Howto access TB-Profile on SMB-NAS (Synology-Diskstation) from Linux Mint?
Problems with Thunderbird (68) on Linux (Mint Cinnamon) together with Synology-NAS (using SMB shares)
Hi folks,
I'm trying to get (more or less) rid of my Windows machine (Win8.1 64Bit) and to "spread" some Linux machines all over the house ... unfortunately I'm running in some problems. Maybe somebody can point me to the solution...?
My (naive?) plan: - Buy a NAS (-> bought a Synology Discstation with 2TB). (I'm a noob to that.) - Use Linux (-> Linux Mint 19.3 Tricia, Cinnamon desktop, 64 Bit) on some machines, connected to each other and the Nas by WLAN, 100MBit-Ethernet or 1GBit-Ethernet (depending on the actual machine, the location ...) - Place all personal files of me and other family members on the Nas (not everyone should be able to access all) - Keep using Thunderbird as Mail client (using it since 2007!).
- Keep downloading emails (I store many of my mails back to the beginning - this often useful) - Store TB - Profile on Nas - Be happy - at least while not using to instances simultaneous (maybe guaranteeing that by some easy means?)
Solved problems: - Linux Mint didn't provide the current TB -> moved installation source directly to mozillateam: "sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/ppa" - TB on Windows and on Linux don't update synchronously -> That's really a pain in the a** (after using profile from newer version it's not longer accessible from older version) , but I think I can live with that.
What works:
- I can access personal files on Nas from all machines. Easy! Smooth! Great! ;-)
- I can use the profile on Nas from Windows8.1/ TB (currently 68.7.0 as 64-Bit-Windows-Exe)
- I can use my profile from Linux-TB (currently 68.7.0 in 64-Bit) - when I copy it on a local device!
What doesn't work: - Use the Profile on Nas from Linux-TB - Use any (new!) profile on Nas from Linux-TB Trying to do that gives - first start: TB crashes ("SIGBUS received when accessing mmaped zip file [file=startupCache.8.little,[..]") - second start (after "Quit" ing in crash dialog): TB starts (partial!: "address book could not be loaded") but trying to access a folder results in "endless work" (cursor saying "busy"), but no content. Nearly no activity measurable in this state (CPU, Filesystem incl. [W]Lan), Activity manager stays empty
MoreInfo: - NAS provides smb - shares. I "mount" them (trigger some automatic mounting!?) by clicking on a link in "Nemo" (file manager) which clearly mounts a folder "smb://diskstation.local/home/" - Profile.Ini - TestPaths (some generated, some "handcrafted") look like "/run/user/1000/gvfs/smb-share:server=diskstation.local,share=home/.Thunderbird/Profiles/myTestProfile.default" - I guess using NFS could be worth a try - but being a noob with that, I didn't tried it yet (for example I'm not sure how to distinguish between different user rights using NFS - may be simple, but is unknown to me). But: Windows uses SMB, right? And that works fine ... - Most of the tests done on both "old, but updated" machine and "newly installed" machine.
No solution for me: - copy the profile every time back and forth for every Linux boot (too lengthy, and in my opinion too dangerous to corrupt it sometime)
After fiddling some days (not continously!) I would be very grateful for some hints!
All Replies (5)
TB on Windows and on Linux don't update synchronously
This isn't entirely correct. On Windows you're running the vanilla Thunderbird version from https://www.thunderbird.net
On Linux you're running the version provided by your distribution (Mint). These are not the same. Usually for updates there is a delay compared to the vanilla version. You may want to try the vanilla Thunderbird version from https://www.thunderbird.net The flip side is, this cannot be installed using your packet manager. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/installing-thunderbird-linux
Wrt the NAS problem, I'd suggest you start with a local Thunderbird profile to get Thunderbird going in the first place. Then figure out the issue(s) with the NAS. For troubleshooting you can use a second profile for testing, without hampering your production profile.
Setting up Samba and mounting Samba shares can be tricky, but goes way beyond the scope of this forum. So you may be better off asking in a Mint forum about this.
Once the NAS problem has been sorted, you can migrate your Thunderbird profile to the NAS.
Profile.Ini - TestPaths (some generated, some "handcrafted") look like "/run/user/1000/gvfs/smb-share:server=diskstation.local,share=home/.Thunderbird/Profiles/myTestProfile.default"
I don't really understand what you're doing here, but this looks odd. For Thunderbird to start properly it requires a profiles.ini file at ~/.thunderbird. There is no way around that. Keep that directory with the profiles.ini file local, and only migrate the actual profile to the NAS. Note, there is a difference between .Thunderbird and .thunderbird directory names.
For help on how to automatically mount a SMB share at startup you should ask in a Mint forum as well.
Hej christ1,
thank you very much for your help. I will go thoroughly through your tips (Don't know if I have the time today). Anyway, some quick remarks after quick reading:
- I think I'm already using the "vanilla Thunderbird version" on Mint. Without diving into the details (which I mostly don't know), the trick for me was to "sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/ppa", which is supposed (by me) to add some other app source to Mint. Unfortunately there were still a delay of one or two days between "automatic update in of TB in Windows" and availability of TB through this path when updates came last time. A bit annoying, but for me no catastrophe. In short I'm planning anyway to give up the Windows machine.
- Yes, I already tried to make a new profile locally and then switch it to the NAS. Results were more or less the same as described for my "huge old" profile.
