Conference 7.286::digital

    Your NT workstation will need to become a valid member of the DIGITAL1
    domain or you will have to have a trust relationship setup between the
    domain that you are in and the DIGITAL1 domain. It may be easier to
    call the CSS help desk to get the process for either option. Windows95 is 
    much easier to setup.  
    
    Best  of luck.
           Don
    

    re: Note 5306.0 by CLUSTA::HALL
    
    If you're entering DIGITAL1 in step 45, that's your problem.
    There it's asking for your LOCAL workgroup name (e.g. DIGITALWSZKO1),
    not your NT authentication domain name.
    
    Ken.... 

Netscape has a POP3 client.
VMS has a POP3 Server.
It's simpler.

    
    	RE: .2
    
    	Ken, pipe down and let him whine.  He obviously didn't come here
    	for answers.
    

   re.1

   > Your NT workstation will need to become a valid member of the DIGITAL1
   > domain or you will have to have a trust relationship setup between the
   > domain that you are in and the DIGITAL1 domain. It may be easier to
   > call the CSS help desk to get the process for either option. Windows95 is 
   > much easier to setup.  
    
Incorrect. I run Exchange clients on a number of NT servers/workstation
without any relationsship with a DIGITALx domain. 

Jan
 

>>    I'm an software engineer in a VMS-only engineering group. I
>>    need to correspond with external non-digital groups to send
>>    and receive non-ascii messages. So, I request an EXCHANGE

As a few replies back mentions - there is software that runs on OpenVMS that
allows you to read "non-ascii" messages.  In my case, a stand alone OpenVMS
Alpha workstation, I never had to "log a call" or "request help from xxx" 
and I don't depend on any other server delaying messages.

I use VAXmail 99.9% of the time and when I get a MIME-encoded message, I 
fire up Netscape Gold, move the message back to my NEWMAIL folder and read
it from Netscape Mail.  

bjm

I went through this exercise a month or so ago.  The instructions on
the CCS web page are pretty good, but what I suspect Bill has run into is
what I did - somehow the Exchange server thinks that the username is "locked
out".  You have to call the CCS helpdesk to have them fix it.

http://www-ccs.wro.dec.com/nt/Default.htm


			Steve

    RE: 5306.3
    
    
    		Do all VMS machines have POP3 servers? I am able to send
    	        outgoing mail via Netscape but cannot get incoming mail
    		set up right.  And I cannot wait for exchange because for
    		us that is not coming till the Fall.
    
    		If anyone can provide pointers on how to set up my incoming 
    		netscape email I would really appreciate it!
    
    Azmat  

The POP server comes with TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS (UCX) V4.1.  You should
also install ECO 4 which fixes some bugs.

If you need help, try the LASSIE::UCX (or [email protected]) conference.

Paul

    find another NT station and log into the digitalx domain.  that way you
    may be able to change the password there and then log in on your own
    client in step 45.
    
    This work-around is how I got past step 45.
    
    

    
    	The problem has been solved, thanks to Keith from CCS.  Turns
    	out I couldn't create the account in the DIGITALWSZKO1 domain
    	from my workstation since it was not authorized.  The process
    	is still pretty complex just to be able to send/receive mail.
    	Notes is still the best way to help within Digital.
    
    	Bill
    

"The process is still pretty complex"  How so??   Gerald

    Unless the instructions supplied by CCS have been changed in the past
    month or so, that is the source of your problem.  For your initial
    connection where you actually "create" your account you use one domain
    name (the DIGITALWSxxxx) and thereafter are authenticated against the
    DIGITAL1 domain.  This stuff does not have to be as obscure as CCS
    makes it and accurate set up instructions would help a lot.
    
    dd....

    DIGITALWSXXXX is not a Domian, it is a work group.
    

    Yeah, the field has been pretty busy converting to exchange and
    figuring out how to use the *$(*@#) thing.  Oh, yah, customers....I
    remember them.
    
    We USED to be able to get our 95%+ of text messages with All-IN-1...
    now I dial in, wait 8-10 minutes to get connected and then read
    messages and get locked out if I try another function.
    
    Progress is wondeful......

    
    	8-10 minutes for a connection?  Sounds like there's some sort of
    	isolated problem, because I connect in less than a minute ...
    	and I store .PAB and .PST files on a remote server, so this is
    	even longer than it should take.
    
    	Or maybe it's your system configuration.
    

    Hey Slab, have you tried dialing in and reading your Exchange mail via
    modem? It sucks. The Exchange client, written by that little software
    company in Redmond (you know, the ones that espouse the virtues of
    "multi-tasking") completely takes over your CPU until it has synced up
    with the server. 
    
    If you also have your incoming mail moved to a local folder, so you can
    read it offline, then your system is completely useless for any other
    task until all of your mail is moved. I have dialed in and waited one
    hour for mail messages with large attachments to download. Meanwhile,
    my laptop is useless for other tasks. Exchange just sucks up every CPU
    cycle that it possibly can.
    
