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I have recently been introduced to a company called PostPath. They are a new technology company that have created a Linux-based alternative to Microsoft's Exchange. Their proposition is that Microsoft Outlook is the killer application. As long as users can run Outlook and have all the features and functionality that they are used to, it shouldn't matter what is serving it up on the back end. And if that back end can run on cheaper hardware and storage with a highly-flexible open source OS, all the better.
I have been working with the latest version of the PostPath server and it is pretty amazing. It does deliver as promised - full Outlook functionality at a fraction of the software, hardware and storage costs. PostPath has also signed a partnership with VMWare and is fully supported as a virtualized platform. This gives you tremendous flexibility when it comes to disaster recovery and business continuity. They fully (and seamlessly) support Blackberry clients and the Blackberry Enterprise Server. They have enhanced the open source version of Zimbra for their web-based client and added several enhancements. They also offer a mobility server called Sync Server which supports Windows Mobile 6 clients.
The PostPath server can run in a Microsoft Active Directory environment by itself or in co-existence with an already installed Exchange organization. If Exchange is not already present, it can perform a full forest and domain prep to add the correct schema extensions to Active Directory. Once installed, when viewed within ESM, it looks like any other Exchange server. You can create mailboxes on it using ADUC just as you do with any other Exchange server. Users can be migrated to and from the PostPath server using the traditional ADUC move mailbox process. The one downside is, since it is running Linux, it does not respond to WMI calls. Therefor, you cannot administer or browse its resources through ESM and there are some workarounds for commonly performed Exchange tasks. However, enhancements to the product are being added at a rapid clip and the engineering team is very responsive to customer feedback and suggestions for engineering enhancements.
So far it has been a pleasure to work with the product and I look forward to learning more about it and its capabilities as an alternative to Exchange.
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I love Thinkpads. For the Windows or Linux-based laptop IMO there isn't a better combination of performance and features around. They are rock solid and well thought out. It was with great sadness when I was forced to change from a Thinkpad Tp60 to a Dell Latitude D620 as a result of a job change. Now I have noticed that Lenovo is coming out with some consumer-oriented laptops that look absolutely stunning. If they carry over on the same performance, reliability and thoughtfulness of design they will be sure to be tremendous. Oh, and the price has to be right. Their business models tended to be on the pricey side. Consumer versions will need to carefully marry all of the above to sensible pricing. Check them out here in a great company blog that focuses on why they design Thinkpads they way they do.
Technorati Tags:
Thinkpads,
Lenovo
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One of the nicest things in Exchange 2007 is the way the installation and support interface has been improved. So much has been written about PowerShell but I am a big fan of the way they continue to improve the GUI experience as well. First of all, the subtle use of providing PowerShell syntax with every wizard execution is a great way to make beginners more comfortable with the command line. The second is the feedback you get upon installation of Exchange server. In days past you would get some kind of cryptic 08x0048394 error when an installation pre-requisite was not met or something didnt happen right under the covers. This has been slowly getting better, but what you get now with Exchange 2007 is nothing short of excellence. I dont know if this has been baked in to other products as well as I haven't played with the new versions of other products yet. Here is a shot of the feedback when installing the Exchange management tools in preparation to run LoadGen for some performance testing. I can then easily click on the link and go to the relevant KB article, download the hot fix for .net and be on my way.
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Ever wonder about the history of the Microsoft Exchange server? How did it progress and what were all of its various features and revisions? I remember first working with Microsoft Mail and then Exchange 5.0 that I implemented for a small college in northern Ohio. It was new and exciting to be working with this new messaging technology which at the time was going on to Windows NT Server 3.51 and 4.0. Those were the days. Barefoot in the snow, uphill, both ways!
Read about the past at the always excellent Microsoft Exchange Team blog. Go. Subscribe. Now.
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Microsoft has released four new whitepapers detailing how Exchange 2007 is used internally. I am a big fan of these papers. I like to see how the maker designs, uses and maintains its own software. You always find some good tips and previously unknown tricks. Some of the best sessions I have ever been to at TechEd have been the "how we do this at Microsoft" ones.
Tip of the hat to You Had Me at EHLO