Hi all..

I'm looking to burn my final win2k box... it just sits there running exchange at the moment... Wanted to know if anyone has any experience in supporting MS Outlook users [full functionality] with RH.

I know that Exchange uses some wierd variant of LDAP... and before going off to invent the wheel I wondered if anyone else had any experience of doing this sort of stuff.

All advice appreciated.

You mentioned in your post full functionality for Outlook users. If this includes global calendars you have just hit your first wall. Outlook uses proprietary calendar formats on the Exchange Server for this and you cannot get around it.

If on the other hand you meant full functionality in the form of LDAP/IMAP/POP/SMTP functionality you can achieve these with a mid-level of difficulty using various open source tools. It's been awhile, but at last attempt with this Linux + Win2k auth didn't work, so don't plan on keeping one major user DB and having them automagically be on your linux server's email list.

I finally gave up on this and setup postfix + mysql + qpopper to handle virtual users for pop/smtp based email. Calendar functionality is lost, but they use the icalendar functions to send requests to each other, it works well.

J

Actually bleah-man... I have found a way around that wall with the calendaring problem jrmann mentioned...

I ditched my Exchange box for a LHR box that runs something called "Insight Server". This is an IMAP based server that works seemlessly with another product called "Insight Connector" that is a plug-in to Outlook (OL). I use OL97, which doesn't support LDAP, but from OL98 and up it does. So, with the connector on the client and running the cyrus based IMAP server, one could achieve what your looking for... Full calendar functionality as well as shared global folder sharing...

Of course these products cost (plz don't flame me), and can be obtained at www.bynari.net

I support about 25 users (all on OL97) with no Exchange server, no Win2K server, no client access licenses, no this, no that... works great...

Hope that helped.... Feel free to email me or reply if I can help in any way...

Shannon Tucker

Thanks guys... it was the shared calendar problem I was hoping to get around...

Flame - Mois - as if! [looks innocent]

Been to www.bynari.net and grunted a bit at the price, I guess the answer may be in writing something myself... A mountain that looks pretty damn steep from the bottom...

But listen, thanks to both of you for posting, I really appreciate it and it's nice to know how other people have tackled this.

falcon - must have posted at the same time as you.

Well, Bynari give you the server for free, and a single copy of the connector is only 40.00 per seat, not to bad.

Hope all goes well, and let us know if you do any kind of work around yourself...

Thanks

I'm using the whole setup in "Internet Mode" rather than leaving the clients in Workgroup mode...
Works great...
It means I only use the Insight Connector to populate the Insight server IMAP folders, then swing the clients to "Internet Mode" and presto, it all works...

I have some concerns about the security of the server, having all the servers open to the outside world, and updates, and the fact the freebie download has disappeared from the website...
But I'm determined to stick with it

Thanks for the pointers guys... I'll have to suffer the windoze box at least until the we are into next year when I have some time to be able to look at this from a 'building something' perspective.

Of course, by then I might have managed to persuade them to switch from outlook! Ha... we can all dream I guess!

If I find a solution - I'd be more than happy to share, open source, open smile - after all!