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Jordan · Jan 29, 2004, 05:47 PM

Haven't been able to do a search for this as yet again, the search function is down in MacNN. Grrrr. This is getting very annoying. [rant over]

Okay, here's what I want to do. I have a laptop and a desktop. I also have several mail accounts (including .Mac, Hotmail, and a couple of ISP ones). Naturally, I use Mail.app as my mail client.

Is there anyway that I can have all the same mail, whether I use my laptop or desktop? I don't want to leave it all on the ISP as there's too much. I want to be able to see sent mail as well as incoming mail.

I'm thinking that the only way I can really do this is to install OS X server on a desktop (I have an old G3 or can buy another G4). That way I would keep the mail on the server and access it whenever I logged in. As a bonus I should also be able to get to my mail when travelling by using the built in VPN support to access my mailbox.

Is this extreme overkill for this problem?

Sometimes, I don't want to sit at my desk and would rather be a little more mobile in the house (Airport of course) or when I'm away would still like to be able to get to my mail.

Has anyone done anything like this?

Would it be better to try some sort of synchronisation program?

Welcome any suggestions or comments....

Thanks,

Jordan

-Q- · Jan 29, 2004, 06:26 PM

Hmm...not sure how to do it (other than how you suggested) so you can see sent mail, but I just designate my home machine as the 'main' computer and have my laptop set to leave copies of the messages on the server, so when I get home to the desktop, I just download the messages to the G5, emptying the mail server at the ISP, but still with a copy (usually) on the PowerBook. Doesn't always work (if I check from home on a weekend and never use the laptop to check the mail) but it's worked pretty well the past few years.

I'd love to see the ability added to iSync/Mail to automatically sync up mailboxes for those of use that want it.

hotani · Jan 29, 2004, 06:43 PM

With an IMAP account (.Mac is IMAP right?) this isn't a big deal, but since you say you have a lot of messages you don't want to keep out on the server that complicates it somewhat.

I would say keep most of your stuff on the server so you can see it from everywhere, but archive older sent messages and such to your main computer.

I used to do what -Q- suggested for a while till my host switched to IMAP (yay!). Now its all synced up all the time, and I can connect from anywhere. Only problem is that I have to keep identical filters on all machines to route incoming mail - would be nice to have that stuff set up on the server like... um... I won't say it here.

EDIT: oh yeah, one more thing... You could set up some of those accounts to be 'forwarding only' so that all traffic goes to your .Mac account which you can keep syncronized. You can use filters to send all traffic from those other accounts to specific folders on the server then deal with them from there.

Jordan · Jan 29, 2004, 06:52 PM

A couple of good suggestions Hotani.

Problem is my favourite account is not an IMAP one but a POP one. Shame too as this address is the one that everyone knows and it's too good to lose. I am still paying the ISP in Japan to keep it!

It's still looking like my best option is to install OS X Server. Bugger, I thought there must be a better way than buying a $500 piece of software.

Hope it's as easy to install and configure OS X Server as it is Panther...

Millennium · Jan 29, 2004, 07:42 PM

Originally posted by Jordan:
A couple of good suggestions Hotani.

Problem is my favourite account is not an IMAP one but a POP one. Shame too as this address is the one that everyone knows and it's too good to lose. I am still paying the ISP in Japan to keep it!

It's still looking like my best option is to install OS X Server. Bugger, I thought there must be a better way than buying a $500 piece of software.

Actually, you can attempt to set up a small mail server yourself, on one of your home machines (preferably a desktop with a wired connection, but any machine can do in a pinch). You can set up the server to automatically download all of the mail from all of your accounts over IMAP or POP. Then, set up a small mail server on the machine which downloads your e-mail, and point all your other mail clients to it. If they all use IMAP (the main machine doesn't necessarily have to, but it's easier that way), then you'll always be able to access your mail from all of the machines.

Now granted, without Panther Server, this is advanced stuff we're talking about. However, it is certainly doable; most of the software you'll need for this task is already on your machine. StwpWise, at http://www.stepwise.com, runs articles about this very subject from time to time, and although it involves truly hideous amounts of Terminal-mucking, they're very good about explaining exactly what needs to be done. Check their archives for more information.

Freeflyer · Jan 29, 2004, 08:19 PM

I'm doing this already. My wife and I have an account that we both want to receive mail on, each on our separate powerbooks.

The way I've done it is to set up the same mail account on each machine, but have the option to not remove mail from server for 24 hours. We both log in the mail at least once a day, so each machine will download the messages. If you're going to be gone longer, just leave the messages on the server and remove them manually.

This works well for us.

J.

tooki · Jan 30, 2004, 04:17 AM

What I would do is install Timbuktu on your desktop machine, and make sure it has a permanent internet connection. Then use Timbuktu to log into the desktop machine from your laptop. You'd just be accessing your email from the desktop, and using Timbuktu to view the desktop remotely.

tooki

CatOne · Feb 1, 2004, 12:59 PM

Originally posted by Jordan:
A couple of good suggestions Hotani.

