Synchronize <app>Evolution</app> with other devices

Many distributions provide the application SyncEvolution that can be used in combination with devices that support SyncML.

In general it is recommended to use applications and devices that both support the ActiveSync protocol (such as SyncEvolution). A list of collaborative software is available on Wikipedia.

If you can provide good practices or more information on this topic feel free to file a bug report in GNOME's bug tracking system.

Palm

To synchronize with a Palm OS device like the PalmPilot(TM) and the Handspring Visor several steps are needed: First, you need to enable synchronization. Second, your computer needs to recognize and access your handheld. Third, you should decide what sort of synchronization behavior you want.

Enabling Synchronization

If you have not used a handheld device with your computer before, you need to configure it via EditGNOME Pilot Synchronization.... Make sure that you have read and write permissions on the device, which is normally in /dev/pilot. If that does not work, check in /dev/ttyS0 if you have a serial connection, or in /dev/ttyUSB1 for a USB connection. You can do this by becoming root user and adding your username to the group that owns this device node. For a USB device on sync, two device nodes are created, ttyUSB0 and ttyUSB1. The second node is the one to be used in configuring the device.

Selecting Conduits

After your computer and your Palm OS device are communicating, select the conduits you want under the Pilot Conduits section. You can use conduits to synchronize data with several applications; the Evolution conduits are labeled EAddress for the contacts in your address book; ECalendar for your calendar; and ETodo for your task list.

Click Enable, then click Settings to change what the conduit does when activated. Your options can vary depending on the conduit, but typically they are as follows:

Disabled: Do nothing.

Synchronize: Copy new data from the computer to the handheld, and from the handheld to the computer. Remove items that were on both systems but have been deleted on one.

Copy From Pilot: If there is any new data on the handheld device, copy it to the computer.

Copy To Pilot: Copy new data from the computer to the handheld.

Select the behavior you want for each conduit you choose to use. If you're not sure, use Synchronize.

Synchronizing Information

Use the following procedure to synchronize the data on your Palm OS device with the data you store in Evolution.

If you want to back up your information before synchronizing, make a copy of the .local/share/evolution directory inside your home directory.

Put your handheld device in its cradle and press the HotSync button.

If you use Palm OS version 4.0 and have password protection turned on for your handheld device, you might encounter trouble synchronizing. If this happens, try turning off password protection on your handheld, synchronize it with your desktop computer, and then re-enable password protection on your handheld.

Now your Palm OS device will synchronize data with Evolution.