Introducing Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.0



Contents

Introduction

Modular Architecture Enhances Investment

Reliable, Manageable Architecture

Exchange Active Server Components (Web)

Microsoft Outlook

Exchange Mail Service (POP3)

Exchange News Service (NNTP)

Exchange Directory Service (LDAP)

Exchange Internet Mail Service

Microsoft Exchange Connector for Lotus cc:Mail

Other Features

Introduction

The vision for Microsoft Exchange Server has always been constant:

"Build the world’s fastest, most scaleable, most reliable, easiest to administer messaging and groupware enterprise platform that can connect to the world." Exchange 4.0 delivered on that vision, providing customers with a rich and reliable messaging and groupware platform, easy administration tools, and a scaleable, Windows NT-based infrastructure that was built on top of existing standards. Exchange 4.0 was the first messaging platform to natively support important standards such as SMTP, MIME, MAPI, X.400 and X.500.

Today, businesses are adopting Internet technology to communicate externally with trading partners or for sharing and communicating information internally among employees. To meet those needs, Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.0 delivers support for additional Internet protocols, allowing businesses to use Exchange as a key component of an Intranet or Internet messaging and collaboration solution. With the additional Internet protocol support, Microsoft Exchange allows you to create virtual teams within your business, to create virtual organizations that include your business partners, or to create community with your customers over the Internet, all on top of the rich, scaleable and reliable Exchange Server platform. Microsoft Exchange Server is the only server to embrace Internet standards and extend rich communication and collaboration solutions to businesses of all sizes.

This document will discuss the new features in Exchange 5.0 and how they make sense for your business.

Modular Architecture Enhances Investment

Microsoft Exchange 5.0 has support for all of the key Internet protocols. These include POP3 for mailbox access, SMTP for mail sending and receiving, NNTP for newsgroups and discussion forums, LDAP for directory access, HTTP and HTML for access via a web browser, and SSL for security.

However, using Microsoft Exchange’s modular architecture, all of these protocols are implemented natively. That means that there is no protocol translation or overhead involved in accessing the Exchange Server using any of the new protocols. Exchange remains a scaleable, high-performance solution, no matter what protocol is being used to access the data.

For example, the following diagram shows how support for the Lightweight Directory Protocol (LDAP) is implemented. Using Exchange Server, you would be able to allow Exchange clients to access the Exchange Directory while simultaneously exposing portions of that directory to LDAP users. There is no protocol mapping or translation taking place that could impact performance or scalability. LDAP clients simply make their requests natively against the Exchange directory.



All of our protocols are implemented in this way because the Exchange architecture is modular and flexible. As new protocols become important, Exchange will be able to natively support them in the same way. For example, we plan to add support for the emerging protocol IMAP4, which provides server-based access to message mailboxes, early in 1997. This protects your investment in Exchange Server, allowing you to be confident that you’ll be able to access the data in the future with whichever tool you choose.

Reliable, Manageable Infrastructure

Building applications using Internet protocols still requires a solid foundation. In fact, as applications developed with Internet protocols become widely used throughout a company, the server that supports those applications becomes only more important. Exchange Server provides a rich, reliable messaging infrastructure with the following key features:

• 24x7 Availability. Always operating, even during backups and normal system maintenance. Users have continuous access to messages and data. Choose from native Windows NT or third party backup tools.



• Data Recovery. Transaction log allows rollback recovery to the last transaction in event of failure. Other programs lose data developed since last backup.



• Security. Integrated with Window NT security. Files are protected on the file server from casual snooping.



• Easy Administration Tools. Single, unified administration program allows you to have a view into every part of your corporate messaging system.



• Efficient Storage of Messages. Single copy message storage reduces the amount of disk space required to store messages on-line.



• Quota Limits. Available per server or per user. Notifies offender and prevents from sending mail. This allows you to develop and implement corporate policies designed to contain on-line storage requirements.



• Message Tracking. Message tracking allows administrators to locate individual messages anywhere in the system.

Exchange Active Server Components (Web)

Using the Exchange Active Server Components, users can access their private mailboxes using a web browser, as well as their schedule data, public folder discussions and directory information. Developers can also easily build interactive web-based applications using Exchange Server's rich data storage, directory and messaging capabilities. These applications enable developers to make ordinary web pages more rich, interactive and compelling by adding Exchange services such as a threaded discussion.



Accessing your mailbox

Although developers can build custom applications and user interfaces using Exchange Active Server Components, Microsoft is delivering a completed Active Server application that uses this technology. This application is called Outlook Web View. Using Outlook Web View, users have the ability to read their mail with any web browser that supports frames and Java, including Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Users have full read/write access, meaning that they can create, send and reply to messages and manage their mailbox. In addition to messages, users can access their schedule, public folder discussions and search the Exchange directory.

