🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi,

We operate a very large Banyan Vines WAN, and I am looking for an alternative, 
inexpensive way of
giving our users remote dial-in access to their network email, and file 
transferring capabilities.

One solution I am investigating is using a LAN workstation running Linux and 
SendMail to
somehow receive incoming modem calls from our users.  So far so good.  However, 
I do not want
this Linux machine duplicating the mail directories on it's own drives, but 
merely transferring
or downloading the email messages to the caller's laptop (presumably using 
something like Eudora which can communicate with SendMail), so that the caller 
can deal with their email "offline".  The actual email service must remain on 
the Banyan Vines Server.

I need to know whether Linux and SendMail can do this.  We will very soon be 
using TCP/IP protocol as well as native Vines IP protocol throughout the WAN.  
Since I would want to duplicate this proposed email gateway in many offices to 
service their own individual LANs, I do not want to purchase Banyan ICA 
communications cards for direct PC-to-Vines Server connections (the cards are 
too expensive for a full area-wide implementation in many offices).  Nor would 
I want to purchase expensive Remote-Access-Server units.  I want to be able to 
use an existing 486 box to accomplish this.

FYI:  We are currently using remote control software (ReachOut) to allow 
dial-in callers to take control of a LAN workstation in order to access their 
email - this works well, but has some drawbacks (ie: the telephone connection 
is tied up for as long as the user is composing/sending email).  We have also 
tried a product called "RemoteLink Plus" which was not bad, but required 
calling into our Banyan Server directly via an ICA card (not what we want).

Anyone know whether Linux and SendMail have a chance to crack this problem?

Thanks in advance,

Christopher Jones
Technical Support - BC/YT Region
HRD Canada