[Dovecot] Same filenames on different servers?

[Alexander Chekalin]

Yes, I'm trying to make some backup solution.

The idea was to have two identical (well, nearly identical) servers with 
the same software and data on them, and while the first do its job as 
SMTP and POP3/IMAP4 server, the second server just get copy of first's 
current state (that is, copy user db and mail spool). In case of 
something wrong with 1st server I'll just put its IP on second one and 
will go on.

And the problem is that rsynced mailboxes sometimes have duplicates that 
may confuse users. It happens when box changes between rsyncs by means 
of Dovecot's ordinary operations (when msg file move from new/ to cur/ 
on 1st server and after rsync to 2nd this may produce two files with 
same filename in new/ and cur/, and Dovecot for some reason renames one 
of it).

Doing this using imapsync won't work. It is slow (hours vs minutes with 
rsync) so I can't run it every 5 minutes, and, moreover, it crashes on 
some messages, so can not rely on it in production.

Yours,
   Alexander

11.01.2010 15:07, Charles Marcus wrote:
> On 2010-01-11, Alexander Chekalin (achekalin at lazurit.com) wrote:
>> I'm not sure if this is intended behaviour. It is quite easy to see
>> such situation when doing periodical rsync (SMTP put message to new/
>> dir, then rsync copy it to second server, then message on the first
>> server move to cur/, and second rsync results in two files on second
>> server).
>>
>> It there any workaround?
>
> I would only use rsync for migrating to a new box, or for backups only...
>
> It soundslike you're using the wrong tool for the job - maybe you should
> be using something like imapsync?
>
> Or, please describe what you are trying to accomplish?