[BBLISA] Help with addressbook management

[Edward Ned Harvey]

For the last few days I've been suffering through my first corporate
addressbook setup.  There are several specific problems that I can't
seem to find any solutions to.  Please offer advice if you can!  ;-)

---------- background info ---------------
Eventually we plan to get Exchange, but for now we don't have it.  For
now I am evaluating other products, such as Sun Java System Directory
Server, and openldap.

We have heterogeneous mail clients -- some Oultook, some Outlook
Express, some Netscape 7, some Mozilla.  

We have some computers that stay in the office, but laptops travel.  So
the addressbook has to be made available offline, too.

-------------------------------------------

Here are the problems I can't seem to find solutions for:

-1- When I add an LDAP addressbook to a mail client (outlook or
netscape) the addresses don't appear browsable.  I have to enter a
non-blank search in order to get any entries to appear.  I would like to
make the whole addressbook (up to the set maximum of 100 entries) appear
browsable, WITHOUT entering search criteria.  (Does this problem go away
when you use Exchange?  I got a hint that it does, but I don't know for
sure.)

-2- I need some way to download the addressbook to the local computer
for offline usage, because the laptops travel.  I can't find any way to
do this in Outlook, and although Netscape has a "download" button, it
doesn't seem to do anything.

-----------------------------------------
There are a few more things I'm scratching my head over, but those are
the most important two.

Any hints?  Any products?  (Free or otherwise?)  Something gonna help us
out on this one???

Thank you...