This new functionality provides a number of important benefits. First, through a web browser, users of platforms such as UNIX and OS/2 can use the resources of the Exchange Server, allowing a company to extend the benefits of communication and collaboration to every platform.

Also, web terminals are being used more frequently at kiosk locations both inside corporations and at public locations, such as conventions, and hotels and airports. Using Outlook Web View, a travelling executive could securely access their mail from any location that has Internet connectivity. By simply walking up to a terminal and connecting to the logon home page for their Exchange Server, the traveler can access their server with a valid account name and password.

Building an Internet/Intranet application

In addition to access to private messages and schedules, developers can also bring Exchange Server's advanced collaboration functionality to web applications. Rather than building an Exchange application and then making it accessible from the web, developers can build a web application and utilize Exchange Server to deliver specific aspects of the site's functionality.

For example, most sites today use the relatively simple storage afforded by a computer's file system. Data is stored in individual files that are not cross-referenced. Pages are generally static and not interactive. In order to build more complex applications a combination of different storage features is needed. For example, a contact tracking application would be more useful with a relational data store such as SQL Server and an Exchange Server to provide messaging and collaboration services.

The Active Server Platform now becomes the application environment. By unifying the server, it provides us with a mechanism to allow people to build successful groupware applications by combining the strengths of Exchange with other Microsoft BackOffice servers.

By using Exchange Active Server Components in a web site, developers could easily add the following features to make a web site more compelling and interactive:

• Email responses



• Customer mailings



• Basic threaded discussions



• A simple web initiated workflow by integrating with Outlook

Easy development

The Exchange Active Server Components leverages standard web design tools and skills. The applications are based on Active Server Pages (ASP files), which are a combination of HTML, ActiveX scripts and ActiveX components. This allows the applications to be easily designed and modified. For example, a developer could add support to a web application that would display and browse a message folder using only six lines of ActiveX script.

Rich content

Exchange supports rich HTML and MIME content for formatting messages with different fonts and colors and to include multimedia content. The server allows web browsers to send and receive messages with attachments.

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft^® Outlook™ is a new Exchange Server client for Windows-based 32-bit systems. It is available with Exchange Server, as a standalone product and as a component of Office97. Outlook interoperates with Microsoft Mail, Microsoft Exchange clients and Schedule+, allowing administrators to deploy their choice of client within a company.

Microsoft Outlook is a desktop information manager that is designed to help users with fundamental computing activities, such as organizing information on the desktop, working seamlessly with Microsoft Office applications, and communicating and sharing information with others.

Outlook manages e-mail, calendars, contacts, tasks and to-do lists, and documents or files on the hard drive. Outlook helps users communicate through e-mail, phone support and group scheduling capabilities. Outlook also helps users share information by means of public folders, forms and Internet connectivity.

Following is a summary of the key product features and benefits of Outlook, and the design philosophy behind each:

Organize Desktop Information in One Place

Microsoft learned from its research that users want an integrated desktop environment so they can be more organized and in control of their daily activities. Outlook makes it easy to organize personal, public (shared) or online information all in one place. A user can now view information in a variety of ways, and easily find information anywhere on the desktop.

• Work in an integrated environment. Outlook is designed to manage critical information all in one place: e-mail, Contact Manager, Calendar, Task Manager, Journal, documents or files.



• Find information easily. Users can find information easily with special 32-bit Windows^® operating system-based Shortcuts, which let users navigate to any private, public or file system folders. The breakthrough technology of Outlook Journal helps users find a document based on when it was created, not just by what it was called or where it was saved. Outlook also offers document browsing and retrieval.



• View information easily. Outlook lets users arrange information any way they want to see it. Users can apply any of Outlook's standard five views to information, or they can customize a view using the Field Chooser and Group By Box features.



• Get organized anywhere. A complete, portable solution, Outlook lets users take information on the road in a paper planner, laptop computer or Personal Digital Assistant. Outlook offers robust local replication so that any change made on the road can be easily synchronized with the desktop PC upon return to the office. Outlook also has extensive printing formats and supports the Timex^® DataLink watch.



• Access and manage information from the World Wide Web. Outlook can be used as a Web Address Book to store, manage and navigate to .url files through integration with Microsoft Internet Explorer or other Internet browsers. Store favorite Web sites in the Contact Manager or Favorites folder.

Communicate and Share Information Easily

Users do not work alone; they are constantly sharing information with others, whether with internal co-workers or external partners. Users expect computers to assist them in daily communication. A key design goal of Outlook was to improve e-mail, group scheduling and online capabilities.

• Full MAPI client. Outlook is a full MAPI client, so it can work with all e-mail systems that support MAPI, including Microsoft Exchange Server. It is the premier messaging client from Microsoft.



