Considering Zimbra - Have I got this right

[Bishop7]

Hello All

I am looking for a Linux alternative to Outlook exchange and found Zimbra in my searches. It seems to have everything I want. Except...

I have a small business (5 people). Each of these people have to access email, calendar, tasks etc from multiple devices. For example, I have a desktop PC in the office, laptop for working remotely and Android phone while moving around. So it seems right for me. I am looking at the open source version and installing on my VPS hosting.

However, I am confused by the website. This page suggests I can connect my Android phone: Zimbra Collaboration Suite while this one suggests not: Zimbra - Compare Products.

Can someone enlighten me? With the open source version installed and operating on my VPS, will I be able to synchronize my email, calendar etc across my three devices?

Your advice will be much appreciated.

Bishop

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by Bishop7

Can someone enlighten me? With the open source version installed and operating on my VPS, will I be able to synchronize my email, calendar etc across my three devices?

No, you need the Network Edition to synchronise your Android with your Calendar and Contacts (obviously email as well). Your laptop and PC would, I guess you'd be connecting to Zimbra via the Web UI for you mail, Calendar, Contacts? You can use the Zimbra Desktop on your laptop and/or PC to have your mail offline while you're on the road.

OK, having mentioned the NE paid-for version there is an alternative (two actually): first, there is the Starter Edition for 15 users (have a look at the price on the web page in the 'buy' section); second there is the Virtual Appliance which has a free 10 user licence - both of those will do what you want. The 'catch' in your set-up is the fact you use a VPS, they are notoriously difficult to get run correctly and it is recommended you use a dedicated server for Zimbra. Have a look at the versions I've mentioned and post any further questions.

[Bishop7]

Thanks Bill, I appreciate your prompt and frank response. I will look into the paid versions and keep researching my options.

Much appreciated!

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by Bishop7

Thanks Bill, I appreciate your prompt and frank response. I will look into the paid versions and keep researching my options.

Sorry, I forgot to mention another option. If you want to stay with the Open Source version then you could look at Funambol - that's another server that would allow you to synchronise your mail, calendar and contacts. It's a commercial product that has an open source version - there's support for that on the forums with a Zimbra connector (search for the word 'funambol'). It may be more effort than you'd be willing too invest but it is a viable option.

[ewilen]

With Open Source, you have these options for what you want:

PC: Zimbra Web Client, Zimbra Desktop, IMAP/CalDAV client. The most popular example of the latter is Thunderbird + Lightning, but you might hit a few bumps. Also, you'll need a way to sync contacts. CardDAV would be best, but at the moment I think the only option for Thunderbird is Zindus. (There are other IMAP/CalDAV clients; they just don't get as much discussion, so I can't say how well they work currently.)

Mac & Linux have similar options but it doesn't sound like you use those for your workstations/laptop so I won't go into detail. Note the ZWC requires you to have an Internet connection to do anything; ZD or an IMAP/CalDAV client will let you do some things offline.

Phone: if your phone supports IMAP/CalDAV, you can just use those. E.g. iPhone. iPhone with CardDAV may also work--you'll have to search the forum and test to see what the current status is. Many phones support at least IMAP for email. CalDAV may be available for Android, see for example Calendar (CalDAV) Sync BETA. To fill in the holes, you may be able to get by with the mobile version of ZWC. A specialized option for iPhone is the Aderium Companion for iPhone, which is a third-party (paid) app whose functionality is similar to Zimbra Desktop.