[Macpartners] UPDATE: AppleMail Issue

Sat Feb 24 08:14:25 EST 2007

We now have some additional information regarding the AppleMail bug where
attempts to move large blocks of messages sometimes resulted in email being
lost.

When using AppleMail with the MIT IMAP server via the SSL protocol as IS&T
recommends, Apple and IS&T have identified issues affecting customers who
have large numbers of folders and/or large numbers of messages in one or
more folders. Essentially, there are times when AppleMail asks the IMAP
server to do a lot of work, and the work does not always finish.

We have been working these issues with Apple for some time. We now know
there is a situation where data loss can occur:

If you move more than 300 or so messages at a time from one IMAP folder to
another IMAP folder, AND if you have the mail account preference settings
set to: "Move deleted messages to the Trash mailbox". The sequence of events
is:

1. Mail.app tells the IMAP server to move a large number of mail messages to
the Trash, and to the other IMAP folder.

2. Because accounting for the Trash folder is local, that work completes.

3. Because of the bug, moving the messages to the other IMAP folder does not
complete.

4. If messages in the Trash are permanently erased before AppleMail notices
that the copy was not completed and finishes that copy, the data will be
lost. Users who set "Permanently erase deleted messages when Quitting Mail"
HAVE lost data.

Because this problem is now shown to lose data, Apple has given this problem
high priority. IS&T and the Apple engineer working the problem are in
contact on a daily basis. The other manifestations "giving the IMAP server
more work than gets completed" have been shared with the Apple engineer as
additional test cases. At the present time we are working together to
understand if the problem is fixed in Leopard, and the feasibility of
getting a fix into MacOS 10.4 (Tiger). As soon as we know more we will share
our understanding with the community.

For now, here is what you can do to minimize the risk of being affected by
this problem:

1. Change your "Trash" preference under "Accounts" in the Apple Mail
preferences to UNSET "Move deleted messages to the Trash mailbox" AND make
sure that under the "View" menu pane you see the command "Hide Deleted
Messages". If, instead, you see the command "Show Deleted Messages" issue
that command. This will configure Apple Mail to show as grayed out, messages
that are marked for deletion. This will help you in the all important step
two below.

2. When moving large numbers of messages around, move 300 or fewer at a
time. When you have moved them, make sure they are all there before you
permanently delete messages.

Power users, interested in knowing for sure that all work given the IMAP
server has been completed, select the "Activity Viewer" command in the
"Window" menu pane. Watch for activities that seem to not complete right
away. When the "too much work has been given to the IMAP" server problem
happens, an activity will stay in the activity window for a full half minute
before Apple Mail decides to time out on the work, and leave it for other
cleanup activities to identify where to restart the work and how to finish
it.

I will post follow-up information as it becomes available.

Regards,

Don

-- 
Don Montabana
Director, Client Support Services
Information Services and Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building N42-175
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
Office: (617)253-5654
Fax: (617)258-9535
 <mailto:donm at mit.edu> donm at mit.edu        <http://web.mit.edu/ist/org/css>
http://web.mit.edu/ist/org/css

  _____  

From: Don Montabana [mailto:donm at mit.edu] 
Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 9:11 PM
To: 'itpartners at mit.edu'; 'it-lead at mit.edu'; 'aac-aoquery at mit.edu';
'macpartners at mit.edu'
Cc: 'is&t at mit.edu'
Subject: AppleMail Issue
Importance: High

There have been recent reports on IT-Partners of emails being lost when
attempting to move large numbers (e.g., 1000) of files to another folder.
We've been able to determine the following about this issue:

-        Apple has acknowledged this as an issue and has reported that it
occurs intermittently. It does not happen to everyone and may not happen to
the same person in every instance.

-        It has been identified and fixed in the next version of AppleMail
that will appear in the forthcoming Leopard release due some time this
Spring

-        We are unaware of any port back to the current version of AppleMail
in OS X Tiger.

-        At present the only apparent workaround is to limit your selection
and move a smaller number (e.g., 50-100) files at a time.

-        IS&T has been in contact with our Apple systems engineer; we expect
to have more information early this week and will report back to everyone.

If you have further questions they should contact the helpdesk @ 3-1101 or
by email at computing-help at mit.edu

Don

-- 
Don Montabana
Director, Client Support Services
Information Services and Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building N42-175
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
Office: (617)253-5654
Fax: (617)258-9535
 <mailto:donm at mit.edu> donm at mit.edu        <http://web.mit.edu/ist/org/css>
http://web.mit.edu/ist/org/css

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