Email Home Server

[lupi]

Have 2 computers with outlook running. I'm interesting in what it would take to set up a host on my home network so both computers could have access to the same downloaded emails.

 

[Mushkins]

I'm not sure what you mean by "set up a host."

If you're using Outlook to connect to a free hosted mail solution (yahoo, hotmail, gmail, whatever) then it's based on the protocol and server settings. Most POP accounts do not keep email on the server after they've been initially downloaded to a client like Outlook. If you're using an exchange-based email solution, all you need to do is put the account settings in Outlook on both computers and it does exactly what you want by default.

 

[lupi]

I'd like to be able to download the messages and then have access to them from multiple computers.

 

[Fardringle]

Use IMAP. That leaves the messages on the mail server so all devices have access to them. You can set up a server at home but it's a lot more hassle than it's worth (unless you just want to do it so you can say that you did) when there is a simple alternative already available.

 

[Mushkins]

Without more information we can't really guide you to a specific solution. All we can say is use a protocol that leaves the mail on the server.

 

[lupi]

Already have mail going back a decade downloaded.

 

[Ketchup]

I guess I don't see the need in creating an email server when the only thing you really want to share is emails from an existing outlook ost file. Just import what you have and, as Fardringle mentioned, use IMAP going forward.

 

[lupi]

I just came across the fact that you can import your pst content to outlook.com. If that actually works, I could do that and use outlook.com as my psuedo exchange server and have both computers view mail that way. From what i've read with the new protocols you can easily upload your folder structure too and have it stay that way and that was the limiting factor when I looked into this before (already had a bunch of stuff downloaded, would like to keep it all together and when yahoo restricted mail service some time ago I downloaded everything from their and just used my isp till yahoo reversed course).


Can you also upload back to yahoo? I could not find any clear answers from googlefu just now on the mobile.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yes. If you're connected via IMAP, you can upload old messages.

I'm using Yahoo and it works fine.

 

[lupi]

so far I've done this.

http://www.msoutlook.info/question/634

first send/receive since and I'm waiting awhile for things to sync before I can try to upload stuff it seems. did drag one email to the yahoo inbox and it showed up there, so looks like a lot of dragging folders once everything finally syncs up.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I'm not sure what you mean by "set up a host."

If you're using Outlook to connect to a free hosted mail solution (yahoo, hotmail, gmail, whatever) then it's based on the protocol and server settings. Most POP accounts do not keep email on the server after they've been initially downloaded to a client like Outlook. If you're using an exchange-based email solution, all you need to do is put the account settings in Outlook on both computers and it does exactly what you want by default.

But not all. Clients such as Thunderbird do offer the user the ability to set how long after first POP pull (if at all) mail is deleted from the POP server, but it would be up to POP provider--mine does let Thunderbird direct accordingly.