remote login and drive mirror across network
 

there are two things i'd like to do and know not where to start:


1. i would like to be able to login to a user account on computer A:, from computer B:, and check email (i use evolution) from computer B, but have the files saved on computer A.

2. i would like to have some data from a raid on computer A (accounting data, email-evolution), mirrored on computer C (notebook). when i travel, i take C with me accounting and checking email, and when i return home, the most recent files are updated between A & C (usually will be C to A after traveling but the opposite the rest of the time).

thx,
pres

PS computer A is running Suse 9.1, B is running Yoper (v2 i think?), and C will be running anything that supports the integrated wireless (i'm using XP right now, notebook is a Sony Viao PCG-6C2L, not sure the wireless card identity).

edited:
Wireless is identified by XP as Intel Pro 2200 BG.

any ideas?

Yoper *is* a bit obscure. Neither of these are distribution-specific, though.

1) This is called POP - mail server B receives e-mail, e-mail client program running on A downloads the mail to it's store files on A, mail on B is then deleted.

Before using POP, check out IMAP - server B receives mail, e-mail client program running on A accesses mail stored on B via IMAP and can cache mail for when you aren't attached to the network, master copies on mail stay on B.

2) There is command-line utility called rsync that will sync directories. If you have SSH access to your server then rsync can use this to sync copies of the directories held on the server and the client.

You may find some graphical utility that does this, but since SSH and rsync are installed by default on every mainstream Linux distribution I suspect that most people just write a small script that uses those.