    I thought that perhaps my lowly 75 MHz 486 just didn't have the
    horsepower required, but it's not any better with a 166 MHz Pentium.
    :-(
    
    It appears to me that some of those folks in Redmond aren't adhering to
    the rules of multi-tasking... Exchange gets so bogged down that if I do
    a Ctrl-Alt-Del, the task manager says "Microsoft Exchange (Not
    Responding)". But if you just wait a while, it really is running.
    
    When I'm on the network it isn't too bad. But dial-up can be miserable.
    
    Harry
    

    
    	Yes, I have Exchange loaded onto my 120MHz, 32MB laptop, and con-
    	nect at least twice per day [28.8K modem, usually connects at 19.2K]
    	to check for mail.  Performance isn't too bad, like I said a couple
    	replies ago.
    
    	I never understood why anyone would choose to upload messages to a
    	local file ["deliver to personal folders"] ... how much longer can
    	it possibly take to have delivery occur to "Mailbox - [name]" and
    	read everything on-line than it does to upload everything to a
    	local file and then read it off-line?
    

>    	I never understood why anyone would choose to upload messages to a
>    	local file ["deliver to personal folders"] ... how much longer can
>    	it possibly take to have delivery occur to "Mailbox - [name]" and
>    	read everything on-line than it does to upload everything to a
>    	local file and then read it off-line?
    
    That depends on how searching works with Exchange. Is there a
    server-side search engine that will search for messages (based on
    various criteria such as search strings, folder, etc.), or would
    such a search entail pulling each message down to the client?
    
    Local store would make searches immensely faster in the absence of
    server-based searching. (I don't know if Exchange supports this or
    not; just posing one good reason for local store in case it
    doesn't.) 

RE: <<< Note 5306.19 by smurf.zk3.dec.com::PBECK "Paul Beck" >>>

The search operation is initially executed by the client-based service
provider. That service provider, in turn, may utilize its remote server's
capabilities if the remote server can perform the search. As the remote server
generates search results, the results are sent back to the service provider on
the client (which in turn passes the results to the Exchange client). 

In the case of using an Exchange Server-resident mailbox, I'm pretty sure that
the Exchange Server does the core of the search on the server CPU (where the
message data reside), and sends the search results -- message IDs, so to speak
-- down to the client. 
						-- Tom

(I helped to implement a MAPI service provider for the MailWorks for UNIX
server, and our service provider took advantage of the MailWorks server's
remote-search capabilities, in the fashion described above.)

RE: .17

You said (paraphrasing) that the down-load "completely takes over your
CPU, and nothing else can be done while it works".  That has not been my
experience, and I have been working this way for almost a year now.

As I have previously stated, I work exclusively off-line, and initiate
a 28.8 modem connection at most twice per day, usually once per day.
I do a Tools->Remote followed by a Tools->Connect, which then connects
to the Exchange Server over the AltaVista Internet Tunnel, and updates
the window with all my message headers.  I then select some for down-load,
and some for delete.  I then to another Tools->Connect, which then does
another connect to the Exchange Server, and down-loads to my local file
(.PST) all of the messages I told it I wanted.

Aside from the *abysmal* performance of the connect itself (it almost
always takes 60-120 seconds to connect to the server), the performance
is very good.  I get down-load times on the order of 2.5KB to 3.5KB per
second, which I think is outstanding.  Further, to address your point,
I frequently do other things while this is occuring.  Word, PowerPoint,
telnet, even the odd game of FreeCell, all have quite adequate performance.
My system does not get "taken over" by the down-load, and even network
activity (telnet and NetScape) work acceptably while it is happening.

Now, if you want to talk about a program which takes over your system, 
check out Transfer Manager.  That Visual Basic program really does take
over your system: windows don't refresh, other programs don't work, etc.
But Exchange does not show that behavior on my system.

RE: .18

>    	I never understood why anyone would choose to upload messages to a
>    	local file ["deliver to personal folders"] ... how much longer can
>    	it possibly take to have delivery occur to "Mailbox - [name]" and
>    	read everything on-line than it does to upload everything to a
>    	local file and then read it off-line?

If I understand your point, you are comparing reading messages which are
stored on-line (whether in the Exchange server or in a .PST stored in a
file share which is on the network) vs off-line (in a .PST stored on the
C: drive).

I exclusively store my mail in a local file, aka off-line.  To me it has
far less to do with performance than with availability.  By storing my
mail in a local file, I can read/search/print/refer_to/whatever my mail
*ANYWHERE and *ANYWHEN*.  If I stored my mail on the server, I could not
read and think about mail when I am at the airport or on an airplane, 
as I will be for about 20 hours this week.  I also cannot count the
number of times I have been at a customer site where the answer to their
question was in my mail, and I get them the data they needed in minutes
rather than days.  I realize that I could have used their phones to dial
in, but I find that intensely inconvenient.  IMHO, FWIW, and YMMV...

