ActiveSync with multiple PCs?

[inkfox]

I would like to keep my work and home Outlook in sync by purchasing a second cradle and running ActiveSync in both locations.

Will this work? Is it in any way dangerous?

I have already found that if I send items directly from my iPAQ 3975 to my t68i phone via bluetooth, items get duplicated, but I'm fine if both devices only talk to the PC, or if the phone only talks to the PPC.

I'm guessing the answer is that it's all okay as long as the graph of all systems involved doesn't have any loops?

[Evee Ev]

i don't think you can receive e-mail if your PPC is synced with more than one desktop. so if you want e-mail you're better off staying with one PC.

i'm pretty sure this is the case. sorry. :cry:

[inkfox]

i don't think you can receive e-mail if your PPC is synced with more than one desktop. so if you want e-mail you're better off staying with one PC.

i'm pretty sure this is the case. sorry. :cry:

I would only sync email to the work machine. I want contacts, tasks and notes at both locations.

So perhaps if only work is configured for email sync, all is well?

[Evee Ev]

see...that's the problem. if you sync 2 PCs with activesync you will not have e-mail capabilities at either PC. but you will have the calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes information.

[toml]

Yes, it will work just fine. You can sync all parts of Outlook except the Inbox with two machines.

Set up the connection with the machine you wish to sync the inbox with first, then sync with the second.

I'm doing this between home and work. I sync the inbox at home and everything else at both locations (contacts, tasks, calendar, notes). Works great.

Only annoyance is reminders. For example if you have reminders set for a couple of business meetings, you get them normally during the day on your PC and PPC. Then you go home and sync, your home PC will again pop up all the reminders (overdue this time). Annoying, but manageable.

[Sven Johannsen]

Actually there are two items that will only allow syncing with one machine. Inbox and Money. Inbox will allow syncing with either partner, and Money will only sync with the first established partnership.

There are even third party options that allow syncing with more than two machines, the default ActiveSync limit. (http://www.kelbran.com/ Sync Manager) Two never made sense to me. Guess I must be the only one in the world with a desktop at home, a desktop at work, and a laptop.

[renz]

There´s another trick ... at least if you use Outlook in both locations:

Imagine that you have birthdays added to the appropriate field for the contacts: Outlook automatically adds a recurring event to the birthday and calls it "Birthday of ..." to the calendar. OK.

Typical scenario: You sync to the first machine - no problem. You sync to the second machine - oops, now you have new events added that get syncronized with the calendar, resulting in two entrys for the birthday. Not good :?

Solution: (Scenario: machine one is the master with the complete set of information) Sync everything with that first machine. Now sync only the contacts with the second machine. (The recurring events are generated.) Delete all events from the calendar of the second machine. NOW sync the calendar, too.

This solution works for me whenever I have to hard reset my iPAQ (fairly often).

Hope this helps :-)

Renz

[Evee Ev]

i'm going to attempt to resync 2 computers. I want to get the Inbox synceed with the first computer and have the other information synced between both PCs.

Should I choose the option to have sync with 2 computers or just one? Thanks.

[inkfox]

i'm going to attempt to resync 2 computers. I want to get the Inbox synceed with the first computer and have the other information synced between both PCs.

Should I choose the option to have sync with 2 computers or just one? Thanks.

You said "resync." I'm assuming you've had sync before? If so...

Break all bonding on both computers if any exists. (This is done in ActiveSync on the PCs, not the PocketPC). Then, sync for just one computer with the computer you want email on. (It's important to do the email machine first.)

Next, use the two computer option when first inserting with the second machine. You can use the same AvantGo in both places, all tasks, calenders, etc etc. Make sure you deselect the inbox for the second machine, however.

All that, and you're golden.

[Janak Parekh]

There´s another trick ... at least if you use Outlook in both locations:

Imagine that you have birthdays added to the appropriate field for the contacts: Outlook automatically adds a recurring event to the birthday and calls it "Birthday of ..." to the calendar. OK.
Alternative - don't associate the birthdays with the contact entry. I know, it sounds stupid, but it was my setup from the Palm days, and there's no fear of duplication.

Since I don't sync Inbox, I've had virtually no problems sync'ing across two machines. Except when I hard reset - since the partnerships are broken, on one machine ActiveSync gets terribly confused. I find that erasing my .PST on one of the two machines (or, equivalently, wiping out the calendar/contacts/tasks/notes) is the best solution.

--bdj