Problem is my favourite account is not an IMAP one but a POP one. Shame too as this address is the one that everyone knows and it's too good to lose. I am still paying the ISP in Japan to keep it!

It's still looking like my best option is to install OS X Server. Bugger, I thought there must be a better way than buying a $500 piece of software.

Hope it's as easy to install and configure OS X Server as it is Panther...

Why not set all the accounts to forward to .Mac (or have .Mac pull the emails from them), and then just use Mail.app to read everything.

I have a couple Earthlink accounts, and you can have them auto-forward to another mail account, which is what I do. It's seamless.

Jordan · Feb 1, 2004, 08:20 PM

Originally posted by Millennium:
Actually, you can attempt to set up a small mail server yourself, on one of your home machines....

Now granted, without Panther Server, this is advanced stuff we're talking about. However, it is certainly doable; most of the software you'll need for this task is already on your machine. ......

Millenium,

Thanks so much. You have pointed me in the right direction and I am now a lot closer to a desireable solution. Problem is that I am still a bit of a newbie at this. Yes most of the software I need is in Panther.

If anyone, is willing to help, I am more than happy to document what I am doing and publish (either here or somewhere else) for others to follow.

Here's what I have found so far...

There is a great little utility called Postfix Enabler by some guys called CutEdge. It's shareware and if this works I very much plan on making donation to these guys. It greatly simplifies the process of setting up a mail server.

Still I am so new at this server stuff that I am not entirely sure how to go about this. (Hence my offer to write a dummies guide if someone helps this dummy!)

For the purpose of this exercise, let me give a little more information and establish some naming conventions.

I have a G4 Desktop (which I will now call Desktop) and a Powerbook G4 (which I will now call PowerBook). I have cable internet which is connected to an Airport Extreme base station and that serves the internet for the entire house. My ISP is Blueyonder here in the UK (Not that it makes any difference, I don't think)

Here's what I think I need to do. (I am not sure so if someone wants to correct me...)

On the Desktop, somehow configure Postfix to be running. (think that is straight forward using Postfix Enabler- haven't tried yet).

Next somehow set the Desktop to retrieve mail from my ISP (or I guess ISP's if I was retrieving from several) into an IMAP account on my Desktop. (No idea how to do this!) Realise Desktop must always be running. Not a problem there.

Lastly, configure Mail.app on both the Desktop and Powerbook to point to this IMAP account on the Desktop. On both set ups set the mail to be left on the server.

Is this the rough right direction?

Can anyone fill in some of the gaps???

Thanks in advance,

Jordan

msuper69 · Feb 1, 2004, 08:24 PM

Originally posted by CatOne:
Why not set all the accounts to forward to .Mac (or have .Mac pull the emails from them), and then just use Mail.app to read everything.

I have a couple Earthlink accounts, and you can have them auto-forward to another mail account, which is what I do. It's seamless.

He/She said they have too many messages to leave on the server. Missed that, did ya?

Jordan · Feb 1, 2004, 08:35 PM

Originally posted by msuper69:
He/She said they have too many messages to leave on the server. Missed that, did ya?

Me is a he! ;-) And that's right. Way too much for the ISP's server, and don't feel like buying more on .Mac when there is perfectly good harddrive on my Desktop mac being unused.

Brass · Feb 1, 2004, 10:08 PM

Why don't you just send yourself a copy of all outgoing mail (ie, CC: yourself on everything) and leave all mail on the server for 1 week?

Would there be too much left on the server if it's just a week? Is a week long enough to check mail with all your computers?

(BTW, you can AUTOMATICALLY CC: yourself on all sent mail in most email programs. In Mail.app, it's in the "Composing" pane of the preferences window).

dampeoples · Feb 2, 2004, 12:31 AM

Originally posted by Freeflyer:
I'm doing this already. My wife and I have an account that we both want to receive mail on, each on our separate powerbooks.

The way I've done it is to set up the same mail account on each machine, but have the option to not remove mail from server for 24 hours. We both log in the mail at least once a day, so each machine will download the messages. If you're going to be gone longer, just leave the messages on the server and remove them manually.

This works well for us.

J.

I do something similar, except I never remove it from the server until I archive the mail I want to keep, always on the desktop. The unwanted mail simply gets deleted.

Jordan · Feb 4, 2004, 04:14 AM

Thanks for the suggestions here but I really don't want to store mail on my ISP server. I sometimes travel for extended periods. For all those suggestion derivatives of this, thanks and I'm sure this works for you but it won't work for me.

Really, the only way I can do this is similar to the way Millenium suggested above. Problem is that I don't know enough to do this.

Would greatly appreciate anyones help in doing this. If you have knowledge of Postfix, SMTP and IMAP/POP you can probably help...

Thanks in advance,

Jordan