-- Ken Moreau

    Not sure why we need yet-another-I-hate-Exchange note.
    
    I get at Exchange almost exclusively by dial-up.  There is a difference
    between having your mail delivered to the server mailbox and archiving
    locally.
    
    I am much happier now that I have mail delivered to the Server Mailbox. 
    The big problem with having mail delivered automatically to a local
    Mailbox is that you never know when someone is going to send a 20MB
    Powerpoint bomb your way.
    
    I can't possibly keep all mail on the server, the archive is much too
    large (some 40 Mb today not counting the stuff still in TeamLnks...)
    So I keep it in a set of personal folders on a server in the home
    office.  I copy the relevant ones to the HiNote if I'm going on the
    road.
    
    60 to 120 s for connect and synch seems about right, anything more
    means something is wrong, and it can be fixed.
    
    FJP

RE: .22 -< The only problem is the initial connect >-

>   Not sure why we need yet-another-I-hate-Exchange note.

I certainly hope that my note wasn't taken as an I-hate-Exchange note.
I like Exchange, because it does exactly what I need a mail system to
do: store my mail reliably, and allow me to send and receive useful
messages to anyone I need to contact.  Of course it has flaws, every
program has flaws, but it does the job for me.
    
>    60 to 120 s for connect and synch seems about right, anything more
>    means something is wrong, and it can be fixed.

I can see I wasn't clear here.  60 to 120 seconds is just for the connect.
I am measuring that time from when I click on the Tools->Connect button
to the time it either starts sending the mail I have created off-line, or
starts down-loading the message headers, or starts down-loading the
messages I have marked.  Any information transfer is after and in addition
to that 60-120 seconds.

And I remain to be convinced that the problem is in my PC.  I frequently
watch the modem lights while the connect is occurring.  There are very
*lllllooooonnnnggggg* periods of time where there is no activity on the
modem, and my PC is sitting dead idle.  That has to be the server...

-- Ken Moreau

    Ken,
    
    I was not confused, I was also referring to "just the connect" time.
    
    I guess you are having mail delivered to your personal folders?  I
    tried that for the longest time but could not live with the "bombs"
    sent my way.  DIGITAL is getting smarter, and mailing URL's instead of
    PPT files around.  But it will be a bit longer before that is safe.
    
    I actually work almost exclusively over a 28.8 line, but I stay
    connected most of the day, either via RAS or AltaVista Tunnel.
    
    I also notice the pauses in the modem lights.  I assure you the pauses
    are there if you take you system into the office and hook up a PCMCIA
    Ethernet.  And the "connect time" doesn't get any shorter either.
    
    
    And I'm "pretty sure" the performance problem isn't in the 500MHz Miata
    that I've been using all day.  (Although Exchange felt pretty doggy all
    day today!)
    
    What server are you on?

	To get around the 20MB Powerpoint mail bomb, set up an
	Inbox Assistant rule that files all mail messages over
	a certain size into another folder. It's incredibly simple
	to do.

	Why people use .PST's when the Offline Folder mechanism is
	so much better amazes me. Please, check out the help for
	Offline Folders. When you use them with the Outlook interface,
	your Contacts, calendar, tasks and other folders get
	sync'd. With Offline Folders, I can add appointments or contacts
	or send/reply to mail. When I connect to the server, the changes
	are sent and syncronized with my server. New contacts are
	added, new appointments are made and mail is sent. It really
	is a better way of working remotely.


							mike

re      <<< Note 5306.25 by axel.zko.dec.com::FOLEY "Rebel without a Clue" >>>

>	To get around the 20MB Powerpoint mail bomb, set up an
>	Inbox Assistant rule that files all mail messages over
>	a certain size into another folder. It's incredibly simple
>	to do.

what does one do when one's entire Exchange disk space quota is set to 20 MB,
as I was told mine was when I was assimilated, er, trained.
How can one check one's quota and _total_ space used, anyway?

Josh 

    
    	RE: .25
    
    	You didn't provide a very good reason as to why off-line is better
    	than using a common area for Exchange/Schedule+ files.
    
    	I don't have to synchronize anything, and both of my systems are
    	always looking at the same files.
    

RE: .26

	That's an issue for you to bring up with CCS and the person
	who mailed you the large file. I'm mearly providing a way
	around the unintentional download of a large file. 20MB was
	just a number I pulled out of a hat. You could set the
	Inbox Assistant down to whatever number you like.

RE: .27

	I haven't heard a good arguement for your method either
	Shawn. :) Offline folders give you the benefit of server-based
	storage in the Exchange Information Store and the ability to
	take actions (send/reply/delete/copy/etc) to messages in your 
	offline folder that get automatically reflected in the server
	store when you connect and sync. How, exactly, do you do this?

								mike

    
    	Mike, how do you send messages without connecting to the network?
    	You can type all you want off-line, but the message isn't going
    	anywhere until you connect.
    
