Email clients across a WLAN

[Oggin Aviator]

Hi, need a bit of advice.

I have three 'puters linked on a 54g WLAN at home. My main email client (Outlook) resides on the PC. I would like to be able to check my email on my laptops (using Outlook or whatever) but still get all the emails onto my PC (where I file them appropriately).

Now if I connect to the email server using one of my laptops over the WLAN, the email will be downloaded to that client on that specific laptop and I cant at the moment get those emails onto the PC later.

Is there a way of synching (SP?) the laptops and PC such thay all have all the emails downloaded, a bit like autosyncing a PDA?

Cheers

Oggin

[stickyb]

If you are using POP3 to access your server then you have the option of leaving the messages on the server when downloading them into the mail client such as outlook.
That way you can set up all laptops to leave the messages on the server, and only the desktop deletes them after downloading

Alternatively, use something like www.mail2web.com to check for emails from the laptops.

[edited to fix link]

[Oggin Aviator]

stickyb

Thanks for the info, most useful :ok:

The POP3 option is something I will investigate, however a potential problem is that as soon as the PC downloads them they will not be available to the other 2 laptops on the network. It could work, just have to ask Mrs Oggin not to turn on the PC if she wants to browse emails via the laptop. The PC automatically accesses the email server every 15 minutes, although this can obviously be turned off.

The mail2web thing also looks interesting, however it is no different than accessing my email account directly via the web based route already available. Your link didnt work, however it can be found here. (http://mail2web.com/) no 3 x w in the address.

What I need is to be able to download the emails onto any of the 3 computers, then be able to share them all with the other 2, such that when this is done all 3 computers have the same info. I can sync my inbox with my iPAQ, so can I sync PC inbox to Laptop inbox to Laptop inbox (all on the same workgroup on the WLAN)?

Anyone any info ??

Cheers

Oggin

<edit> p.s. Just thought - I could use remote desktop but I had it working once, then it didnt, then it did, then it didnt - not very reliable and it didnt like firewalls etc If someone could describe a good way to get this working I might try it again.

[Memetic]

You could set the laptops to only ever download a copy and the PC to leave emails on the server for say 7 (or xx) days, that would mean the laptops will always see emails that they individually have not downloaded a copy of which have arrived in the last 7 (or xx) days.

or

Use IMAP. (http://www.imap.org/) something I keep meaning to try - anyone know how to handle the switch from pop3 to IMAP?

or

For remote access use real VNC www.realvnc.com

[221B]

I have been pondering exactly the same issue and am struggling for an elegant solution. The thoughts I currently have are:

If the PC is always on it could be set up as a mail server - think that this is the IMAP option that has been mentioned, but it sounds complicated and I am not sure what software is available to do this at a reasonable cost - setting up a Microsoft Exchange server seems like overkill.

Use the auto forward option (if supported by the ISP) to forward all incoming emails to separate accounts (eg [email protected]; [email protected] etc). Then each account can be downloaded to the relevant machine and all emails will be on that machine independently of the others. This does not require any machine to be always on, but only works for incoming mails, and they will appear as unread on each machine. To keep the sent boxes in line you could cc sent mails to each account or manually merge them periodically to keep them up to date - I believe that Outlook has this functionality.

[Oggin Aviator]

manually merge them periodically

How can I do this? I have looked through the help menu for Outlook without any success.

Oggin

[221B]

Couple of options - backup and restore:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=270670

Or manually move the messages:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=257173

(These are for Outlook Express, but I believe that Outlook is very similar)

[Oggin Aviator]

Useful - many thanks

Oggin

[rustle]

Why not make all the PCs/Laptops "look" at the same set of store folders within Outlook?

Share the folder where OE stores mail on the "main" PC

Map to this share

Tell the "client" laptops to use that as the location of the mail store

Bob's your uncle - all viewing the same data in real time :)

Downside -- need to have a "master" (probably the PC) on at all required times to share the mail store. Another downside is that ANY client deleting the mail will delete it from all views (no redundant storage)

Other downside - no remote (not on WLAN) use of email for the laptops...

Upside -- quick/neat & consistent

Edit: The above works for Outlook Express

For Outlook, simply use PST files as the store for the main client (probably already is using PST if you are not on an Exchange server) and map the PST file back from the laptops...

Same benefit :)

[Oggin Aviator]

Sounds great rustle thanks. Can you explain (briefly) how to set this up (i.e. map to share etc?) Either here or by PM would be great. Thanks

Oggin

[rustle]

ooo-er, it is a bit OS specific, but if I assume you're using XP is that okay? and is it Outlook or Outlook Express you use? Version would be nice too ;)

A word of caution if this is Outlook Express we are discussing - you MUST make sure that you backup all the OE mail files on the "master" machine BEFORE you map other clients to it. When Outlook Express is pointed to a new Store Location it will attempt to write the existing contents to the new location.

If you map this from another PC/OE client it will overwrite the existing contents :eek: without merging/checking.

If you've backed up the master store you can simply reinstate the master copy and all is well.

If you "forgot" to back it up and mapped both laptops they will obliterate whatever was in the original master data store.

From your descriptions above it sounds like the laptops may only have a subset of the emails with the PC having the "master" version...

[Oggin Aviator]

PC (to be used as a master) - XP Pro with Outlook
Laptop #1 - XP Home with OE
Laptop #2 - XP Pro with OE (when I can get a copy - just bought the laptop nice and shiny and new and fast - it will "replace" the old laptop with that going to the kids, however will still need OE on as when I go away I plan to take nice new shiny laptop with me leaving steam driven one with Mrs O).

Understood all about backing up the folders, thanks. Just need some specific info on how to map to a shared pst folder.

Oggin

[rickity]

I have a similar situation, several computers that can be used to read e-mail, I have the "leave a copy of messages on the server" selected in outlook, (tools - e-mail accounts- more settings - advanced). my usual computer has remove from server when deleted from deleted items checked, that way if I'm on one of the others I can read and update all the e-mails, but leave them on the server until accessed from my main computer.

only down side is that if I send from one of the other computers, its not captured on the main one unless i cc myself.

no mapping no other software involved.

Rickity

[rustle]

Apologies for the delay in replying again

Will do so later today (this evening UK) :hmm:

[221B]

Sharing the mailstore looks like a good solution, but you may need to use Outlook on the Laptops as well - the latest versions of Outlook Express do not allow you to use a shared mailstore over the network, only between users on the same machine:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;240659