sharing netscape 6.2 email between multiple machines

Okay, I am having one heck of a problem getting netscape to work for me. I have two machines (one running windows 98 and the second one running windows 98 second editon). I want to be able to access my @shaw.ca email account between both machines (by this I mean I want to see all of my messages, bookmarks, profiles etc. on both machines no matter what machine I log into. Thus I need to keep a common directory between each machine with the bookmarks, email, etc). At work, I have a common profile located in the following directory: x:\netscape\users\profiles\profile name

Thus with this common directory, I can access the same bookmarks, email, etc. no matter where I log into the network. How do I set up this common directory so I can see the same email, bookmarks, etc with netscape 6.2 on both of my machines?

Edward Letendre.

 

Welcome to the Forum!

Hi odiedog1001,

Do you have a home network on your two Windows 98 machines?

Netscape 6 doesn't have Roaming Access which may be what your System Administrator at work is using.

You can, of course, use the same Profile on both machines, and access those features. I will have to do some further checking, but I don't believe synchronizing the email, bookmarks, etc., is doable, without third party managers. However, it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong. I'll post back as soon as I get some info.

Ramona

 

sharing netscape reply

Actually at work, I think they just setup a common directory for all users (ie: the x:\ drive) and all of the profiles are located there from what I can tell. They also have roaming profiles but only if you are using a lap top and you want to access your work email from home. I have access to a basic network (I can install windows NT If that would help)...if you have any suggestions as to what third party software might help for syncing email, sharing email, etc....I would be grateful....I will wait for an answer...no matter what it takes. Thanks for the initial response.

Edward Letendre.

 

Edward,

You are no doubt on a LAN at work, I should have thought of that! I'm really not NT literate, so that is what I need to find out: whether or not you can synchronize Profiles on NT. (I don't think so, but we will find out.)

Until I get more information, you can copy the Profiles folder from your main PC to the alternate PC. This would be your best bet, since your two PC's aren't on a home network.

Be sure to back up your Profiles folder before you start moving it back and forth. If you don't have storage media other than floppies, then you will have to copy the files separately; i.e., Address Book, Bookmarks, Mail & Newsgroups.

Ramona

 

Edward,
I assume are you asking Netscape 6.x. The easily way to do so is install creating a new Netscape profile.
When creating a new Netscape profile, you can specified the profile locaiton, such as x:\netscape\users\profiles\profile name(this works for both Netscape 6.x and 4.x)

As for copying profiles to your home machine, just transfer all files to the same locations as in your home machine.

 

If wishes could come true!

Hi Edward,

Well, I join you in wanting to be able to use a single profile on two PC's simultaneously. The bad news is, that it can't be done, including WindowsNT.

I have searched high and low and come up with zip, on such a feature in Netscape 6. I am not surprised, as it is unheard of for Communicator.

Ramona

 

Networking is the wave

It looks like networking in the home environment is going to be as common as two car families. Some have even more, OK?

Make no mistake, I don't understand networking, but we see it everywhere and it can be used in the home or small office.

Your network can be as simple as a wire pair connecting your two computers. With this, you will get the same profile by virtue of your physical location accessing the host.

That is, you are either on the host computer or a client of it. (Just one of many configurations.) Fortunately, there are great resources to start your own network and lots of ready, friendly helpers, beginning right here on this Bulletin Board.

Networking will allow a way to quit duplicating services to your computers, and if you add just a bit of hardware, you can legally use one internet connection to serve any room in your house, simaultaneously (unless prohibited by your ISP, which will only serve to move you to one in the majority that does allow it.)

 

To synchornise profiles, there are a number of ways.

As for Roaming Access, I believe it is designed for "synchornising" profiles, not designed for "simultaneously" using the same profile.
Quoted from Netscape 4.79 Help file:

I don't think using the same profile simultaneously in multiple computer can be easily achieved, because you have to open the time files by multiple machines.

 

Edward,

I did some more investigating, and did get a response from my ISP, on their Home Network Newsgroup:

My Question:
If using Windows NT, for a two PC Home Network, and Netscape 6.2.2, single Profile... will the user be able to see the same, current mail files on both PC's? I know you can synchronize your Profile by simply copying the
files from PC #1 to PC#2, but, if networked, if you add Bookmarks, will those Bookmarks appear on both PC's, same for Addresses?

Answer:
Well for email, the easy solution is to leave the messages on the server, this way both mail apps could download them. As far as bookmarks, well I have tried to get NS 4.7x to live with its data store on a LAN Drive to no effect. I also tried to set up roaming profiles on my 2k server and that was an abysmal
failure. I do not know if 6 has cured the shortcomings on this or not. I know it is possible to set up OE to use a Lan location, but MS says don't because of the open file issue.
---

I think I have exhausted my resources on getting more information.

EDIT: 4:40 PM

Not quite exhausted, as here is one more piece of info:

Since the Communicator bookmark file is an HTML document, you might want to consider
publishing your Communicator bookmark page to a LAN Web server.

Then you can easily click on a link from any client on the LAN.

If you don't have a Web server, you could publish to the Personal Home Pages area, and keep the subdirectory URL a big secret.

Then you would have access from home, work, and Timbukthree!


Ramona

 

Ramona,

I guess I better repeat again, Roaming Access is designed for "synchornising" profiles, that is synchornising data, but not designed for using the single profile "simultaneously ".

In most situations, you operate one computer at a time.

Let's take an aspect from the computer file systems, say if you want to simultaneously use TWO (2) Netscape at the same instance, but those two Netscape are calling the same profiles.
Your Netscape profile is changing at anytime during the surfing (such as history list, adding of bookmarks). And to achieve single profile being used simultaneously by two Netscapes, both Netscape has to open the same file, and have permission to write to it. Also, say PC#1 is browsing to a new page, it adds the url to history list, and in the same instance, PC#2 is browsing another website, and also adds url to history list. However, during the time PC#2 adds to history list, it is not possible for PC#1 to add data to the history list. Also, when PC#1 adds the data to history list, how do you ask PC#2 to know when it added (adds to PC#2's memory)? (keep reloading the file???)
In other words, it is not possible to be done easily under normal Windows file system.

 

Hi Antony,

I guess I better repeat again, Roaming Access is designed for "synchronising" profiles, that is synchronising data, but not designed for using the single profile "simultaneously ".

Yes, I understand the difference.

Synchronize = same data on both PC's
Simultaneous = use the same data at the same time on both PC's

Ramona