Re: synchronizing desktop machine and laptop

[Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE]

Richard Coleman <coleman@math.gatech.edu> writes:

  > What method are people using to keep their laptop and desktop
  > machine in synch?

Well, I have two desktop machines, but one is at home via a dialup
link, so the problem is the same :-)

I use rsync.  I do `uni get' to retrieve mail from work, then at home
I do M-x gnus-unplugged RET.  When I'm finished with mail stuff, I do
`uni put'.

This script calls `unimail' and `uniemm', where `unimail' synchronizes
the mail files and directories, and `uniemm' fetches new mail and
sends queued mail and stuff at the remote end.

Suppose my user name is `kaihome' with home dir /home/kaihome at home
and it is `kaiwork' with home dir /home/kaiwork at work.  Then:

,----- unimail
| #!/bin/sh
| 
| AH="kaiwork@work:/home/kaiwork"
| DO="-av --delete --exclude Incoming*"
| CFG="--rsh ssh --rsync-path /home/kaiwork/bin/rsync"
| 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| #  -- dorsync <source> <target> -- 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------
| #  Copies one directory from <source> to <target>
| 
| dorsync ()
| {
| 
|     echo rsync $DO $CFG $1 $2
|     rsync $DO $CFG $1 $2
| 
| }
| 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| #  -- get -- 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| #  Retrieves mail from uni
| 
| get ()
| {
| 
|     dorsync $AH/.newsrc $HOME/.newsrc
|     dorsync $AH/.newsrc.eld $HOME/.newsrc.eld
|     dorsync $AH/.nnmail-cache $HOME/.nnmail-cache
|     dorsync $AH/Mail/ $HOME/Mail/
|     dorsync $AH/News/ $HOME/News/
| 
| }
| 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| #  -- put -- 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| #  Uploads mail to uni
| 
| put ()
| {
| 
|     dorsync $HOME/.newsrc $AH/.newsrc
|     dorsync $HOME/.newsrc.eld $AH/.newsrc.eld
|     dorsync $HOME/.nnmail-cache $AH/.nnmail-cache
|     dorsync $HOME/Mail/ $AH/Mail/
|     dorsync $HOME/News/ $AH/News/
| 
| }
| 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| #  -- Util functions -- 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| 
| usage ()
| {
| 
|     echo "Usage: $0 ( get | put )"
|     echo "Synchronizes mail with uni."
|     echo "Get means download, put means upload."
|     exit 1
| 
| }
| 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| #  -- Main program -- 
| #  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
| 
| if [ $# != 1 ] ; then
|     usage
| fi
| 
| case $1 in
|     get)
|         get
|         ;;
|     put)
|         put
|         ;;
|     *)
|         usage
| esac
`-----

,----- uniemm
| #!/bin/sh
| 
| ssh -l kaiwork work /usr/sw/emacs/20.3/bin/emacs \
|         -batch -l site-start -l .emacs.custom \
|         -f do-some-startup \
|         -l .emacs -l gnus -l .gnus -l gnus-agent -f kai-gnus-agent-do
`-----

,----- uni
| #!/bin/sh
| 
| case "$1" in
|     get)
|         echo "`date`: Getting mail from Uni"
|         start=`date`
|         isdnctrl dial ippp0
|         sleep 5
|         uniemm
|         unimail get
|         isdnctrl hangup ippp0
|         echo "${start}: Started getting mail from Uni"
|         echo "`date`: Done getting mail from Uni"
|         ;;
|     put)
|         echo "`date`: Sending mail to Uni"
|         start=`date`
|         isdnctrl dial ippp0
|         sleep 5
|         unimail put
|         uniemm
|         unimail get
|         isdnctrl hangup ippp0
|         echo "${start}: Started sending mail to Uni"
|         echo "`date`: Done sending mail to Uni"
|         ;;
|     *)
|         echo "Usage: $0 (get|put)"
|         echo "    get: connects to uni, gets new mail, downloads mail."
|         echo "    put: uploads changes, connects to uni, sends queued"
|         echo "         messages, then like get."
|         exit 1
|         ;;
| esac
`-----

As you can see, the script uniemm calls a function, which is defined
as follows in my .emacs:

,-----
| (defun kai-gnus-agent-do ()
|   (let ((gnus-verbose 5))
|     (message "Kai: fetching Agent session.")
|     (flet ((y-or-n-p (prompt) t)
|            (yes-or-no-p (prompt) t))
|       (gnus-agent-batch))
|     ;(gnus-agent-fetch-session)
|     (message "Kai: starting Gnus")
|     (gnus)
|     (message "Kai: sending drafts")
|     (gnus-group-send-drafts)
|     (message "Kai: fetching agent stuff")
|     (gnus-agent-batch)
|     (message "Kai: exiting Gnus")
|     (gnus-group-exit)
|     (save-buffers-kill-emacs t)))
`-----

All of this is a bit complicated, but it seems to work.

I'm also thinking about using IMAP, but I don't know the state of
affairs with respect to disconnected operation.

kai
-- 
This gubblick contains many nonsklarkish English flutzpahs,
but the overall pluggandisp can be glorked from context. -- David Moser