Aethera can manage your data (emails, calendar, contacts, notes) from the Kolab server or Citadel.
In this way you can have your data available to the server and you can access it from any place where you have internet connection. Even more you have access to the shared data via Shared Folders.

First, you have to create a new Kolab/Citadel account. This is possible using the Mail plugin, see "Add a new account" section (or setup wizard if you are runnning Aethera first time). The Kolab/Citadel account setup wizard has a supplementary page for setting the Kolab/Citadel Folders, each type of data has associated its folder. This page has default values, you have to change it ONLY if the server admin will let you know about some folders changes.
You have to restart Aethera after adding the kolab account.(deprecated line)
The Kolab folders will be created automatically if they don't exist when you make your first synchronization.

Now, you have to synchronize your data with the server. You should see a "Kolab" folder in the following plugins: DateBook, AddressBook and NoteBook.
In DateBook, just select the calendar with the same name as your Kolab/Citadel account from "Kolab" folder. Use mouse right click to get a popup menu, the first item should be "Kolab Synchronization". Adding/Removing/Updating an event/todo from this calendar will perform changes to the server too.
In AddressBook, select the subfolder of "Kolab" folder which has the same name as your Kolab/Citadel account. Use mouse right click to get a popup menu, select "Kolab Synchronization." item. Adding/Removing/Updating a contact from this folder will perform changes to the server too.
In NoteBook, select the subfolder of "Kolab" folder which has the same name as your Kolab/Citadel account. Use mouse right click to get a popup menu, select "Kolab Synchronization." item. Adding/Removing/Updating a note from this folder will perform changes to the server too.

As a special observation, you need permanent connection to the Kolab/Citadel server when you are making changes. And you can see the Kolab account as an usual IMAP account in your Mail plugin. And ... if someone wants to manage more Kolab/Citadel accounts, just add more Kolab/Citadel accounts as described above.

As you could use a IMAP folder to save your personal informations,you could also use a shared imap folder to save its.
In Settings->Mail->Accounts, you have to choose a Kolab/Citadel Account and edit it.

In Kolab Folders settings, unselect "use kolab default folders", now you could choose which shared folder (or not shared folder), you would like to use as your personal calendar, personal contacts folder, personal notes folder,etc.

How to use shared folders

In order to use the Shared Folders, you must have installed a Kolab/Citadel account.

Example with few accounts (one is Citadel and one is Kolab):

    In Mail plugin:
Subscribed shared folders (as any subscribed IMAP folder) are always detected and appears automatically in your account folder.
Once the shared folders are registered as shared folders (see below), it will show coloured in red. The shared folders can be unregistered too (see below).
The main Kolab/Citadel folders are coloured in red too.
The main folders and the shared folders (coloured in red) cannot be deleted/moved/renamed until it were unregistred or the Kolab/Citadel account is deleted.

    In DateBook plugin:
Use right click on the tree Datebook->Kolab and move to "Search for shared folders" in the popup menu.

    In AddressBook plugin:
Use right click on the tree Contacts->Kolab and move to "Search for shared folders" in the popup menu.

    In NotesBook plugin:
Use right click on the tree Notes->Kolab and move to "search for shared folders" in the popup menu.

    After that you should get a folder chooser dialog which contains all possible shared folders. You can choose one or more shared folders which will appear into the right plugin.

Autodetection of shared folders type
The first email from a shared folder will show the shared folder type.
You have to have at least one email in the shared folders so that it will be detected properly.
In other case it will not appear in any plug in. This mechanism will be better in future, we are working on it.

The way to synchronize a folder is the same than usual. Use right click on the calendar name and "Kolab Synchronization".

If a folder doesn't appear, try again. If a folder is empty (no messages in it), it doesn't appear.

Deleting the shared folder from plugins (NotesBook, DateBook, AddressBook) will unregister the IMAP related folder.
And the shared folder will not appear coloured in red in the Mail plug in. Then it will be used as a normal IMAP folder.

Technical Overview

To know in which plugins shared folders should appears we are using the field Content-Type in message header RFC822.
Every folders you would like to see have to be subcribe and every rights have to be set on the server (be very careful with control access list).