    	I only have a 510MB HD on my laptop ... it's a Pentium 120 with
    	32MB of memory [upgraded from 16], but they skimped a bit on the
    	drive.  So I'd rather not bog down the hard drive any more than
    	I have to, since I "only" have about 130MB of free space.
    

RE: .29

	The messages queue up in the Outbox. When you connect again,
	the messages automatically get sent. This allows me to
	read and reply to mail on the plane, as if I was connected,
	and then actually send the mail when I get to my hotel.

	You might want to consider Double-spacing your drive. I
	did on my Ultra and it works fine. Just keep your Inbox
	light on messages (using AutoArchive in Outlook) and you
	shouldn't have a problem with offline folders.

							mike

    Wow. I guess I really stuck a nerve, eh? ;-) I'll have to read up some
    on the Offline Folders. I've got what I consider to be an offline
    folder, but it indeed points to a .pst file that's some 130MB in size.
    (I work for a very large project and LOTS of huge documents come my
    way).
    
    I keep my mail on my laptop so, like Ken mentioned, I can read and
    reply wherever and whenever I want. I travel 80% of the time, so I get
    lots of time for email on planes, trains, in hotel rooms, etc. I can
    read and respond at my convenience, then dialup and send later, when I
    have a phone line to connect to.
    
    I've been using Dial-up Networking, then launching Exchange, then
    selecting "Connect" when prompted for a mode. While Exchange is sending
    the stuff from my outbox and receiving stuff from the server, it takes
    over the CPU. Period. (Even on the Pentium 166, with 48 MB of RAM that
    I just got). I can't even launch another application until it's
    finished. I'll have to check out the Offline Folder stuff and find out
    a better way.
    
    I like Exchange. The ability to work offline and attach documents to
    mesages makes my job much easier. Teamlinks wasn't bad, but Exchange
    works better for me (except for the CPU hogging). 
    
    What's all this talk about training??? I was told that I needed an
    Exchange account, so I got one and downloaded the client. :-(
    
    Harry
    

    I do use off-line folders as well for stuff that is really "hot", and I
    expect to travel a lot.
    
    I've found that they only slow down connection very slightly.  There is
    just no space on the Exchange server for the huge archive (or its
    mirror on my HiNote)
    
    I agree, OST's are your friend.

    
    	Can cellular phones be used on planes?
    
    	[As you can probably tell, I don't fly too often.  The first and
    	 last time was 1984.  I believe it was a Saturday.]
    

No - in fact, you are explicitly warned NOT to even have them turned on in a
plane.  There are two problems - one is that radio transmitters can foul up
the plane's navigation equipment, and the other is that you could find yourself
"hooked up" to more than one "cell" at the same time, which is trouble.

Many planes nowadays have "AirPhones" which you can use to make calls, and
even receive them (requires "registration").

				Steve

    
    	Navigation equipment - feh!  You can't tell me that the pilot
    	doesn't know where he's going, can you?  He's probably made the
    	same trip lots of times.
    
    	Do those Airphones support modem connections?
    

Yes, many of them have an RJ-11 jack in the handset for this purpose.

			Steve

	Some support modem connections.. I wouldn't waste my time.
	Do what everyone else does with their laptop on a plane.
	Play games or polish your resume. :)

							mike

Actually, 4800 baud is what they tell you to expect.

			Steve

    Continental Airlines had phones that included LCD displays on the seat
    backs so you could play games, check stock prices, etc. A couple of
    months ago they suddenly disappeared. I heard that phone company had
    gone out of business (AirFone? I think was the name). The GTE brand air
    phones might still be around on some of the other airlines.
    
    Harry
    

>    Continental Airlines had phones that included LCD displays on the seat
>    backs so you could play games, check stock prices, etc. A couple of
>    months ago they suddenly disappeared. I heard that phone company had
>    gone out of business (AirFone? I think was the name). The GTE brand air
>    phones might still be around on some of the other airlines.
    
Continental Airlines I believe used phones from InFlight Phones, an
Oak Brook, IL based company largely owned by MCI.  I spent two weeks
consulting at InFlight Phones in February 96, and at that time
Continental was their only customer.  InFlight was a brand new Digital
customer, and I helped them get their Customer Billing Oracle database
up on an AlphaServer 2100 5/300 with Digital UNIX.

Their technology was well ahead of the market-leader Airfone (owned by GTE).
They actually had a Netware LAN running though the airplane.  The graphics
displays and the features it offered, also gave them an edge.  Too bad
if they have gone under.

Ram

    

    Go for Offline Folders.  It is a wonderful way to work as Mike has
    pointed out.  Only limitation to its effectiveness is server-side disk
    quota.  If you exceed server quota, use Offline for your common folders
    (Inbox, Outbox, Sent, Contacts, etc.) and Personal Folders for the
    bulky stuff.
    
