Turning Off downloading of IMAP mail

[bcoulter]

So it appears that Zimbra Desktop downloads IMAP email so people can work offline. Is there a way to turn this off?

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by bcoulter

So it appears that Zimbra Desktop downloads IMAP email so people can work offline. Is there a way to turn this off?

That's the whole point of an offline client, download the email and work on it when you're not connected to the server. What's the reason for asking for this feature?

[bcoulter]

The reasons we use IMAP:
1) so that we don't duplicate storage on our network - once on the email server and once on the person's home drive.
2) so that proprietary information is not accidentally downloaded to a local computer, they must consciously make that decision knowing it is against company policy.

If we wanted this feature we could use POP while still leaving the email on the server, at least with other clients.

[Klug]

But POP3 is "single folder" (inbox only) and "not synching both ways" so you can not compare.

zDesktop is an online _and_ offline client, that's why it downloads messages using IMAP.

If you really don't want IMAP download, I'm afraid zDesktop is not the right tool for you (yet). Did you check the bugzilla for such a RFE?

[bcoulter]

This was one of several issues with the client.

I'll check bugzilla. We may look at the client again down the road when this and some of the other issues have been addressed.

Thank you for your responses!

[fcash]

Originally Posted by bcoulter

The reasons we use IMAP:
1) so that we don't duplicate storage on our network - once on the email server and once on the person's home drive.

Just about every IMAP client out there will keep a local cache of e-mail, as well as a local index of header information. It's virtually impossible to prevent this.

MS Outlook even has a nasty "bug" where you can still run into the ">2 GB pst file" when using only IMAP, as it stores messages and headers in the local .pst file.

2) so that proprietary information is not accidentally downloaded to a local computer, they must consciously make that decision knowing it is against company policy.

See above.

[ewilen]

If you don't want to download mail, why not just use the web client and forbid users installing ZD? (For that matter you might be able to experiment with firewalling off IMAP and only allowing, say, https and SMTP in to the ZCS server.)

[LaFong]

I want to download mail, but headers only, Inbox only, like any other decent IMAP client. If I want to download another folder, I'll click on it. "zDesktop is an online _and_ offline client": well, it's really set for fulltime offline use. "What's the reason for asking for this feature?" Are you kidding me? For people who have a lot of mail, the initial download of all of my IMAP mail, in all of my folders, can take hours. (!!) Much of that time, my Inbox does not have an up-to-date list of my mail. IMHO, there is no decent client that does not have your Inbox mail available within seconds after installation of the client. By this I mean it should show all date/to/from/subject/header, in a list, one message per line. IMAP is supposed to offer the option of offline mail, not require it at install. If you're going to insist upon downloading the entirety of every message, you should restrict it to the Inbox, at the very least. Then let the user choose what to have online and offline. "Just about every IMAP client out there will keep a local cache of e-mail, as well as a local index of header information. It's virtually impossible to prevent this.": this is simply false. AFAIK, every other IMAP client, including the lousy Outlook IMAP client, does not keep a local cache of all mail. It only caches locally the mail you choose to download. This is more than merely a bug, it is a fundamental misdesign. I do not see an RFE, or bug, in zDesktop Bugzilla. I should probably add one, though I'm amazed, frankly, that it would even be necessary. Also, unless there is a highly unusual reason, I choose not to "forbid" users from doing commonplace stuff. "I'm afraid zDesktop is not the right tool for you"...indeed. Or anyone, really. I have users for whom offline access is important, but even they find the default (and required) behavior of zDesktop unacceptable.

[ewilen]

Those are good points, LaFong, but they aren't the ones that the original poster was talking about, so it's not what we were responding to. If you don't want to let users maintain a local cache of mail at all, then neither ZD nor (to my knowledge) any other IMAP or POP client should be allowed to touch the server.

[LaFong]

I've reread his posts, and I do see his concerns are somewhat different. My concern is, I think, more universal and thus more important. zD insists on offline use, insists on downloading the entirety of every email from every server folder. Every other IMAP client, that I'm aware of, downloads only the Inbox headers, and nothing else, when you add an account. With other clients, you have to change the default settings to go to offline mode. You'd think zD would at least sync the Inbox first, but that does not appear to be the case. If I wanted to use zD as a client, my best option would be to add the account at bedtime, then let it churn away for hours while I snoozed. This is not a recipe for glowing user reviews.