Outlook IMAP Configuration

[kevinverboon]

From the subjects posted most of the users on here are a lot more into this stuff than I am (I only do it because I'm the least bad at it at my work). Just in case another numpty like me comes along I thought I'd post how I configured Mailserver and Outlook, with a big nudge in right direction from Chris.

First off, some givens:
My "network": 2 PCs, both on XP pro, both running outlook2000. PC1 acting as server.
Only a single profile/ user on each computer (though they are actually used by 5 different people)
1 domain
6 email addresses
POP/ SMTP hosted, with our website, externally
no fixed ip address

In the past, with no mail server and using pop mail, I had simply pointed Outlook on PC2 to use the Outlook Personal Folders on PC1. This botch works well enough, except that only one computer can connect to the file at once. Also, being a botch, it's pretty unstable. Having crashed twice - losing a large amount of mail the second time - I decided to move over to a proper system.

Requirements:
Email to all addresses needs to go into a shared inbox
Email from all addresses needs to go into a shared "sent" folder
Regardless of who an incoming email was addressed to, the user needs to be able to choose which email address to send a reply from

After a couple of botched attempts, here's the configuration I came up with:

Mailserver:
1 domain (http://www.mydomain.com)
The domain is completely standard, I chose not to accept mail from non-existent addresses

5 normal users (user1,etc)
user info as per common sense
No aliases
"account options" - deleted items or sent are not saved
"redirections" enabled - all mail redrected to everyone@mydomain.com
pop3 retrievals are set up in the seperate |mail access|-> |pop3 retrieval| section. No reason for this in particular, just the way I did it.

1 shared user (everyone)
user info as per common sense again
1 alias - all@mydomian.com
"account options" - save sent items to "sent", save deleted items in "deleted"
no redirections
again no pop3 retrievals set up within the user

Mail Access Settings
SMTP enabled, with authentication
POP disabled
IMAP enabled
Webmail disabled (I'll change that in due course)
Outgoing enabled - using relay mode, on a static route
POP3 retrievals enabled - and set up for "user1-5" and "all"

Outlook 2000
5 normal accounts:
User1-5 (to correspond with mailserver users)
[General] tab, all as per usual but untick " include this account.."
[Servers] tab, IMAP and SMTP servers both 192.168.2.2, NB must stipulate IMAP when setting up the account, you can't change it later.
"Incoming mail server" settings as per common sense.
"Outgoing mail server" - tick "requires authentication". In "settings" select "log on using" and fill in the details of the shared account. This will ensure that sent items go into the shared sent items folder
[Connection] [Advanced] and [IMAP] tabs - nothing

1 shared account
user: everyone (to correspond to mailserver shared account)
[General] tab, all as per usual, "include this account.." ticked
[Servers] IMAP and smtp details as for the other accounts
"Incoming mail server" as per common sense
"Outgoing Mail Server" - tick "..requires authentication", in "settings" use same settings as incoming server
[Connection] [Advanced] and [IMAP] tabs - nothing

Bob's your mother's brother. The seperate accounts do show in Outlook, but the folders remain empty as all incoming and outgoing email is stored in the shared folders. Outlook's local Personal Folders remain empty too.

Like I said in my intro, this is probably really simple to most of you, but it took me 2 days to work it out, and with help. Hope this will save someone some time.

Huge thank you to Chris