Email and multi-distro machine
 

Hi All

I use Evolution as my e-mail client, however I am sometimes logged in as a normal user and sometimes as root but want to access the same email account if you know what I mean.

Also, I sometimes use a different Linux flavour, i.e. SlackWare and SuSE on the same machine but I would only like to use one e-mail account and have it available whoever I am logged in as, on whatever distro I am using.

Sound mad?

I guess that access to the mail files, (under /var... I think???) should be feasible as you can access the files. I suppose it if just getting Evolution to look in the same place each time.

Anyone else tried this?

Thanks in advance

make a symbolic link from /var/mail/youruser to /var/mail/rootsaccount
or
from /var/mail/roots account to /var/mail/youruser

but if you are talking a normal mail server like mail.earthlink.net

just create two accounts under each user that you login as with the same mailserver user name and password.

Or am I missing something?

I don't use Evolution, so my comments will be somewhat general.

First, on the multi-user access to the same mailbox, I think the easiest solution would be to add a .forward to each user for whom you access mail, and forward them to a special user. If the mail files in /var/spool/mail have permission 660, add each of the users to the group that owns the particular mailfile. On redhat/fedora each user has their own group and most of the files in /var/spool/mail are owned by that group, which can avoid adding the members to the mail group.

Second, for the multi distro system: put /var/spool/mail in its own partition and mount it for each distro. Then all incoming mail will go to the same location. Should work like a charm.

Am I right in thinking you want various users to access the same evolution account (mail, calender, contacts etc) - so effectivly you only have one email mailbox. well thats what what i want to know - which file do i have to edit to point to my other users evolutoin account.

hope some bright spark knows!

ok. i think i might have it:

I gave the other user full rights to the evolution folder on my home dir and then created a symbion link to it from the other users account (/home/linda/evolution link). that seems to work ok. can anyone spot any trouble i might get?

okay got trouble.

everytime i send mail from a users account it changes the permissions so that only that user can access that email box. When I log on as another user i can access the email but not send new ones (access is denied).

not sure how to get round it (except chmod)

ross

Email and multi-distro machine
 

Thanks for the tips. I shall give them a try.

I suppose with multiple distros, a partition for 'shared' stuff that they can all access would be the best way to go, incase you have to re-install or anything