Sharing Outlook Calendar,Contacts,E-Mails(Shared PST)without MS Exchange Server?

[retroborg]

Sharing MS Outlook Calendar,Contacts,E-Mails(Shared PST) without MS Exchange Server?

Hello, I have a small business workgroup network without MS Exchange Server.
I would like to share the Outlook Calendar, Contacts, E-Mails (Shared PST) with full access and rights for read and write from one PC to all the other PCs in the workgroup, but when I try to open the shared pst file from more than one PC at the same time, it will not allow me! I can only work the shared pst file from one pc at the time!

All my PCs have WinXP PRO SP-2, Office Outlook 2000 & Office 2003

So, is there any free and easy method of sharing Microsoft Outlook Calendar, Contacts, E-Mails (Shared PST) in outlook, without MS Exchange Server in a workgroup network?

Any help will be highly appreciated!
Thanks in advance.

[Splash]

For a start a PST can only be accessed by one person at a time, so the shared PST idea is a no-go. For the rest you're going to need some form of groupware server, and I'm not aware of any that are free.

Have you considered hosted Exchange? For a userbase the size you're talking about it should be a fairly cheap deal (have a look on Google)

[nichomach]

Have a shufti at http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/ou...477571033.aspx

http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/share.htm#other

edit: Hosted Exchange is a good call - 1&1 do hosted exchange for £5.99pm per user, and they include Mobile ActiveSync; useful if any of your users are of a Windows Mobile persuasion. http://order.1and1.co.uk/xml/order/MailExchange

[Splash]

Have a shufti at http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/ou...477571033.aspx

http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/share.htm#other

First one is Outlook 2003 only I think, OP has 2000

[nichomach]

First one is Outlook 2003 only I think, OP has 2000

If he has Office 2003, even Office Basic includes Outlook 2003. If he hasn't installed it, he really, really should.

[Moby-Dick]

For that Level hosted exchange is probably the best - Normally I'd go down my usual route of pimping SBS2003 , its only about £250 for a five CAL version ( and includes Outlook Licences too ) Fling in a cheapish server and bump that up to £500 - it would take 2 years to pay for itself over a hosted version ( with 4 users )

Remeber that PST'S start to have a problem if they get too big.

[nichomach]

Another good reason to make sure that OL2003 goes on ASAP - removes the 1.82GB size limit on .pst files.

[darrensen]

Hi there,

This is what i use on our network at the office.

http://www.officecalendar.com/

It works really well for us, but we don't demand much from it. We just use it for basic entries like meetings, when people are out of the office etc.... You can also have a shared contacts list that shows up in each of the client machines address book.

[azrael]

Hosted exchange is a good idea as mentioned previously. You can also have public folders iirc in which case you can have a shared calendar in there.