Offline folders in peer-to-peer environment

[- Bobb -]

Background:
Friends have small shop with a W2000 server. They (9 users) log onto
server and from there the primary application is to use QuickBooks in a
workgroup mode. Exchange NOT on their server. They fetch their email from
their internet webhost ( not ISP - just outfit that hosts their website
and email - I'll call the webhost company ABC ). Currently the email
service at ABC delivers their email to their PC's and then deletes it from
ABC's server, leaving the only copy of their mail on each PC in the
DocsandSettings\Username\...AppData\Outlook folder.
They COULD buy a new server/disks but they are really just casual users
and no one qualified to be sys mgr, so looking at options to keep it
simple - even if they buy new box.

Question:
Can they 'map a network drive', then setup the " Outlook folder" on each
PC to be an Offline folder , pointing to a folder on that network drive -
either the server or another peer ? Maybe a USB drive with a folder for
each user ?

For this example, assume 3 pcs:
PC1 PC2 Server

PC1 fetches email from ABC as usual - goes about his business, when he
logs off XP ( Vista ?) , that Outlook folder syncs with the remote
folder ( either on PC2 or Server) leaving a backup of that folder on the
server/peer ? I realize that " the other PC" must be there for this to
work. Reason I mention not just server as option is: server disk space is
getting tight - uses 2 SCSI drives now and tape - no room in case for
another drive... and also if can sync with portable pc/drive then can get
backup offsite too.
Any opinions/options/related experience appreciated on how to handle.

Bobb

 

[N. Miller]

Background:
Friends have small shop with a W2000 server. They (9 users) log onto
server and from there the primary application is to use QuickBooks in a
workgroup mode. Exchange NOT on their server. They fetch their email from
their internet webhost ( not ISP - just outfit that hosts their website
and email - I'll call the webhost company ABC ). Currently the email
service at ABC delivers their email to their PC's and then deletes it from
ABC's server, leaving the only copy of their mail on each PC in the
DocsandSettings\Username\...AppData\Outlook folder.
They COULD buy a new server/disks but they are really just casual users
and no one qualified to be sys mgr, so looking at options to keep it
simple - even if they buy new box.

Question:
Can they 'map a network drive', then setup the " Outlook folder" on each
PC to be an Offline folder , pointing to a folder on that network drive -
either the server or another peer ? Maybe a USB drive with a folder for
each user ?

I don't think this is easily done with MS Outlook. Do they have at least one
computer running Windows XP Pro? If so, I believe that they should have an
IIS component, which includes a mail server. Set up that computer to run the
IIS SMTP server, and point the other computers to that server. Beyond that,
I have not played with the IIS SMTP server all that much; I run the
Mercury/32 MTA:

http://www.pmail.com/overviews/ovw_mercury.htm

It's a free download, and easy to set up.

 

[Juniper]

Trying to make your PST file sync offline to a server could be tricky with
sync when files is changing so much and typically in use. How about
scheduling ntbackup and reminding the users to make sure they close outlook
at night?

 

[Juniper]

How about scheduling ntbackup to run at night instead of folder redirection?
Steve