OK, some success:

As you all probably know, the full backup initiated from the UI creates a bunch of zip files in ~/MyDocs/.backups/BackupX/

Misleadingly, the messages aren't actually stored in messaging.zip. It turns out almost everything I care about is in contacts.zip. There's a file called in contacts.zip under Root/home/user/MyDocs/.tmp called trackerbackup.

This SQLite database appears to hold all the contacts, SMS's, and as far as I can tell, even the calendar entries.

Creation of this file is triggered by the backup-framework invoking /usr/share/backup-framework/scripts/backup-essentials-tracker-backup.sh.

I still haven't figured out how to auto-invoke backup-framework itself, other than a string in the binary saying "Backup-Framework is launched from SSU, no UI update" (SSU being "Seamless Software Update" -- presumably such as a PR update). This indicates to me there *must* be some way to invoke it in SSU mode...somehow...

I am really interested if you guys have some news in this area.

wolke, I would be pleased to use your backup/restore scripts if they really work. Could you share them with us?

lol, yes, they really work, my backup runs every single day @5am. my confidence in them is such that i am perfectly comfortable immediately flashing my phone after taking a backup.


here is my log from last night, with emails and phone numbers stripped out.
http://pastie.org/private/6wbfkycesnsgnv60hbhda

everything is in my git repo {the main script is backup-phone, and i run it, with no other args, every night}:
https://github.com/teleshoes/n9-config

now, the backup that runs nightly is only PART of what i do to make sure my phone is reflashable any time, though its the most important part.

i also use my git repo to track any and all configuration changes, by making the change directly in the repo and using my config scripts to make it happen on the phone.

check out this thread, where i describe in excruciating detail what i backup and what i restore, and how i no longer ever need to touch the phone to do all of it.

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=91106

HOWEVER, i dont think just dumping this stuff on you will actually enable you to do it.

my repo is not intended as a release system for a piece of easy-to-use-software; it is my own personal solution and its customized for me. {of course, anyone is free to do just about anything they like with it, and nothing that i wrote is missing from my github}

if anyone is particularly interested, i can help you get set up doing some of the things i do, and would love doing it. i cant help you, though, unless you run linux, preferably debian {or linux mint or ubuntu etc}.