    Even when connected to the Ethernet, I now use Offline folders.  One
    touch on F5 and all Read/Send/Outbox work is immediately synchronised,
    meanwhile I am impervious to network performance problems and
    intermittent server tantrums during the day.
    
    Just prior to leaving the office, it is a Synchronise|All and 2 minutes
    later I'm ready to hit the road with the laptop fully up to date.
    
    The real benefit is when working on dial-up.  F5 will synchronise
    Outbox/Sent/Inbox automatically and then you can choose other folders
    for synchronisation on a 1-by-1 basis.  This is way more effective than
    local Personal folders and eliminates its inherent security risk.  It
    is also a heck of a lot more efficient than server-side Personal
    folders (connected mode) for obvious reasons.  I just wish we could
    overcome the limitation of server quota.
    
    /Chris/

>     This is way more effective than
>    local Personal folders and eliminates its inherent security risk.

What "security risk" is present with local personal folders that isn't
also present with Offline Folders?  (It seems like they both store data
locally.  Since I don't yet have Outlook to be able look at the help,
it sounds from the description here like Offline Folders are just
an on-demand synchronizable set of personal folders.)

	Offline Folders is not a function of just Outlook. It's also
	in the Exchange 4.0 client and greater.

							mike

    OK, it's coming back to me now.... I did used to use Offline Folders.
    But they still consumed space on the Exchange server, so I was always
    running out of space. That's why I moved everything to my local
    system with the .pst file. That must be where the "CPU Hog" bug is
    located!
    
    Harry
    

All the replies here talk about either having you mail on the
server or on your local hard drive.  There is one other choice.
You can burn it onto a CD-R disk.  If you notebook has a CDROM
drive you can have up to 600MB of mail per disk at you finger
tips, even on an airplane.  You just have to convince someone
provide the CDROM burner and a service that dumps your .pst files 
onto a CD-R.  You could even have a fresh CD-R FEDEX'ed to
you at your hotel once a week.  At $7 a disk, the media would
cost less than the shipping bill.

This is how I hope to deal with 13 years of old VMS mail after
my VMS account is gone.

Well I've found another interesting feature of Outlook. I use DIGITAL1 as
my mail domain. I thought that meant I could access it from any domain
and my mail would be safe on the server. Yesterday I booted my system 
into two different domains and while there logged into my mail on
DIGITAL1 using Outlook from both. All the mail in my inbox has disapeared. Since
I did this from NT with Outlook and not 95 with Exchange I imagine that
CCS won't have much to say to me. I can't find any mailbox files on my
hard drive other than the one local mailbox I have. I am not a happy
camper. Oh where oh where have my mail files gones? liesl

    re:.42
    
    The security risk of a PST is that if it gets, god forbid, corrupt,
    your life goes down the toilet.  With an OST, the server has a copy,
    and of course CCS has backup tapes, don't they?
    
    FJP
    
    Hmm, what if I donate a disk to my Exchange server?  Will they still
    charge me for it?

    re .47 & donating a disk...
    
    We asked this some time ago and was told that they would still charge
    us (backups, maintenance, etc)

RE: .24

> What server are you on?

SBUAMADAS1BC, according to Tools->Services->Microsoft Exchange Server->
Properties.

RE: .25

>	Why people use .PST's when the Offline Folder mechanism is
>	so much better amazes me. Please, check out the help for
>	Offline Folders. When you use them with the Outlook interface,
>	your Contacts, calendar, tasks and other folders get
>	sync'd. With Offline Folders, I can add appointments or contacts
>	or send/reply to mail. When I connect to the server, the changes
>	are sent and syncronized with my server. New contacts are
>	added, new appointments are made and mail is sent. It really
>	is a better way of working remotely.

Different strokes for different folks, Mike.  My requirements are simple:

1) All mail is available to be read by me 100.000% of the time, whether
   I am connected to the network or not.

2) I control what gets sent out from my notebook, what is received to
   my notebook, and when that occurs (ie, I can delete before reading,
   because I frequently get mail I am not interested in, and I also
   frequently get many copies of the same mail).

3) I am free to ignore the totally artificial and extremely restrictive
   limits placed on us by CCS, specifically the 20MB/user limit.

Synchronizing off-line folders violates requirement 2, and maintaining
off-line folders which are synchronized with on-line copies violates
requirement 3.

I evaluated off-line folders when I first started with Exchange.  For
many people this is indeed a good way to work, and I have helped several
Sales people get started with Exchange using off-line folders.  But for
me, with my requirements, off-line folders are unusable.  It offers no
protection against error (ie, if you delete the wrong mail message in 
your off-line folder, then the next time you connect the automatic
synchronization will cheerfully delete that mail message on the server,
and if the server files get corrupted then the automatic synchronization
will cheerfully corrupt your off-line folders the next time you connect),
consumes vast amounts of server *and* client disk resources, and makes
the connect time take *much* longer than it would if you didn't have to
synchronize every last little thing whether you use it or not, as well
as downloading 'n' copies of that 100KB mail message that you are going
to delete anyway (since 95KB of that message is the distribution list and
the fancy sig file).

