1020112 - Documented work-around for enabling legacy sync no longer work

Status: VERIFIED INVALID

(Firefox :: Sync, defect)

Description

[Mark Hammond [:markh] [:mhammond]]

Not sure this is actually documented anywhere, but we've been telling people that want to use legacy-sync they should use Fx28 to configure it, then they can continue using it with later versions.  Bug 1014411 describes exactly this process for testing sync migration.

However, since bug 853549, this no longer works - going back to 28 and configuring Sync, then using the new version causes Fx to lose the new sync credentials you just saved using 28.

IIUC, this is only if the profile has already been used on nightlies etc.  If this is correct, it is going to be quite a PITA for developers and QA working on sync migration - they will need to create a brand new profile each time.

Comment 1

[Ryan Kelly [:rfkelly]]

Does this also break the hack from https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1014411#c14 ?

Comment 2

[Mark Hammond [:markh] [:mhammond]]

(In reply to Ryan Kelly [:rfkelly] from comment #1)
> Does this also break the hack from
> https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1014411#c14 ?

Yeah, that does work (with the typo in the pref name fixed), thanks.  I guess I'll just close this...

Comment 3

[James Bonacci [:jbonacci]]

OK.

Comment 4

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

(In reply to Mark Hammond [:markh] from comment #0)
> However, since bug 853549, this no longer works - going back to 28 and
> configuring Sync, then using the new version causes Fx to lose the new sync
> credentials you just saved using 28.

Why would that bug cause issues with Sync? Or was that just a side effect of bug 1019885?

Comment 5

[Mark Hammond [:markh] [:mhammond]]

(In reply to :Gavin Sharp (email [e-mail]) from comment #4)
> (In reply to Mark Hammond [:markh] from comment #0)
> > However, since bug 853549, this no longer works - going back to 28 and
> > configuring Sync, then using the new version causes Fx to lose the new sync
> > credentials you just saved using 28.
> 
> Why would that bug cause issues with Sync? Or was that just a side effect of
> bug 1019885?

It is basically the same as described in bug 1018121.  It appears there is a one-off migration when your profile is used on 31(?), so if you go back to 28/29 and save new passwords, when you restart the later version those new passwords aren't seen as the flag to indicate migration has been done is already set.  Thus, the credentials you saved in 28 are lost in 31 and 31 doesn't allow you to re-enter the legacy sync account information (the password *and* the recovery key are lost - IIRC it is actually the lack of ability to re-enter the recovery key that causes the issue)

Comment 6

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

Ah, makes sense - thanks!