Re: backup and synchronize to fastmail

I have found a mention to logging in the section on
interfaces of the manual
of offlineimap:

===
NONINTERACTIVE.BASIC
Noninteractive.Basic is designed for situations in which
OffineIMAP will be
run non-attended and the status of its execution will be
logged. You might
use it, for instance, to have the system run automatically
and e-mail you the
results of the synchronization.This user interface is not
capable of reading a
password from the keyboard; account passwords must be
specified using one of
the configuration file options.
===

Apparently, there is a problem here. On the one hand, I need
offlineimap to be
running in background in the departmental cluster. On the
other hand, this
noninteractive interface requires to write both account
passwords in the
configuration file, which is insecure in this case.

Is it not possible to run offlineimap in the background and
make it prompt for
these passwords when it starts? (in fact this is the way
that I have imapfilter
configured). Does it need python programming?

Also, is this one the default interface? Ie the interface
used when not
specified in the configuration file or the command line.

Regards, Alejandro Jakubi

On Thu, 15 May 2008, Alejandro Jakubi wrote:

> I have found a mention to logging in the section on
interfaces of the manual
> of offlineimap:
>
> ===
> NONINTERACTIVE.BASIC
> Noninteractive.Basic is designed for situations in
which OffineIMAP will be
> run non-attended and the status of its execution will
be logged. You might
> use it, for instance, to have the system run
automatically and e-mail you the
> results of the synchronization.This user interface is
not capable of reading 
> a
> password from the keyboard; account passwords must be
specified using one of
> the configuration file options.
> ===
>
> Apparently, there is a problem here. On the one hand, I
need offlineimap 
> to be running in background in the departmental
cluster. On the other 
> hand, this noninteractive interface requires to write
both account 
> passwords in the configuration file, which is insecure
in this case.

Yes.  You could perhaps use SSH keys to connect to your IMAP
server.

>
> Is it not possible to run offlineimap in the background
and make it 
> prompt for these passwords when it starts? (in fact
this is the way that 
> I have imapfilter configured). Does it need python
programming?

What does it mean to run it in the background but prompt for
passwords 
when it runs?

> Also, is this one the default interface? Ie the
interface used when not
> specified in the configuration file or the command
line.

(Don't know.)

-- Asheesh.

-- 
Andrea's Admonition:
 	Never bestow profanity upon a driver who has wronged you.
 	If you think his window is closed and he can't hear you,
 	it isn't and he can.

Hello,

> Apparently, there is a problem here. On the one hand, I
need offlineima=
p to be
> running in background in the departmental cluster. On
the other hand, t=
his
> noninteractive interface requires to write both account
passwords in th=
e
> configuration file, which is insecure in this case.

Well if you have full shell access to the machine, you could
use screen,=20
run offlineimap within it (and type your password then) and
then detach=20
the screen session. Offlineimap will not think that it is in
the=20
background, and you can keep an eye on it by reconnecting to
the screen=20
session if needed ...

  /v

--=20
Vincent Beffara
UMPA - ENS Lyon
46 All=E9e d'Italie
69364 LYON cedex 07
Tel: 04 72 72 85 25
Fax: 04 72 72 84 80