YMMV and all of that.  I am happy that Microsoft included the functionality
that lets us both work they way we want, in the way that makes each of us
most productive.  But I cannot agree that off-line folders are such a
clear win in every case.

-- Ken Moreau

Re: .45, 

Neither Outlook nor Exchange can deal with a write-locked .PST, which 
is what you'll have on CDROM.

-stephen

... but you could use a ZIP drive, which is writable, and with compression 
enabled could store 200M of mail ... The media's a bit more expensive than a 
CD-R in bulk, but then again, you can reuse 'em.

I looked into this offline-online stuff. I work from home (extension to 
Easynet) and on customer sites (like now).

I decided that on-line was best. A few reasons.

1. My mail is there waiting for me. No <f5> to sync etc.
2. No matter what machine I work on, I can see all the folders I have set 
up.
3. I can get at MS-Schedule diaries OK. When I was in 'offline' mode, I 
couldn't.
4. NOTES works super fine..... [See]
5. I have NO DISK SPACE on the laptop. Its a 500Mb double spaced drive with 
about 25Mb free.

So, what I do from the laptop is to dial in first. Then once I have a 
connection, the system treats it as a locally connected PC. I assume its 
using TCP/IP over dial-up (aka PPP ?).

    Yeah OK - I start to understand the different points of view now 'cos
    folks are explaining a bit better their context.  Let me explain
    mine...
    
    When I went gung-ho on Offline Folders, it was in the context of a user
    who has a single laptop as his client and who changes frequently
    between office-based LAN and remote via dial-up.  This context applies 
    to a lot of the Sales force, some systems integration folks, field service 
    engineers, etc.  Not really applicable to core engineering.
    
    In this context Offline folders is a great way to work.  It totally
    mitigates the most probable security risk in this context (which is
    that you will lose the disk through failure or the whole laptop to 
    thieves)
    
    The only constraint (in this context) is the server quota.  i.e. the
    only constraint that is pertinent to Offline Folders - all the other
    things that were raised are common issues with the alternative
    solutions or are implementation/configuration issues with the
    underlying network that can be straightened out with a bit of
    knowledgable advice.
    
    As someone said - YMMV.
    
    /Chris/

    Oh well, I got bitten by the Exchange delays.  Some of the messages
    took 24hours to reach me.  Messages which was sent at June 3 1:00pm
    arrived on June 4 11:50am
    
    - Vikas

    Sent from what mail system to Exchange?  Have you verified the "sent"
    time with the sender?
    
    BTW If you compose off-line, what does Exchange use as the "sent" time?
    
    FJP

RE: .46

Liesl,

This has happened to me before.  I hope the 'fix' that I found will solve your 
problems.

When you create a new profile for Outlook or use it for the first time on a 
desktop/laptop, it automatically creates a Personal folder on you local hard 
drive.  Another default that Outlook creates is the Delivery location.  It will 
default this setting to the Personal Folder file.

Therefore, if you log in at a new location and created a new profile, you'll get 
two services, one is your on-line Exchange account and another is the offline 
Personal Folder, with a default delivery setting to Personal Folders.  IF you 
look carefully at your on-line Inbox, messages will start to disappear, 
one-by-one, slowly ... they are being moved to your Personal Folder.

If you go back to the other computer that you created that new Outlook Profile 
and look in the Personal Folder's Inbox, I'll be you find all your Inbox 
messages.

Please let me know if you have any questions on the above ....

Thanh
[email protected]
DTN 244-6897

    
    	RE: .54/.55
    
    	Same here, from VMS.  Pretty much exactly the same send/receive
    	times from BUSY, give or take a minute either way.
    

re: Offline/Online Issues

There obvious pros/cons to each side.  I believe it's more "situation" specific.  
Depending on your needs and the type of work you do ... i.e. Regular 
Telecommuter, Occasional Work-from-Homer, or off-site Services Reps.

Along with all the 'features' or 'benefits' of working off-line, there's another 
feature of Offline Folders -- Remote Mail.  You can only enable either Off-line 
Folders or Remote Mail.

Remote mail allows you to download the headers of messages in your In-box.  Then, 
you can select which messages you want to download to your local file.  This 
allows you to download the full-body of messages that you WANT to read.  This 
method would be ideal for, off-site Services Reps that want quick, easy access to 
their in-box messages.  The only download-side is that you cannot move messages 
to other folders.  The premise behind this concept is that when you returned to 
your office, you could manipulate your messages anyway you want ....

