Volume of Sync EMails

Synchronize your Outlook on two or more machines. OLFolderSync works in the background through e-mail and can be password protected.
OLFolderSync does not require a server.
User avatar
Sven
Site Admin
Posts: 1513
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:54 pm
Contact:

Re: Volume of Sync EMails

Post by Sven »

eohrnberger wrote:Sven,
If there a tool that I can use to decode what data is being sent back and forth in the emails?
If you have found the tool to switch on the debug mode. Than you can open the sync mails which have now the subject of each Item you change in its body.
eohrnberger
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:42 pm

Re: Volume of Sync EMails

Post by eohrnberger »

Sven,
Yea, I saw how multiple changes were getting batched into basic sync packets, and I agree with you that there is something else going on here, and is not directly related to OLFolderSunc, but is somehow connected to it.

One thing that I have unchecked is 'Tools' -> 'Options' -> 'Mail Setup' -> 'Send immediately when connected'. Hopefully that will batch up more changes into fewer emails.

Another thing that I noticed was that within those 800 sync messages, yes some of them were basic sync packets, there seemed to be a lot of duplicates. I would get the version conflict dialog box being displayed multiple times single Contact, Schedule and Task changes. Strange.

Collecting existing draft email messages and collapsing themsingle larger emails certainly is an interesting solution. I wonder if this counldn't be done in code before the draft message is created, that way the user could still have the 'Send immediately when connected' option enabled. I'm sure that in the code there is a really strong technical reason for taking this apporach.

I'm hoping that unchecking of the option above will reduce the amount of email, but I still think that combining all the changes in a folder into a single message would be a valuable option to offer the user.

Let you know how it works out.

Best wishes,
Erik.
eohrnberger
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:42 pm

Re: Volume of Sync EMails

Post by eohrnberger »

I have a number of items (task and appointments) that have reminders set. When the reminders window pops up, I sometimes just dismiss the entire window by hitting the ESC key. Could it be that each time the reminder is set / reset by doing this, that this generates a change message?

If this is the case, then I think I have an idea as to what is happening. First, a remider is displayed in one Outlook. This changes the reminder time value, and a change message is sent to the other Outlook. When it gets the change message, it applies the change, causes the reminder window to pop up, and also reset the reminder time, which, of course, causes a change message to be sent, and the entire thing starts over again, causing an update storm.

If you want to see the debug log file from the update storm, please click on this URL: http://www.echohome.org/public/OLFolder ... eStorm.log
eohrnberger
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:42 pm

Re: Volume of Sync EMails

Post by eohrnberger »

I set up a test. I created two computers with Outlook, and created two users on my Linux mail server, which is using POP3 and SMTP for sending and receiving email. These users were folder1 and folder2, and configured OLFoldersync for syncing their Calendar, Contacts, Notes and Tasks. Then I started adding these items. This worked very well, and very quickly. No detection of any sort of an update storm, such as when my Outlook at work is connected to the Exchange server.
8
In this LAN environment, the sync was fast and easy, and did not disturb the normal use of Outlook. The messages would be sent between the computers very quickly. Across the Internet through, who knows how many mail servers relaying the messages back and forth, may be more problematic.

Would be an accurate assumption that OLFolderSync was developed and tested in a similar LAN environment? One without an Exchange server (and God only knows what all it might be doing to the data items).
User avatar
Sven
Site Admin
Posts: 1513
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:54 pm
Contact:

Re: Volume of Sync EMails

Post by Sven »

Hy, i will look a bit inside your logfile.

OLFolderSync is developed in and tested for both, exchangeserver and normal pop3 account. As you can see in the logfile, it knows, if you are working wit exchange or POP3.

Sven
eohrnberger
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:42 pm

Re: Volume of Sync EMails

Post by eohrnberger »

Sven,
Thanks. I appreciate the look into the log file. All I can think is that your statement before is accurate, that there is something that is modifying the items in either my Outlook or the Exchange server. Since you've tested with an Exchange server, I'm wondering if there is something that the administrator 'might' have configured there that is doing this.

Just seems like there are so many sync emails, and it's also confusing when the version conflict dialog box keeps coming up multiple times with on the same item in a single batch of email.

I've saved all the sync emails from work to home in my GMail account, I figure that I could package them up into a PST file and send it to you if that would help tracking this down.

Best wishes, as always,
Erik.
eohrnberger
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:42 pm

Re: Volume of Sync EMails

Post by eohrnberger »

Sven,
I installed the new version, 1.32.1.0, on both the work computer and the home computer. Seems that the update storm issue has been addressed. Thank you.

I will run these for a few days and report back my experiences.

Thanks again,
Erik.
eohrnberger
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:42 pm

Re: Volume of Sync EMails

Post by eohrnberger »

I have more information about the 'update storm' of sync emails.

It seems that Google Desktop, when configured to index the Outlook information chances the individual entries during its indexing process, which seems to appear to OlFolderSync as a change of the item. This causes an OlFolderSync to send a sync email to it's sync partner.

Seems to stack up with the symptoms that I'm seeing. I believe that the process goes something like this:
  • Google desktop indexes an item, reads and saves it perhaps?
  • OlFolderSync detects this as a change to the item, and sends a sync email to it's sync partner
  • The Sync partner receives the sync email, applies changes (perhaps?)
  • Google Desktop detects this as a change to the item, and re-indexes it, and saves it back(?) (start over)
I come to this conclusion because when I disabled Google Desktop from indexing Outlook items, the sync emails were far fewer, but when I re-enabled it, things went crazy again.

Am I on the right track?
User avatar
Sven
Site Admin
Posts: 1513
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:54 pm
Contact:

Re: Volume of Sync EMails

Post by Sven »

Thank you very much. This can be the problem. I had some problem like this with OLCalendarSync and the Microsoft indexing. But at this time i don't know what the google desktop search is doing. I will try it out soon.
Post Reply