ~/.local/share/akonadi
> > > mkdir -p /tmp/akonadi-USERNAME/akonadi
> > > cd ~/.local/share
> > > ln -s /tmp/akonadi-USERNAME/akonadi .
> > > 
> > > Then edit $HOME/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc and add
> > > 
> > > [Connection]
> > > SocketDirectory=/tmp/akonadi-USERNAME/
> > 
> > Thanks for that.
> > 
> > > This re-directs the socket to /tmp, which is local in our setup
> > > Note that this solution is not entirely stable: any change to the
> > > resources through the Akonadi GUI breaks the setup, by
> > > automatically adding the following line into akonadiserverrc
> > > Options="UNIX_SOCKET=/home/USERNAME/mysql.socket"
> > > 
> > > So any time you configure KDE resources, you have to exit KDE,
> > > delete that line from the config file, and restart, or else
> > > everything stops working.
> > 
> > Plus, this has to be done per user, inside their ~ directory. Thus
> > probably not our way to go.
> 
> This has to be done per script. This should not be that hard to
> implement. Add this script to /etc/kde/env (on fedora - on suse this
> path may be different) it takes car of the correct settings. But
> don't use /tmp for this. These data may be deleted automatically or
> at every reboot. Use /var/tmp.
> 
> Adding the UNIX_SOCKET line at every config setup may be a bug. Is
> this overwritten if you set this socket to /var/tmp/akonadi-
> USERNAME/mysql.socket?
> 
> > > I will probably be forced to move away from kdepim soon, to my
> > > regret.
> > 
> > Likewise here. We were sticking with the last working version of
> > SUSE, but it will soon reach eol.
> > 
> > > Our local support (who are very highly skilled in Linux) are
> > > pointing out that lack of support for networked file systems
> > > makes it unsuitable for enterprise environment, the resources
> > > needed for tech support under circumstances are unreasonable, so
> > > all our 500+ users are being strongly encouraged to use
> > > Thunderbird, or at least Evolution.
> > 
> > The sad thing is: Thunderbird (and also Firefox) nowadays are also
> > incapable of dealing with network file systems. And let's wait how
> > Evolution will develop under Gnome 3...
> 
> I think it is due to all the databases laying around. In the old days
> with text based files only this is no problem. Altering database
> files from two (or even more) different host will kill it (sooner or
> later).

Just for your information, the index files KMail1 used (and which are 
nothing else but poor man's db files) were never intended to be used 
from two (or even more) instances of KMail. In fact, I am 100 % sure 
that you would corrupt the index and probably would lose mail if you 
would access and modify the same folder with two instances of KMail1.

KMail1 doesn't do any locking whatsoever for anything stored in $HOME. 
But it warns you if it thinks that another instance is running. It's 
sheer luck if concurrent access doesn't result in data loss.

You are mourning the loss of functionality that never existed in KMail 
namely proper support for data storage on NFS shares and concurrent 
access to this data.


> If the db files were used for caching data only they can be moved to
> another place (/var/cache or similar) but modern programs even stores
> configuration data into db files.

Akonadi and KDE applications do not use a db for configuration data. KDE 
PIM uses Nepomuk for storing meta-data (e.g. contact groups, message 
flags, etc.). Nepomuk uses a db as backend.


> Configuration have to be stored in
> users home directory. Even if you split cache db from config db the
> problem will remain. If both programs try to store their
> configuration into the db at the same time it may be get corrupt.
> 
> > With all the cloud mania these days we are testing the use of
> > terminal server atm, maybe this might be the way to go, a bit
> > ridiculous though, with a herd of dual core machines being used as
> > terminals :-\
> 
> But why don't you want to sync the home directory from/to the server
> at login/logout? May be Microsoft is not the reference here, but they
> do it since the beginning (at least can do).

Because they cannot be bothered with logging out. Apparently, they want 
to be logged in on multiple computers and use KMail simultaneous on 
those computers. As if that would have worked reliably before Akonadi.


> And terminals don't get around the problem. If a user is logged in
> twice the programs will run twice as well. Only if the user gets two
> different views of the same desktop this will work. But I don't know
> of any system implementing this.

VNC


Regards,
Ingo
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