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How to use a multi-user environment.

[quote user="Geoffrey"]  I haven't used any yet, but it seems like your point number one would be better met by using the Identities feature of Pegasus[/quote]

Nope.  Identities share the same mail store, user mail stores are independent.

[quote user="Geoffrey"] I'm curious how Pegasus knows about each users email address.[/quote]

The

user management function maintains a user list in a file named pmail.usr which resides in the root mailbox directory.  There is also a file named pmail.cfg which is created during multi-user install and modified with the pconfig32.exe utility.  It contains the path to the root mailbox directory and information about a gateway if one is in use (eg: Mercury).

[quote user="Geoffrey"] Logged-in users [F4] does not seem to work for me.[/quote]

It won't.  It's a remnant of Netware functionality.

[quote user="Geoffrey"] It appears that addressbooks cannot be shared...[/quote]

They can.  See the System-wide addressbooks topic on pg 101 of the manual.

FWIW, I ran for years with just a shared install of Pegasus Mail but at some

point, keeping the crap out of user mailboxes became important, so I added Mercury to the LAN.  It ranks up there as one of the best things I've ever done.  I think I was at 10 users when I did it.  I maintain domain hosted user

mailboxes from which Mercury POPs messages.  AV and SPAM

control are integrated into Mercury allowing for detections to be filtered so as not to be delivered to the user mailboxes.  This is something to keep in the back of your head for consideration sometime down the road.

 

<p>[quote user="Geoffrey"]  I haven't used any yet, but it seems like your point number one would be better met by using the Identities feature of Pegasus[/quote]</p><p>Nope.  Identities share the same mail store, user mail stores are independent. </p><p>[quote user="Geoffrey"] I'm curious how Pegasus knows about each users email address.[/quote] </p><p>The user management function maintains a user list in a file named pmail.usr which resides in the root mailbox directory.  There is also a file named pmail.cfg which is created during multi-user install and modified with the pconfig32.exe utility.  It contains the path to the root mailbox directory and information about a gateway if one is in use (eg: Mercury). </p><p>[quote user="Geoffrey"] Logged-in users [F4] does not seem to work for me.[/quote]</p><p>It won't.  It's a remnant of Netware functionality. </p><p>[quote user="Geoffrey"] It appears that addressbooks cannot be shared...[/quote]</p><p>They can.  See the System-wide addressbooks topic on pg 101 of the manual. </p><p>FWIW, I ran for years with just a shared install of Pegasus Mail but at some point, keeping the crap out of user mailboxes became important, so I added Mercury to the LAN.  It ranks up there as one of the best things I've ever done.  I think I was at 10 users when I did it.  I maintain domain hosted user mailboxes from which Mercury POPs messages.  AV and SPAM control are integrated into Mercury allowing for detections to be filtered so as not to be delivered to the user mailboxes.  This is something to keep in the back of your head for consideration sometime down the road.</p><p> </p>

I've just started to use the multi-user environment. I'd like to understand the multi-user environment a bit more than what is in help.

I understand I can use the Notice Boards.

Do notice boards just use the LAN? 

User definitions are just names, not email addresses. Anything I send to an email address goes through the internet.

Can I send an email to a user name?

What are some useful ways to use the multi-user environment? I like the idea of not sending things through the internet to get to someone who sits at a nearby workstation. I just found this thread which makes them sound not so useful: http://community.pmail.com/forums/thread/47244.aspx,

<p>I've just started to use the multi-user environment. I'd like to understand the multi-user environment a bit more than what is in help.</p><p> I understand I can use the Notice Boards. </p><blockquote><p>Do notice boards just use the LAN? </p></blockquote><p> User definitions are just names, not email addresses. Anything I send to an email address goes through the internet. </p><blockquote><p>Can I send an email to a user name?</p></blockquote><p>What are some useful ways to use the multi-user environment? I like the idea of not sending things through the internet to get to someone who sits at a nearby workstation. I just found this thread which makes them sound not so useful: <a mce_href="/forums/thread/47244.aspx" title="Noticeboards help needed" href="/forums/thread/47244.aspx">http://community.pmail.com/forums/thread/47244.aspx,</a> </p>

As that thread stated, noticeboards are fine for use as a bulletin board but not for collaboration.

As for multi-user usefulness, consider these two scenarios:

1. You run a home business and use the same PC for personal use, business use, and your significant other uses it too.  You and your significant other each have a personal email address and you have a business email address.  The multi-user installation will allow you to run it as Geoffrey or as Geoffrey the business man, and your significant other can run it as themself.  Each persons configuration and mail store will be independent (separate mailbox directories).

2. On an office LAN you can have a single multi-user installation of Pegasus Mail installed on one machine then share that instance allowing each user on the LAN to run it as themselves (again, individual configuration and mail store).  In this case, Pegasus Mail is aware of all of the users who have mailboxes so messages sent from one user to another are delivered directly to the recipients mailbox, no internet.   It's common in a small office environment to run this type of setup from a server with the mailboxes on the server as well for ease of backup.  I think noticeboards require a single location for mailboxes but I'm not certain about that.

