[ale] How Can I?

[Ron Frazier (ALE)]

Hi Gene,

I do what Rich described with multiple computers.  I'm using Eudora OSE, 
which is based on the Thunderbird code base.  (Don't install Eudora OSE 
on a system with Thunderbird, as they will conflict.)  I couldn't get 
IMAP to work reliably and do the sorting and flagging that I use, so I'm 
using POP.  You don't necessarily have to run your own server if you 
don't want to.  You an easily have multiple computers set to poll the 
same POP server IF you set each one to leave the mail on the server.  If 
you have 4 computers and 6 accounts, the setup won't be trivial, but it 
is doable.

On the email client for PC 1, set up each of the 6 accounts, with the 
correct login credentials.  Set the settings for EACH account to leave 
mail on the server.  If you wish, you can set the auto cleanup options 
to delete the mail from the server after 30 days (for example).  This 
will be the machine who's duty it is to be the primary old mail cleanup 
machine.

On the email client for PC 2, set up the same 6 accounts.  Set EACH 
account to leave mail on the server for 45 days (for example).

On the email client for PC 3, set up the same 6 accounts.  Set EACH 
account to leave mail on the server for 60 days (for example).

On the email client for PC 4, set up the same 6 accounts.  Set EACH 
account to leave mail on the server for 75 days (for example).

You could set some of the latter machines to leave mail on the server 
forever, as long as a few machines do have cleanup duty.

So, under normal circumstances, each system will be downloading email no 
more than once every few days, or probably every 10 - 30 minutes if 
they're all on.  All email more than 30 days old will get deleted from 
the server by PC 1 every time it downloads email.  All emails will exist 
on each machine.  When you send an email, CC yourself, and all machines 
will get the copy.  If you set up your identities properly, any machine 
can be used to generate replies with the proper signatures, etc.

If PC 1 does not download email for 45 days, PC 2 will start deleting 
old mail from the server, and PC 1 will not ever see those messages.  If 
PC 4 is the only machine running, after 75 days, it will delete old mail 
and the others won't get a chance to download it.  But, the point is, 
the mail doesn't accumulate on the server forever, and, if the machines 
are run more frequently than 30 days, everybody gets every mail.  This 
has the advantage that you can access any message from any machine and 
that you have multiple redundant copies of your mail.

I'm using this system with 3 machines which all dual boot between 
Windows and Linux.  So, effectively, there are 6 machines.  This system 
works well for me.  I can send and receive mail from any machine and any 
OS.  The one complication is that I have a number of email filters which 
put mailing list messages and such into folders.  Those type of things 
have to be set up on each machine, which is a bother.  Otherwise, it 
works nicely.

Sincerely,

Ron


On 2/22/2012 11:36 AM, Rich Faulkner wrote:
> I use Evolution to pull my various accounts into a single client.  
> POP3 or IMAPI accounts and made active or inactive in "Edit > 
> Preferences".  This is how we gather mail from the four-corners of the 
> globe into our mailbox.  Simple filters take care of the rest of mail 
> routing as to which folder they go to for reading/sorting.
>
> I'm sure you can do this with Thunderbird too (or whatever floats your 
> boat for a mail client)...
>
> RinL
>
>
> On Wed, 2012-02-22 at 10:57 -0500, Gene Poole wrote:
>> I know I've asked this question in the past, but life got in the way 
>> of my computers.
>>
>> So once again:
>>
>> Between my wife and I we must have more that a half-dozen mail 
>> accounts scattered around. What I would like to do, but I don't know 
>> how, would be to automatically go out there and pull all of our mail 
>> messages and add them all to my local mail server and provide a 
>> central location where I could read all of my mail for any of my four 
>> client machines.  Does anyone know how this could be done? Do you 
>> need more information about my environment?
>>
>> Thanks In Advance,
>> Gene
>>
>> + It's impossible for everything to be true. +

-- 

(PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
call on the phone.  I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy
mailing lists and such.  I don't always see new messages very quickly.)

Ron Frazier

770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
linuxdude AT c3energy.com

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