OL98: (CW) Remote Mail, Offline Folders, and Working Offline

This article explains the differences among working offline, Remote Mail, and Offline folders. To identify which method best suits your needs, it is important to understand the differences among these features. In Microsoft Outlook 98, the Remote mail option and the toolbar associated with this feature are available only with the Corporate or Workgroup installation option.

Mobile computing is becoming increasingly more important; there are many common situations where you may want to use Outlook when you do not have access to a network. For example, traveling with a laptop, working at home, or working at a remote site.

Many users combine working offline and Remote Mail to cut down on network usage or Internet provider time limits. By connecting offline to Outlook, you can compose new mail messages and read and respond to mail. When you are finished making changes, you can connect to your mail service using Remote Mail and execute the changes you made while offline.

Outlook offers three solutions for mobile computing. Working offline and Remote Mail are available in most situations. Offline Folders are available only when you are using Microsoft Exchange Server. Using Offline Folders you can perform updates to such items Contacts and Calendar as well as Mail and synchronize these items with the Microsoft Exchange Server once you are attached to the network.

For more information on Offline Folder access to a Microsoft Exchange Server, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Remote Mail Basics

To properly understand Offline folders and Remote Mail, you must first understand working offline. Outlook gives you the option when configuring most services to work offline; when you work offline you cannot send or receive information. Working offline does not require a network connection or modem.

If you choose to work offline and do not use Remote Mail, changes are maintained on your hard drive in your Personal Folder (PST) file, or in your Offline Store (OST) file if you are an Exchange Server user. This means you do not send or receive information from another location or computer.

The Remote Mail option is one of the properties for your service. In most cases, the option is to work offline and use Remote mail with a modem. Remote mail enables you to connect remotely to your mail service. You can use it with Internet Mail, Microsoft Mail, Microsoft Exchange Server, and some online services.

NOTE: Remote Mail is not supported with the cc:Mail service that ships in the Outlook 98 ValuPack.

Configuring the Microsoft Exchange Service to Work Offline

1. Start Microsoft Outlook if it is not currently running.
2. On the Tools menu, click Services, click Microsoft Exchange Server, and then click Properties.
3. Click the General tab, select the Manually Control Connection State option, and then in When Starting, click Work Offline and use dial-up Networking. You may wish to select the Choose connection type when starting, so you can work offline or online.
   
   
4. Click Remote Mail tab and set the desired options for connection management and remote transfer.

Configuring the Microsoft Mail Service to Work Offline

1. Start Microsoft Outlook if it is not currently running.
2. On the Tools menu, click Services, click Microsoft Mail, and then click Properties.
3. Click Dial-up Networking tab and select an existing Dial-up connection option or click Add Entry to define a new connection. You may select other options to manage your remote connection.
   
   
4. Click the Connection tab, in Select how this service should connect at startup, and then click Automatically sense LAN or Remote. This setting is appropriate if you alternate between a connection to the local area networks and a dial-up connection. Otherwise, if you work remotely most of the time, click Remote using a modem and Dial-up Networking.
   
   
5. Click Remote Configuration tab and click Remote Mail.NOTE: Other choices on this tab are specific to your Post Office configuration. Check with your mail administrator for configuration details.
   
   
6. Click the Remote Session tab. This dialog offers choices for how Remote Mail handles delivery. Set the choices to suit the way you intend to work.

Using the Internet E-mail Service to Work Offline

The Internet E-mail service does not have a choice for Remote Mail use within its properties. To use Remote Mail with Internet E-mail, follow these steps:

1. Start Microsoft Outlook if it is not currently running.
2. On the Tools menu, click Options and then click Internet E-mail tab.
3. Clear the Automatically dial when checking for new messages option. You may set other options to suit the way you work.

General Remote Mail Usage Procedures

The purpose for Remote Mail is to transfer mail only. It does not transfer calendar appointments, contacts, or any other Outlook information. If you want to transfer this type of information, you must use Offline Folders and the Microsoft Exchange Server information service. To use Remote Mail, follow these steps:

1. Start Microsoft Outlook using an Offline option for the service you are using as configured in the steps above.
2. Compose and send a mail message. This puts the message in your Outbox, where it remains until you make a remote connection.
3. On the Tools menu, point to Remote Mail, and then click Connect to open the Remote Connection Wizard.
4. Under Connect to which information service(s), select the desired services, and then click Next. The information services in your profile determine what is available in this list.
5. Under While Connected, select the retrieve and send all new mail or to retrieve new message headers only option. If you choose retrieve and send all new mail, you are finished. If you choose to retrieve new message headers, continue to the next step.
6. On the Tools Menu, point to Remote Mail, and then click Mark To Retrieve, or Mark to Retrieve a Copy.
7. On the Tools Menu, point to Remote Mail, and then click Connect.
8. Run the Remote Connection Wizard again to retrieve marked messages.

Remote Mail is a great solution for people who use mobile computing to maintain their e-mail and to communicate with other people.

For more information about Remote Mail, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: