Archiving Sent Items, IMAP or what?

[JHZR2]

I use a free email server. It isnt gmail or yahoo, different one, and it supports POP, IMAP and pushing mail.

I do most all my mail these days on either a webmail application from a laptop, or on my iphone. I still have a computer that runs an email program that I use to archive all my emails. I have done this for years and it is fine.

Thing is, I dont archive my sent items. Usually it isnt a big deal, but I have some at this point that I would like to archive and save. I really dont want to have to email each and every one of them to myself and then download them...

So is there a protocol that I can use to easily sync and download my sent items? It seems that POP3 which I use is not going to do this.

I really just use the email program for archiving, its rare that Im sitting at the location where the computer is and doing email. I just need to be able to pull them down in a sent items folder once. There is no need for alignment between devices and all the fanciness that exists for example when set up as an exchange account.

So what kind of protocol should I be looking to use?

Thanks!

 

[barlowc]

What free e-mail service do you use? I use GMX. Regardless whether I send a message from the web-based interface, Outlook on my home PC, or my iPhone, a copy goes in Sent folder on the server and I consider it "archived" there. I could, if I ever needed, copy the messages from the folder on the server to a local Outlook PST file and archive it that way too.

 

[JHZR2]

I actually use gmx. The actual gmx doesn't get a copy in sent items of anything that I send from a computer based mail program or my phone. How do you set that up?

You mentioned copying files from the server to an outlook pst. That's exactly what I want to do, but don't know how. It's not like an ms exchange server where all folders get updated all the time, and pulling files to an archive removes them from the server. That would actually be ideal- use pop3 in some spots like my phone, just leaving copies on the server, and then sync all folders from the computer which removes files,from the server when archived.

Thanks

 

[BubbaFL]

Thunderbird in IMAP mode is a great choice for this. You can tell it to synchronize the sent items from your server.

It uses standard mbox files, which makes disaster recovery easier, and it is very good at dealing with large mail accounts.

I regularly use it with 20gb+ mailboxes.

 

[bubbajoe_2112]

Not familiar with GMX, but most IMAP setups should have an option somewhere where you can set which folders are synchronized. Once you find that, just add the Sent folder to the synchronized folder list.

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I actually use gmx. The actual gmx doesn't get a copy in sent items of anything that I send from a computer based mail program or my phone. How do you set that up?

How is your iPhone configured in regards to GMX? Is it using IMAP to connect to GMX? You may need to go into the e-mail account's advanced settings and tweak the "Mailbox Behaviors" so that Sent maps to Sent on the server and not a local Sent folder.

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
You mentioned copying files from the server to an outlook pst. That's exactly what I want to do, but don't know how. It's not like an ms exchange server where all folders get updated all the time, and pulling files to an archive removes them from the server. That would actually be ideal- use pop3 in some spots like my phone, just leaving copies on the server, and then sync all folders from the computer which removes files,from the server when archived.

You're using Outlook on your desktop? What version? How is it configured to connect to GMX? POP or IMAP? I use IMAP and have a synchronized view of my send items. I don't think that would be possible with POP which simply retrieves a copy of messages from the server-side inbox.

 

[JHZR2]

Im currently using the Mac mail app, but have used outlook in the past, same deal... Ive always only ever used POP3... Ditto for my iphone...

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Im currently using the Mac mail app, but have used outlook in the past, same deal... Ive always only ever used POP3... Ditto for my iphone...

I think IMAP may be the key for you here. That way you'll have a single Sent folder on the GMX server that'll contain all the messages you send, whether they be from within the web-based interface, your Mac, or your iPhone.

 

[javacontour]

For IMAP, I believe it is the client that determines where to put sent items. Since I use a smart phone, tablet, many virtual machines, etc, I configure all my clients to place sent mail in the IMAP Sent fail folder.

If you can set that up to be the same folder that GMX uses when it uses it's web interface, then all your sent items will be in the same location.