If you do not know how to set up these various methods, I would suggest logging a 
call to a 'knowledgeable' CCS representative or someone else knowledgeable enough 
to configure your systems based on your different needs/situations.
---------

The real issue is bandwidth.  DIGITAL has moved away from character-based 
terminal emulation (VMS accounts, All-in-One, etc), and into Exchange, a more 
graphical, enriched-text, attachments, etc. environment.  Dialing up at a 28.8 
kbps modem (compared to a 2400/4800/9600 baud modem) would have been fantastic 2 
or 3 years ago, with the primary connection being terminal emulation.  With 
Exchange, web browsing, file sharing (downloading, copying, etc.), the Remote 
Access bandwidth does not suffice.  

Demands on Remote Access have changed and so has technology.  There are new 
issues/ideas, such as VPN -- Virtual Private Networks (tunnelling into the 
Corporate LAN via the Internet), floating around.  VPN will not work ideally 
without a higher bandwidth connection; i.e. ADSL, Cable Modems, etc.  If this is 
a business need, I would start to push your Business Unit folks, and eventually 
question the CCS Remote Access Team and their strategies.
---------

For more info on:

  CCS Remote Access - http://www-ccs.wro.dec.com/NT/
  ADSL - http://www.adsl.com  [ summit in Boston, MA, June 17th ]
  Cable Modem - http://www.mediaone.com

ADSL and Cable Modems could be available in your home towns today -- check the 
web sites and your local vendors!

    I want to know more about these options, and don't want to harass my
    CCS folks any more than necessary. Where can I read more about these
    things? Do I dig out my MSDN CDs? Do I go down to the local bookshop
    and buy MS-Exchange for Dummies ? Are there any Digital-specific
    cookbooks online ?
    
    regards
    john

    I sent the message from my UNIX account to Exchange account.  The trail
    shows that the message from UNIX was delivered to
    pkohub1.athena.dec.com within couple of minutes of leaving my UNIX
    account.  
    
    pkohub1.athena.dec.com is claimed to be SMTP (Microsoft Exchange Mail
    Connector Version 4.0.996.15)
    
    Pretty conclusive if you ask me.
    
    Another message was sent from one of the VMS system from ZK3-4 at about
    the same time yesterday and that also took 24 hours to reach me.  Once
    again, the same Mail Connector was used.  I presume the MX entries for
    mail.dec.com on ZK systems point to pkohub1.athena.dec.com gateway.
    
    Anybody wants to check what happened to pkohub1.athena.dec.com system
    yesterday?
    
    - Vikas

john,

>    I want to know more about these options, and don't want to harass my
>    CCS folks any more than necessary. Where can I read more about these
>    things? Do I dig out my MSDN CDs? Do I go down to the local bookshop
>    and buy MS-Exchange for Dummies ? Are there any Digital-specific
>    cookbooks online ?

Contacting your CCS Folks shouldn't be a bother ... it's their job to help out 
users, such as yourself to better understand their options.  Myself, being in the 
CCS organization, would encourage users to invest time to understanding your 
options --- in the long run, it will save you time!  Anyways, the more people we 
'educate' the less call volume there is to the helpdesk -- see it's a win-win 
situation! ;)

I would recommend these steps:  

  1) Online help.  Search for "offline folders" & "remote mail"  
  2) Visit the CCS NT Support Page:  http://www-ccs.wro.dec.com/NT/  
  3) Exchange Notes Conference (CHEFS::MS-EXCHANGE)
  4) MS-Technet CDs
  5) find someone that already has experience on these various methods  
  6) contact your local CCS or tech. support help desk  
  7) or me ...

Good luck!

-thanh
dtn 244-6897
[email protected]

    
    	I think I'm going to cut a req for an ethernet line piped directly
    	into my house.
    
    	No more of this 28.8K RAS stuff [that connects at 19.2K].
    

    I don't suppose that you are in an area where Cable Modems are becoming
    available?
    
    We have some users in the DC area that are pretty happy with those
    combined with AltaVista Tunnel.
    
    District Cable says no plans on the board, sigh...
    
    

    
    	Last I knew, Uxbridge only had a population of 10K ... and much
    	less if you don't count farm animals.
    
    	So I doubt it.
    

Unfortunately, I'm not located and there seems to be no plans for me in the near 
future, but from MediaOne's homepage,

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:
Arlington, Avon, Beverly, Boxford, Burlington, Dedham, E. Bridgewater, Easton, 
Hamilton, Ipswich, Marblehead, Natick, Needham, Newbury, Newburyport, Newton, 
Raynham, Reading, Rowley, Stoneham, Stoughton, Tewksbury, Watertown, Wayland, 
Wenham, W. Bridgewater, W. Newbury, Weston, Wellesley, Wilmington, Winchester and 
Woburn,

COMING SOON (Fall/Winter 97):
Andover, Auburn (NH), Bedford (NH), Billerica, Bow (NH), Cambridge, Candia (NH), 
Chelmsford, Concord (NH), Derry (NH), Dracut, Hampstead (NH), Hanson, Hingham, 
Holbrook, Middleton, N. Andover, N. Reading, Salem, Saugus, Sherborn, Topsfield, 
Waltham, Weymouth.

