Open Bug 247312 Opened 21 years ago Updated 11 months ago

backup/restore capability for accounts/folders data

Categories

(Thunderbird :: General, enhancement, P2)

Product:
Thunderbird
Component:
General
Type:
enhancement

Tracking

(Not tracked)

People

(Reporter: berserksangr, Unassigned)

References

(Blocks 1 open bug)

Details

(Whiteboard: [notsessionrestore][gs])

User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7) Gecko/20040614 Firefox/0.8 Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7) Gecko/20040614 Firefox/0.8 I suggest to take a look at Ritlab's The Bat! mailer. For me it's a great source for ideas of what you can incorporate in Thunderbird. One of things that it would be great to see in Thunderbird is: Backup/restore functionality - stores selected accounts/folders and per-account settings in compressed archives. There is possibility of creating incremental, differential etc. backups. VERY USEFULL when migrating/reinstalling system or when the message base is just too big. It could be implemented for news account to. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. 2. 3.
very bad summary
Summary: Very usefull functionality improvements → backup/restore accounts/folders data
Similiar to Bug 103993 or Bug 114834/Bug 82485. Dupe? This RFE may be related to bug 22689.
*** Bug 277834 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
*** Bug 288533 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
I think it's very important to have a backup functionality. Emails and Addressbook are very important data to our users. Also, it would be nice if the user can export the emails and contacts to different formats. This would make it more attractive for people to switch to TB, since they know their data is not locked in. Here is my description of the feature. Hopefully it provides better information: I know this can be easily achieved by copying the profile folder, except it doesn't work when you are trying to migrate from thunderbird on win to thunderbird on linux. It also doesn't work if you are trying to migrate away from Thunderbird. Of course, the user can copy the mbx files and the mab files, but this is just way to inconvenient for most users. Moz Backup is also an option, but it doesn't work on anything other than Windows. Emails and contacts are very important information to most email client users. Therefore it is very necessary that an easy way to backup and export emails/contacts/accounts be provided. This will allow the user to truly trust thunderbird with their data. Some of the other information that could be backed up/exported: -Spam filter -Saved search folders -Mail filters -Options -Certificates
Flags: blocking-aviary1.1?
this isn't in the 1.1 roadmap but is something we are thinking about for 2.0
Flags: blocking-aviary1.1? → blocking-aviary1.1-
(In reply to comment #6) > this isn't in the 1.1 roadmap but is something we are thinking about for 2.0 I think a basic backup functionality should already be in 1.5 (way too late for 1.1 now, but 1.5 is way away..) since as it was mentioned this functionality is very important. Especially novice users think they backup by copying their Program Files\Thunderbird folder and their data gets lost. The Software I used previously just zipped its application data folder and password protected it if wanted. This should berealizable for 1.5 as basic backup, shouldn't it? For 2.0 or later I'd like to see better compaitibility with other sotware (export to outlook format for example to allow better synchronizing with cellphones etc).
I think it's an important thing to make people change to Thunderbird. Specially making backups incremental, so you don't need to load all your saved data to backup it again. And I think leaving it to 2.0 it's to late.
I think backups are an important to make people change to Thunderbird. Specially making backups incremental, so you don't need to load all your saved data to backup it again. And I think leaving it to 2.0 it's to late.
Haven't seen it mentioned here, but there is a third party work-around for this: http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/
Flags: blocking-thunderbird2?
*** Bug 338634 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
It's too late in the release cycle for us to try to implement this now. I agree it's an important feature.
Flags: blocking-thunderbird2? → blocking-thunderbird2-
This is the major lack of features that has Thunderbird, IMHO. When do you think it could be implemented?
QA Contact: general
This feature, including incremental backups, is being considered for TB 3?
"Ping" - I too can see a need for this feature. Any thoughts of features /capabilities? MozBackup just saved me, but it would be nicer if TB had an integrated, platform-independent capability to help with x-platform migrations (Win <-> Linux <-> OS X ...), backup to remote servers, etc.
Assignee: mscott → nobody
The rubbis that I was referd to by Thunderbird makers about backing copied the file BUT the dnm thing just can not be restored. Now I've lost 100s of important emails and inportant News Group posting as well ANOUED is not the word I'm thinking off Naffing well P***ed off is.
Flags: wanted-thunderbird3?
I don't see us getting to this for thunderbird3. Patches welcome though.
Flags: wanted-thunderbird3? → wanted-thunderbird3-
Hardware: x86 → All
I suspect this bug should depend on others, such as bug # 463359 (Compacting Inbox does not reduce the size of Inbox - inbox continues to grow (IMAP, offline folder)).
PLEASE! place of data folder SHOULD be visible in the "options"-dialogue - not hidden in any configuration-data. Plus a backup-possibility I agree.
several topics on this in getsatisfaction
URL: http://getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_me...
See Also: → 283585
Summary: backup/restore accounts/folders data → backup/restore capability for accounts/folders data
Whiteboard: [notsessionrestore][gs]
howdy y'all, this extension ... [url=http://nic-nac-project.de/~kaosmos/mboximport-en.html]ImportExportTools[/url] ... has a "backup scheduling" tab that provides backup of the entire profile OR just the email folders. it also handles mail stores that are not in the default location by picking up the "local directory" setting from the server settings page in tbird. it does NOT do restores, tho. you must do that manually. the reason i mention this is twofold ... - something to _partially_ meet what this RFE is about for those who need/want it now - an example of code that does _some_ of what this RFE is about take care, lee
howdy y'all, crikey! i use bb code so often that i forgot to go straight text here. [*sigh ...*] sorry for the dead link and the bugspam. here is the correct link ... ImportExportTools - http://nic-nac-project.de/~kaosmos/mboximport-en.html take care, lee
Sure you can do a WINDOWS file backup of email but THE CAN NOT BE RESTORED TO THUNDERBIRD if/when an SYTEM OS occurs. What we need is a way of a) EEporting/backing up emails b) Inporting thm backedup rmail back into Thunderbird after a OS reinstall
howdy Paul Mason, please take a look at the ImportExportTools extension. it has a way to import the _email_ backup as an import. sadly it doesn't do it as a restore. still, it's done INSIDE tbird. i freely admit that is doesn't have a way to import an entire account. still, as i pointed out, it is a _partial_ solution that might be used as a _starting_ point. [*grin*] take care, lee
LEE_DAILEY DID YOU READ WHAT I SAID. that imports from OTHER EMAIL PROGRAMS, it DOSE NOT IMPORT BACKED BACKED UP emails wahe there is a REINSTALL of the OS that means that the program itseld hasa to be reinstalled, because of the way Thunderbird installs accounts have to be recreated. What we are asking for is the ability to BAKUP and RESTOR thunderbird email account infor and svaed/backedup email when as sytem reformat takes palce so that if were are in an exchange of emails with so9me one all previous emnails are STILL avabale top refer to. Either that or we just leve every email on the webserver, then we'd not nee a emai; program
howdy Paul Mason, this is an inappropriate place to debate your misunderstanding of what the ImportExportTool does. please, if you don't understand what the util does then please email me separately or drop by the thunderbird support section of the mozillazine.org forums to discuss it. mozillaZine Forums - http://forums.mozillazine.org/ take care, lee
Blocks: 752295
Priority: -- → P2

