Managing IMAP

Chapter 17. Remote Configuration Storage

Two protocols that complement IMAP, both with roots in the academic world, are the Application Configuration Access Protocol (ACAP) and the Internet Message Support Protocol (IMSP). Both protocols are used for storing user preference and address book information on a remote server, encouraging Internet desktop ubiquity.

Web sites that were once search engines are now calling themselves “portals.” What makes a search engine a portal is that what used to present the same resources to all users is now personalized with customized email, scheduling, remote bookmarks, and address book functions.

Remote configuration is all part of a push to make the Internet less tied to a specific physical location, whether to your desk at work, your PC at home, or the notebook in your briefcase. As personalization spreads to more Internet applications, the ponderousness of Internet software and operating systems should decrease. The piece that makes thin client computing work is the ability to do anything anywhere. Remote configuration and personalization make that possible.

Why Store Client Configurations on a Server?

Your site may benefit from centralized configuration management. It certainly makes sense for users who want to access their email from more than one place, especially those who use shared computers. Finally, because we’ve all learned the hard lessons of the total cost of ownership for the PC on the desktop, centralized configuration management ...