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Network computers using same profile?

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  • Siste svar av Zenos

Sammeh
Sammeh
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What I am looking to do in a nutshell. At work we have three computers, two PC's and one iMAC, and we need to have access to the same email account(s) on all of them with working Tags/Starred.

At first when I set them up I used IMAP thinking this would work for us however this wasn't meeting our needs. We need to be able to tag our emails to see what is completed, Incomplete, and Important but the tags aren't supported by our email provider(s) so if you marked an email on one computer they wouldn't show on the other two. All the other computers could see is if the email was opened.

I thought the solution to our problem would be to store the main profile on our cloud server and after hours (Not my area of knowledge) of looking for profiles and switching it's location I had the same thing showing on all three computers however my new problem is that I can't have thunderbird open on BOTH PC's at the same time. All of our computers and our cloud server are all running on the same network in the same building - all wired no wireless.

My next step was going to be switching to POP from IMAP and storing the emails on our cloud server as well but I'm scared to start that process if I can't figure out how to have both PC's running the same profile at the same time.

I'm not an expert on computers by any means but I'm the best thing we have to a "tech" person and I'm not sure if I'm what I looking to do is out of the realm for Thunderbird.

What I am looking to do in a nutshell. At work we have three computers, two PC's and one iMAC, and we need to have access to the same email account(s) on all of them with working Tags/Starred. At first when I set them up I used IMAP thinking this would work for us however this wasn't meeting our needs. We need to be able to tag our emails to see what is completed, Incomplete, and Important but the tags aren't supported by our email provider(s) so if you marked an email on one computer they wouldn't show on the other two. All the other computers could see is if the email was opened. I thought the solution to our problem would be to store the main profile on our cloud server and after hours (Not my area of knowledge) of looking for profiles and switching it's location I had the same thing showing on all three computers however my new problem is that I can't have thunderbird open on BOTH PC's at the same time. All of our computers and our cloud server are all running on the same network in the same building - all wired no wireless. My next step was going to be switching to POP from IMAP and storing the emails on our cloud server as well but I'm scared to start that process if I can't figure out how to have both PC's running the same profile at the same time. I'm not an expert on computers by any means but I'm the best thing we have to a "tech" person and I'm not sure if I'm what I looking to do is out of the realm for Thunderbird.

All Replies (1)

Zenos
Zenos
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You have a fundamental limitation in Thunderbird to come to terms with. It is designed to be used by a single user. It locks the profile, as you have found, so a shared profile is not possible. There are bits of the profile you could separate out and so escape the lock mechanism, but since it wasn't designed for multiple concurrent access you will find it becomes corrupted when inevitably two users try to change the same file at the same time.

I think you need to become your own email provider. You need an in-house system that supports group working. So at the least you could install and run your own imap server, having chosen one that does support tags. Better still, some CRM software, but that is likely to cost $$$ and involve a fair bit of training and experimentation to get it into a useful state.

Another and possibly less traumatic solution might be to find an alternative mail provider who can support the tags via IMAP (I'm not so sure about the stars, since they may be private to Thunderbird) and arrange to have the current accounts' traffic redirected via the new account.

I really don't see any point in even trying POP. It won't give you any visibility between users.

You're looking for more than any regular email client can do, and you have recognised that the server has its part to play as well.