I would try out the ImportExportTools-NG add-on for this, but even that doesn't work with newer TBird versions.

As I suggested on another BZ here, perhaps the option (at least for starters) is to make an external tool, rather than relying on the current state of the ever-changing API of the MZ/TB codebase. When that settles down to a calmer churn, then look at it as an integral function.

I would think, with some decent documentation on how the pref.js file works, you could look up the values therein, and build up a converter to XML, json or yaml. If you were moving to a new system, (especially with a different OS) you would give the utility the new base path for the data, and it would build a new prefs.js. Handling the actual mail data itself, I expect your export would compress them with some generated archive name, and the prefs.js export would also keep that name/path in order to match up restored values.

I'm just thinking of how this particular function could be implemented by someone who doesn't have to know all the internal particulars of TB itself, but only having to work with the raw data itself (I'd think you'd want TB to be closed when you run it).

See Also: → 1664578

I fully agree that an integrated backup/restore tool is needed in Thunderbird. I've used Thunderbird for many years and transferring to a new machine has always been more painful than necessary.

Hopefully a user-friendly solution will be implemented, which will only be good for further uptake of the client.

I want to add to this, that I have a pseudo-solution for-now, which is that I have a script / filter move all my emails into {year}/{account} local inboxes and remove from imap and pop accounts. This helped me reduce my iCloud from several gigabytes of emails over a decade. While it is not a real backup, you could then setup any file-system backup tool to sync that local directory between computers and then you have something resembling a multi-machine backup. It's I'd say 30% possible due to Thunderbird.

Severity: normal → S3
See Also: → 639485
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