As I am using not real users (but a cram md5 passwd db file with every user uid=dovecot, gid=mail) and my dovecots are owning everything in the mail store I had to synchronise uid/gid of the dovecots on both ends
After I did that, I tested the sync. And while it has worked (I now have an equal sized store at both ends), one side (running 2.3.17, the sending 'old server') was throwing up quite a bit of this:
Jan 04 20:13:15 doveadm(74435): Error: write(<local>) failed: Timed out after 60 seconds
Jan 04 20:13:15 doveadm(74435): Panic: file ioloop.c: line 865 (io_loop_destroy): assertion failed: (ioloop == current_ioloop)
Jan 04 20:13:15 doveadm(74435): Error: Raw backtrace: 0 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db6d157 backtrace_append + 58 -> 1 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db6d255 backtrace_get + 31 -> 2 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db79ff3 default_fatal_finish + 60 -> 3 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db78afa default_error_handler + 0 -> 4 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db7973b i_internal_error_handler + 0 -> 5 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db78c
Jan 04 20:13:15 doveadm(74435): Error: b8 i_fatal + 0 -> 6 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db8fa1f io_loop_destroy + 826 -> 7 doveadm-server 0x000000010d3445fc doveadm_print_server_flush + 254 -> 8 doveadm-server 0x000000010d33df1e doveadm_print + 44 -> 9 doveadm-server 0x000000010d32bd5b cmd_dsync_run + 1618 -> 10 doveadm-server 0x000000010d32db67 doveadm_mail_next_user + 479 -> 11 doveadm-server 0x000000010
Jan 04 20:13:15 doveadm(74435): Error: d32e8bb doveadm_cmd_ver2_to_mail_cmd_wrapper + 2439 -> 12 doveadm-server 0x000000010d33dc0c doveadm_cmd_run_ver2 + 1083 -> 13 doveadm-server 0x000000010d34224a client_connection_tcp_input + 1579 -> 14 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db8efe1 io_loop_call_io + 114 -> 15 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db910cf io_loop_handler_run_internal + 314 -> 16 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db8f3fb io_loop_handler_run +
Jan 04 20:13:15 doveadm(74435): Error: 212 -> 17 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db8f2e6 io_loop_run + 81 -> 18 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010db075e0 master_service_run + 24 -> 19 doveadm-server 0x000000010d344c3f main + 292 -> 20 dyld 0x000000011c73952e start + 462
Jan 04 20:16:05 lmtp(pid 74518 user gerben): Warning: replication(gerben): Sync failure: Timeout in 2 secs
Jan 04 20:17:05 doveadm(74522): Error: write(<local>) failed: Timed out after 60 seconds
Jan 04 20:17:05 doveadm(74522): Panic: file ioloop.c: line 865 (io_loop_destroy): assertion failed: (ioloop == current_ioloop)
Jan 04 20:17:05 doveadm(74522): Error: Raw backtrace: 0 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050d3157 backtrace_append + 58 -> 1 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050d3255 backtrace_get + 31 -> 2 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050dfff3 default_fatal_finish + 60 -> 3 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050deafa default_error_handler + 0 -> 4 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050df73b i_internal_error_handler + 0 -> 5 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050dec
Jan 04 20:17:05 doveadm(74522): Error: b8 i_fatal + 0 -> 6 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050f5a1f io_loop_destroy + 826 -> 7 doveadm-server 0x00000001048aa5fc doveadm_print_server_flush + 254 -> 8 doveadm-server 0x00000001048a3f1e doveadm_print + 44 -> 9 doveadm-server 0x0000000104891d5b cmd_dsync_run + 1618 -> 10 doveadm-server 0x0000000104893b67 doveadm_mail_next_user + 479 -> 11 doveadm-server 0x000000010
Jan 04 20:17:05 doveadm(74522): Error: 48948bb doveadm_cmd_ver2_to_mail_cmd_wrapper + 2439 -> 12 doveadm-server 0x00000001048a3c0c doveadm_cmd_run_ver2 + 1083 -> 13 doveadm-server 0x00000001048a824a client_connection_tcp_input + 1579 -> 14 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050f4fe1 io_loop_call_io + 114 -> 15 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050f70cf io_loop_handler_run_internal + 314 -> 16 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050f53fb io_loop_handler_run +
Jan 04 20:17:05 doveadm(74522): Error: 212 -> 17 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x00000001050f52e6 io_loop_run + 81 -> 18 libdovecot.0.dylib 0x000000010506d5e0 master_service_run + 24 -> 19 doveadm-server 0x00000001048aac3f main + 292 -> 20 dyld 0x000000011487652e start + 462
It seems the syncing works (or has worked) nonetheless, but it doesn't feel good.