 

<p>As that thread stated, noticeboards are fine for use as a bulletin board but not for collaboration.</p><p>As for multi-user usefulness, consider these two scenarios:</p><p>1. You run a home business and use the same PC for personal use, business use, and your significant other uses it too.  You and your significant other each have a personal email address and you have a business email address.  The multi-user installation will allow you to run it as Geoffrey or as Geoffrey the business man, and your significant other can run it as themself.  Each persons configuration and mail store will be independent (separate mailbox directories).</p><p>2. On an office LAN you can have a single multi-user installation of Pegasus Mail installed on one machine then share that instance allowing each user on the LAN to run it as themselves (again, individual configuration and mail store).  In this case, Pegasus Mail is aware of all of the users who have mailboxes so messages sent from one user to another are delivered directly to the recipients mailbox, no internet.   It's common in a small office environment to run this type of setup from a server with the mailboxes on the server as well for ease of backup.  I think noticeboards require a single location for mailboxes but I'm not certain about that. </p><p> </p>

Noticeboards are only accessible from the LAN.

You may define where they reside via Windows environment variable "NB" or in PEGASUS.INI. An alternative are "System Wide Folders" - their location is defined via "MAI".

If you use Davids Mailserver Mercury, it is possible to send Mails to noticeboards from internet with mail-aliases defined in Mercury.

Best practice is to install Pegasus on one computer and mount that directories on the others.

Bye   Olaf

 

<p>Noticeboards are only accessible from the LAN.</p><p>You may define where they reside via Windows environment variable "NB" or in PEGASUS.INI. An alternative are "System Wide Folders" - their location is defined via "MAI".</p><p>If you use Davids Mailserver Mercury, it is possible to send Mails to noticeboards from internet with mail-aliases defined in Mercury.</p><p>Best practice is to install Pegasus on one computer and mount that directories on the others.</p><p>Bye   Olaf</p><p> </p>

Brian, thanks for your very well written answer. I haven't used any yet, but it seems like your point number one would be better met by using the Identities feature of Pegasus. I really like your point number 2. I'm curious how Pegasus knows about each users email address. This is just by defining the username and personal name (addresses > user management). "Pegasus Mail maintains user mailboxes in a single directory you choose the first time you run the program" In the users mailbox directory there are all his/her emails as well as several other Pegasus files. So, Pegasus must either build a database or check email addresses in Pegasus user directories every time an email is sent to see if it is a local user. There doesn't seem to be much documentation on this feature so let me write down some things I've learned. 

We just send to a user's name (username defined in User Management by an Admin), not to their email address.

Messages sent to users are sent instantaneously; they are not queued.

User Lookup (Addresses > Local Users) [F2] allows us to search our multi-user environment for users. No wildcard characters are needed to search partial names. A wild card * will show us all users.

Admin is always a user; it cannot be changed. If you are the administrator, it makes sense to set up your own username as well so people who know you by name will be able to send to you easily.

Logged-in users [F4] does not seem to work for me. I am running SoftXpand Mini-mainframe having 4 users on one PC at the same time (4 monitors, keyboards, mice) connected to one PC. I see no one else in Logged-in Users although I know at least one other is logged-in (has Pegasus open).

It appears that addressbooks cannot be shared but distribution lists can: Distribution Lists > Settings > check "System-wide (visible to all users)"

<p>Brian, thanks for your very well written answer. I haven't used any yet, but it seems like your point number one would be better met by using the <b>Identities </b>feature of Pegasus. I really like your point number 2. I'm curious how Pegasus knows about each users email address. This is just by defining the username and personal name (addresses > user management). "Pegasus Mail maintains user mailboxes in a single directory you choose the first time you run the program" In the users mailbox directory there are all his/her emails as well as several other Pegasus files. So, Pegasus must either build a database or check email addresses in Pegasus user directories every time an email is sent to see if it is a local user. There doesn't seem to be much documentation on this feature so let me write down some things I've learned. </p><p>We <u>just send to a user's name</u> (username defined in<b> User Management </b>by an Admin), not to their email address.</p><p>Messages sent to users are sent instantaneously; they are not queued. </p><p><b>User Lookup</b> (Addresses > Local Users) [F2] allows us to search our multi-user environment for users. No wildcard characters are needed to search partial names. A wild card * will show us all users.</p><p><b>Admin </b>is always a user; it cannot be changed. If you are the administrator, it makes sense to set up your own username as well so people who know you by name will be able to send to you easily.</p><p><b>Logged-in users</b> [F4] does not seem to work for me. I am running SoftXpand Mini-mainframe having 4 users on one PC at the same time (4 monitors, keyboards, mice) connected to one PC. I see no one else in Logged-in Users although I know at least one other is logged-in (has Pegasus open).</p><p>It appears that <b>addressbooks </b>cannot be shared but <b>distribution lists</b> can: Distribution Lists > Settings > check "System-wide (visible to all users)" </p>
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