- Samba, NFS ... yes I figured out that this solution may be a little too complicated for me (at least: at the moment). Therefor I didn't try it yet.
- As for the suspicious path: I didn't try to move the profile.ini, it's still placed at ~/.thunderbird. The path mentioned is the path within the profile.ini, as is for example generated by TB - profile manager, when I choose a new profile and then choose the NAS-path of my existing profile. I mentioned it because I don't know what kind of paths are really supported by this system (Linux Mint, TB). I tried to make a filesystem link first, but the NAS filesystem (cifs!?) doesn't seem to support links.
- One test I didn't make yet is to link the linux machine exactly as the windows machine to the NAS. Right at the moment the Linux machines used a 100MBit Ethernet or alternatively a much slower WLAN connection, the windows machine's still using up one of my precious 1GBit ports (the NAS using the other one). I don't really think it could be just an annoying timing problem (at least the new linux machine being in all respects superior to the old windows machine except current network connection), but who knows...
Again thank you very much for your effort and I will call in again after some further fiddling with the system.
-- DreamingIsLegal
[OT: let's see whether this time I manage to produce a decent format out of my text. Beg your pardon for the really bad one in the original post!]
I think I'm already using the "vanilla Thunderbird version" on Mint.
You don't.
Without diving into the details (which I mostly don't know), the trick for me was to "sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/ppa", which is supposed (by me) to add some other app source to Mint.
So you added a repository where someone offers a packaged version of Thunderbird for Mint. This isn't an offering from the Thunderbird project, hence it's not the 'vanilla' Thunderbird version.
The path mentioned is the path within the profile.ini, as is for example generated by TB - profile manager
What is the contents of your profiles.ini.file?
when I choose a new profile and then choose the NAS-path of my existing profile.
What is the mount point for your NAS? You can check by simply typing 'mount' (without the quotes) in a terminal.
I tried to make a filesystem link first, but the NAS filesystem (cifs!?) doesn't seem to support links.
What exactly does this mean?
christ1,
thanks again!
So "using" "Mozillateam" is not using the original "ware"? Hrmph, must have been blinded by the name part "Mozilla". OK, beginner's mistake. *feeling*ashamed* Although: after some sketchy research, the source seems not bad, only, as you state it, not the "Vanilla" source.
So I deinstalled Thunderbird, removed the Mozillateam source for packets (using ppa-purge) and reinstalled Thunderbird - hopefully from the best sources (only predefined Linux Mint-Sources). Fortunately this was V68.7.0 again, so this newest version is now integrated in Min (by the Mint-Team)t!?
Unfortunately, this version behaves exactly like the "Mozillateam" - TB68.7.0 Not the solution yet.
Here's a sketch at my profile.ini :
BEGIN
[Profile3] Name=DreamingIsLegalTest IsRelative=0 Path=/run/user/1000/gvfs/smb-share:server=diskstation.local,share=home/Thunderbird/Profiles/myTestProfile.default
END
The path is just the path given back by the "ChoosePath" - Dialog in Thunderbird-Profilemanager. It is the same path I can see in the filemanager or in a Terminal window.
I suppose this path may be my problem. It seems to be the out-of-the-box standard way to use a synology diskstation. There seem to be many other ways, which need some understanding and work from me, which I don't (yet) have or done.
This standard way "mounts" (that is: makes accessible) the mentioned path when I click it in the filemanager Nemo (under "Network" or using a bookmark). Then I can use this path in many areas in Linux (filemanager, terminal, scripts, file editors, music player ...). The path is not available before "clicking" it in "Network". It is not "made accessible" when I just try to use it (by script). It is not contained in the mount list returned by "mount"!
>> I tried to make a filesystem link first, but the NAS filesystem (cifs!?) doesn't seem to support links.
> What exactly does this mean?
I tried something like "ln -s //diskstation.local/home/ home" (symbolic or hard, from terminal or filemanager, different locations for source and target tried) to make a link to my profile, so profile.ini could get a "normal looking" path. I always got informed, that the filesystem (on diskstation) is not capable for linking and/or that this operation is "not supported".
I fear this is in the end a Linux (and/or) diskstation - Problem, so I might be here in the wrong forum and you might be not the expert with that. Next things I will try is: learn something more about the filesystems, mountings etc. And probably carry my problem to a Linux form.
I really appreciated your help and think I've already learned some things I didn't know before. Should you (or another reader of this forum!) have another idea, I would be grateful to here it.
Have a good time,
--
DreamingIsLegal
[Profile3] Name=DreamingIsLegalTest IsRelative=0 Path=/run/user/1000/gvfs/smb-share:server=diskstation.local,share=home/Thunderbird/ProfilesmyTestProfile.default
Your path looks very odd to me. Whether it's valid or not I don't know, since I didn't understand how you mount the NAS partition.
I tried something like "ln -s //diskstation.local/home/ home" (symbolic or hard, from terminal or filemanager, different locations for source and target tried) to make a link to my profile
I don't really follow what you were attempting to do here, so I won't speculate about it. In any case, the "//" won't work in connection with a "ln" command. Typicalle you'd use that syntaxt in connection with a "mount" command, where "diskstation.local" would be the name of the Windows device (the NAS), and "home" would be the name of the Windows share. So this could look like e.g.
sudo mount -t cifs //diskstation.local/home /media/smb
I think this would require a running Samba daemon though.
Next things I will try is: learn something more about the filesystems, mountings etc. And probably carry my problem to a Linux form.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
Okulungisiwe ngu christ1