Re: [Evolution] Checking for new mail ...

[Matthew Barnes <mbarnes redhat com>]

On Wed, 2011-03-02 at 01:27 +1100, Bart Steanes wrote:
> Yes, without any real success.
>
> What usually works best (for some new definition of best) is
> "encouraging it to try again" by pressing send receive.
>
> After say 10 goes over a 1-2h period it will usually succeed, provided
> the link is _really_ reliable (hotel wifi doesn't usually work, nor my
> 3G usb stick).
>
> When I'm on the road, i sometimes find that I can't sync at all until
> I get home (my android phone running TouchDown does not exhibit this
> issue, and it's connecting to the same mail server and reading the
> same mail).
>
> ...and today it just got to be all to much, hence my email.

Sometimes switching Evolution to offline mode (without syncing) and then
back to online mode is enough to reset stalled network connections
without having to restart.

Network sockets in the mail library don't respond to cancellations as
well as they should, especially when the network connection is flakey.
The read() call often hangs until a TCP/IP timeout occurs, and only then
does the operation realize it's been canceled.  And during that time the
operation may be holding a mutual exclusion lock on the mail folder, so
nothing else can access the folder until the socket times out.  Somehow
switching to offline mode can shake the operation loose.