[Techtalk] Way to not organise a mail server

[Anne Wainwright]

Hi, Maria,

see below,

On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:26:57 -0800
Maria wrote:

|> Anne Wainwright wrote:
|> > 
|> > I collect email from my ISP. I pop the mail down from my ISP to my
|> server with mpop. Other machines on my business network get the email
|> from my server.
|> > 
|> > I can't send email out except via the smtp server provided by local
|> telekoms adsl monopoly. I don't think people can send direct to me
|> either, ports blocked by the monopoly, whatever. In any case I switch it
|> all off when I go home. Postfix delivers to the monopoly smtp server.
|> > 
|> > Is that a server I am running or not? One of my good points is a real
|> > 
|> proficiency at doing things the complicated way, so feel free to comment.
|> > 
|> > bestest Anne
|> > 
|> 
|> I would say I'm not sure of what the advantage of having a mail server 
|> would be in this case unless you are using IMAP. By using IMAP you keep 
|> all mail and folders on the server (you can still download copies if you 
|> want). 

Under the present windows operation Pegasus is run for each workstation with different settings as appropriate. All the emails are on one physical server, put into the appropriate folders by the  Mercury mail server software. We can access any one person's emails from any one machine by entering the desired user at startup, or switching users when Pegasus is up and running. Mercury pops down from the different addresses that I maintain at my isp and distributes the mail into appropriate folders. Sometimes I like to work from upstairs, sometimes from downstairs, this structure allows that.

In the interim I sought to duplicate this operation since only the server will be linux for some time to come. Then IMAP entered the picture which I am trying to get it to run so as to see what I get from and can do with it. I have no idea of the benefits of IMAP (OK, shareless access via the server imap protocol) but I see Pegasus supports it as well. 


This way you can look at your mail from any mail client. Recently 
|> I have been helping a friend move from one computer and email client to 
|> another one, and it is a big pain, because she is using pop. This means 
|> all of the folders and old emails were being stored locally on that 
|> computer, so we had to figure out how to export them. It was definitely 
|> a pain. It seems like if you use pop, then you are just adding an extra 
|> layer of mail processing that I don't think does anything beneficial for 
|> you, but maybe someone with more experience with pop can correct me.

As I see it, pop just gets the email down from folders on my isp's machine to folders on my machine. One folder per email address in each case. Pegasus, across the network accesses these folders without the benefit of further pop or imap protocols, providing a folder structure (I have over 2000 folders) from which I organise and view all my mail.

bestest
Anne

|> 
|> Hmm, just re-read your mail, and maybe I misunderstood. do you mean that 
|> you pop down all mail for your domain in one lump, and they won't 
|> distribute it for you, all of it can just go to one person for some 
|> reason? In that case, I can see having to run a mail server, regardless 
|> of pop or imap.
|> 
|> cheers,
|> maria
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-- 
so much to do, so little time :(