The prices aren't too bad either:  

  $59.99/month (w/o Cable)
  $49.99/month (w/ Cable Service)
  -------------
  $99 Modem/Software installation
  $49/99 (desktop/laptop) NIC

Includes:  unlimited Internet access, e-mail, ftp, telnet and usenet newsgroups, 
Netscape browser, and plug-ins.

One of the downsides I see to Broadband technology, is that you have to share the 
bandwidth with people on the same segment.  Once, and if, this technology becomes 
a hit and everyone on your block shares the same 30 Mpbs line ... then it's back 
to the World Wide Wait again (or a hit or miss connect) ... 

But with ADSL, you're given a single line with up to 9 mpbs downstream and 800 
kbps upstream; depending upon line length and line and loop conditions.  Compared 
to Analog Modems (28.8 or 56kbps), ISDN (128 kbps), T1 (1.544 mbps), and shared 
broadband (up to 30 mbps).

-t

    I suspect it is hung again since 12:30 pm
    
kamlia 131% mailx -v vikas
Subject: sent at 6/4/97 16:03
Cc: Null message body; hope that's ok
[email protected]... Connecting to pkohub1.athena.pko.dec.com (smtp)...
220 pkohub1.athena.pko.dec.com Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Connector
4.0.996.15 ready
>>> HELO kamlia.zk3.dec.com
250 OK
>>> MAIL From:<[email protected]>
250 OK - mail from <[email protected]>
>>> RCPT To:<[email protected]>
250 OK - Recipient <[email protected]>
>>> DATA
354 Send data.  End with CRLF.CRLF
>>> .
250 OK
>>> QUIT
221 closing connection
[email protected]... Sent

    
    	Yeah, mcgex1 has been slow all day, too, Vikas.
    
    
    	RE: .66
    
    	The downside I see is $60/month.  Yikes!!
    

    $60/month would approximate the sum of cable+Netcom for me (If I
    currently subscribed to cable, which I don't.)
    
    But did you notice that it cost $10 extra to get "just internet" as
    opposed to "cable plus internet"? at $50/mo?
    
    This appears to be the same as what my ex in France reports.  Of course
    the economics in France are different as there is no such thing as an
    unlimited local call over there.
    
    

>        <<< Note 5306.69 by 37030::FPRUSS "Frank Pruss, 202-232-7347" >>>
>                        -< Seems a pretty good deal... >-
>....
>    But did you notice that it cost $10 extra to get "just internet" as
>    opposed to "cable plus internet"? at $50/mo?


That didn't make any sense to me, so I interpreted it to mean
$60 if you don't subscribe to cable TV service, and $50 if you do subscribe
and pay the normal fees for the particular cable service/channel complement 
you choose.  The extra $10/mo is probably a billing fee.

- tom]

    
    	I took that to mean that you get a $10 discount for also having a
    	cable subscription with them, not that it's included.
    
    	So $50 + cable would be your total.
    

    
    	CRASH!!  Sorry, Tom.  I'll look both ways before proceeding next
    	time.  8^)
    

RE: .last few

That's correct ... they give you a $10 "discount" for already having cable 
service with them.  So, the charges would be $49.99 + cable charges, or $59.99 
w/o any cable service.

-t

RE:  cable modems

I looked into this, and I see a significant down-side to it.  The cable
modem provides only the down-link service: up-link is done through a
regular POTS modem.  So you get really good down-load speed, but any
up-loads are done at 28.8 or whatever.  And, you are consuming the same
phone line that you are using now.

So from my point of view, this offers little to no benefit.  I am still
using my POTS line, so I cannot receive voice phone calls.  Since I am
required to use the POTS line to be on the WWW, I can't use things like
PointCast and be on the WWW 24 hours/day, which is what I was hoping
would be the case.  And since up-load speeds are the same as they are
now (and my wife and I do about 30% up-loads (and I know this is quite
unusual, wiht the regular percentage being closer to 5% up-loads)),
we get virtually no performance benefit out of this.

I am bummed, because I had such hope for this technology.  Why can't
the cable modems offer up-loads as well as down-loads?

-- Ken Moreau

>I looked into this, and I see a significant down-side to it.  The cable
>modem provides only the down-link service: up-link is done through a
>regular POTS modem.  So you get really good down-load speed, but any
>up-loads are done at 28.8 or whatever.  And, you are consuming the same
>phone line that you are using now.

    That may have been true with some older systems, but the Highway1
    (Continental Cablevision) service referred to is a full-time
    (bidirectional) 1.5 MB connection to your home and an ethernet LAN
    inside. The bandwidth is shared with your neighborhood, so although you
    may not always have the full 1.5 MB available to yourself, you still
    need 50 other people in your neighborhood simultaneously downloading
    the latest Netscape release before it's worse than a 28.8 dialup. And
    there are no busy signals or disconnects. Considering the monthly cost
    of an ISP and an extra phone line, it's a pretty good deal, actually.
    
    -Tom