Using Kontact across three computers?

[ScottyK]

I've recently started playing around with Kontact and everything that goes with it.

Currently I have my email downloaded to my notebook. I have a netbook and a desktop that I would like to get the email on also.

1. Is there a way to have the same email folders synced across three computers?
2. Can Kmail do this?
3. How to you import from Thunderbird to Kmail?
4. Is it also possible to sync the contacts across the three computers?

I have my own domain for email, but currently I'm using Dreamhost for hosting it. Currently it's set for POP3, but I heard you have to use IMAP?

Thanks!

[claydoh]

Re: Using Kontact across three computers?

1.imap is the way to go here. imap stores mail and folders on the server, your client syncs to that, no matter what email program or OS you use. You simply have to change you email account info on the client to point to your host's imap server instead of pop, there shouldn't be anything to 'turn on'. I recommend you NOT run imap on one computer and pop on another, just to be safe

2. Yes - see #1

3. Easy - File - import in kmail

4. yes, but using google contacts for this is probably the way to go here
http://www.my-guides.net/en/content/view/178/26/

I think this is the guide I used myself - the packages needed are available in kpackagekit

[woodsmoke]

Re: Using Kontact across three computers?

ummm what claydoh said

see my threads on kontact

ummm

yes you can

woodsmoke

[ScottyK]

Re: Using Kontact across three computers?

excellent, thanks for the info.

Now IMAP requires an internet connection to work at all times, correct?

One problem I have is at work, the two portable computers have no access to the internet.

[claydoh]

Re: Using Kontact across three computers?

Only to sync messages. You can set it up a new Kmail account as "Disconnected Imap", which caches the emails. I use this myself as I am not always with a connection, either. imo, it also makes an imap account feel smoother as it isn't always trying to upload/download all the time. Thunderbird has the same feature, but i cannot remember what it is called.

[marek_online]

Re: Using Kontact across three computers?


The disconnected IMAP sounds like it's the simpler and safer option.

I've successfully used Kontact synced on three machines using Dropbox though, if you wanted to try that route.

Backup everything before you start this. If you're like me, you'll do that twice, in fact.

copy your mail from a fully synced machine to Dropbox with

cp -Ra ~/.kde/share/apps/kmail to ~/Dropbox/kmail

Then remove the kmail folder from .kde/share/apps on each of the machines.

rm -rf .kde/share/apps/kmail

Leave all of your machines online long enough to fully sync and don't use Kontact during this time.

Symlink the your kmail folders on all of your machines with the following

ln -s ~/Dropbox/kmail .kde/share/apps/kmail

Depending on your setup, you might want to copy your kmailrc files from one machine to all of the others (they're in .kde/share/config), though this technically isn't necessary (it contains your filters and other things though, so it's handy).

Obviously you could do this with SpiderOak or some of the other services, if you don't like Dropbox's security model. Tags don't sync well, and occasionally you'll find read messages showing up as unread (though I've never had a problem with unread showing up as read). I've used it for a couple years quite successfully though.

[woodsmoke]

Re: Using Kontact across three computers?

ScottyK
If the computers at work have no access to the internet then that would seem to obviate the syncing module.

However, if one wanted to sync computers that are not on the internet then one could download the "new" messages into a usb drive and plug the usb drive into the aforementioned computers and point to the usb drives for syncing, or the simpler option, open.

woodsmoke

[ScottyK]

Re: Using Kontact across three computers?

So to make sure I have this correct..

Copy the mail contents to the other two computers.

Set up all three computers to use IMAP

The desktop that is connected all the time will always have the most current mail.

Then the portable computers will sync when they get an internet connection.

I'm used to not checking email while at work (draconian internet practices), so I can wait until getting home to sync up.

[claydoh]

Re: Using Kontact across three computers?

If you have *all* your mails on imap, you won't have to copy anything. If you have any email in your Local Folders, you can copy them to a folder in the imap account and they would sync back to the server, making them available to all your computers. but of course backing things up is always prudent.

[marek_online]

Re: Using Kontact across three computers?


The "disconnected IMAP" and Dropbox options are alternatives, you'd probably do one or the other depending on the space available on your server (I work in a bizarrely restrictive environment that offers a staggering 100MB of mail storage, hence my dependence on Dropbox).

As I mentioned, the disconnected IMAP route would probably be the simpler, but the alternative is there if you need it. If you go the Dropbox route, do remember to allow it to sync completely on the portable machines before opening Kontact.