path: root/doc/C/config-sync.sgml

  <chapter id="config-sync">
     <title>Setting up your synchronization system</title> 
     <para>
        Synchronization presents you with two issues you'll need to
        deal with.  The first one is pretty simple: you'll need to get
        the data to move among the various devices you're using.  If
        you've already got <application>Gnome-Pilot</application>
        working, then all you have to do is tell it to use the
        <application>Evolution</application>
        <glossterm>conduit</glossterm>.  If you haven't used
        <application>Gnome-Pilot</application> before, you'll need to
        run the GNOME <application>Control Center</application> and go
        through the hand-held device setup assistant.  Then you can
        select the Evolution conduit and press the hotsync button.
      </para>
      <para>
        If that doesn't work, jump up and down several times and swear
        loudly.  Then make sure you've got
        <application>Gnome-Pilot</application> going to the right
        device (for my serial port, it's /dev/ttys0, not the default
        /dev/pilot) and that you have read and write permission on
        that device.  If you don't, you'll need to be added to whatever
        group has those permissions (probably tty).
     </para>
     <para>
        Once <application>Evolution</application> knows how to get the
        mail, address, and calendar data, it needs to know what to do
        with it.  When you synchronize your local data with the data
        on a server or handheld device, you may run into conflicts:
        perhaps you have ended up with two cards with the same name
        and different addresses, or old mail that has been deleted
        from one device but not the other.  What if you want to keep
        only the a few contacts or messages on your hand-held or your
        laptop, but keep all the data server or your desktop machine?
        Select the <guibutton>Synchronization</guibutton> tab from the
        <interface>Preferences</interface> window to set up the
        conflict resolution preferences.
     </para>
      <para> 
         You can set <application>Evolution</application>'s
         synchronization behavior in the following ways: 
         <!-- LIST HERE -->
      </para>
      <para> 
         <warning> 
      <title>Data Loss Prevention</title> 
      <para>
        It's always a good idea to make a backup.  If you set your
        synchronization behaviors wrong, you could end up deleting
        the messages and cards you want to keep, and keeping the
        ones you want to delete.  Before you change these
        preferences, make a backup of your the
        <systemitem><filename>evolution</filename></systemitem>
        directory.
          </para>
    </warning>
       </para>
    </chapter>