• Upgrades and interoperates with Microsoft Exchange client and Schedule+. Outlook works with earlier versions of Microsoft Mail, Microsoft Exchange client or Schedule+. Outlook is a Microsoft Exchange Server client for Windows-based 32-bit systems. For customers with cross-platforms needs, Microsoft Exchange client and Schedule+ is recommended.



• MessageFlag. This allows a user to flag e-mail messages to help prioritize follow-up actions (e.g., reply, read, for your information). Users can easily sort by MessageFlags and track completion.



• Voting. Microsoft learned that a lot of e-mail messages are polling other people to vote on a question or issue. Outlook has made it easy to manage votes, including providing customizable Voting Buttons that will appear in the message header and the ability to track responses.



• Message Recall. This allows a user to recall a sent message, as long as the recipient has not opened it. Users can also replace a sent message with another e-mail message.



• Meeting planner. The new meeting planner makes it easy to schedule group meetings by helping users invite attendees and check available times. It will even automatically pick the next available time for all attendees.



• Contact Manager. Users can dial a phone (and keep a record of the call), send e-mail, send a fax, or jump to a Web site from Outlook's Contact Manager. Users can also make phone calls from anywhere in Outlook.



• Calendar, contacts and tasks. Improve workflow and communications. Users can share information by publishing to a Microsoft Exchange Server public folder, or by posting to an Internet or Intranet site. Outlook supports varying levels of access privileges.



• Import and export. Outlook imports and exports information from and to all Microsoft calendar and mail products, as well as the leading competitive PIM and messaging products.

Work Faster, Smarter with IntelliSense Features

Customers demand that software reduce manual data entry wherever possible. Outlook's unique IntelliSense™ technology features help reduce typing, save time and increase productivity.

• AutoPreview. Customers have told Microsoft that determining which messages to read is a big waste of time. Outlook automatically displays the first three lines of each e-mail message so users can quickly prioritize which messages to read or delete.



• AutoDate. Outlook automatically changes a text description of a date (e.g., "the second Tuesday of April") into a calendar date (e.g., "April 9, 1996"). Outlook recognizes natural language and converts it to the correct date.



• AutoName Check. Outlook will check e-mail addresses against the address book to ensure that the message is being sent to the intended person. Ambiguous names are underlined with a wavy red line to alert the user that a choice must be made. AutoName Check reduces typing errors and helps ensure that e-mail messages get to the right person - a feature that is particularly useful for routing confidential information.



• AutoCreate. Outlook automatically converts one Outlook item into another, which saves the user from retyping. For example, many e-mail messages are also to-do items. With AutoCreate, the user simply drags and drops the e-mail message into the Task Manager, and Outlook automatically converts the e-mail message into a task. This works for any Outlook item: e-mail, contacts, tasks, calendar or notes.



• Drag and drop between modules. Users can drag and drop information between Outlook modules and Office applications. For example, users can drag information in a Word document into a new e-mail message. Or, users can drag and drop a contact card into a new Word document to get instant address information.



• AutoName and AutoAddress. When a user adds a new contact into the Contact Manager, Outlook automatically parses out a contact name and address. A user simply types in a contact name, and Outlook will parse the name into the prefix, first name, middle name, last name and suffix. The user doesn't have to do additional typing in the name fields. Likewise, Outlook will correctly parse out address information for almost 30 countries. It will also change countries to the postal-recognized name. For example, if the user types "Holland," Outlook will change it to "Netherlands."



• AutoJournal. Outlook automatically records entries in the Journal.

Integration with Microsoft Office

Customers continue to expect consistency and integration throughout all the Microsoft Office applications. Microsoft designed Outlook to integrate seamlessly with the rest of Office 97 so users can be organized across applications and easily share information throughout their organization. Outlook builds on innovative OfficeLink features such as these:

• Users have all the great WordMail features and formatting of Word 97 in the Outlook e-mail.



• Users can take advantage of the Outlook Contact Manager and Word Mail Merge integration.



• Users can attach Office files to any Outlook item (i.e., appointments, tasks, contacts or e-mail).



• Outlook Journal can be used to find an Office file (or Outlook item) with respect to the time the user worked on that file, not what it was named or where it was saved. Outlook automatically notes when a user works on any file. Users can drag and drop between Outlook items and Office applications.



• Users can create tasks from Word, Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint.



• Users can easily bring in data from Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel or Schedule+ with the Import/Export Wizard.



• Outlook provides Office with a single address book that can be the user's Personal Address Book.



• Users can share the consistent Office title bars, command bar, pull-down menus, shortcut menus, tabbed dialog boxes, toolbars, icons and right-mouse clicks.



• Users can easily create Exchange Templates and Forms using Office Documents.

For more information about Outlook, visit the Outlook home page at http://www.microsoft.com/outlook/.

Exchange Mail Service (POP3)

Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 extends the reach of e-mail by providing full support for clients that use the Internet standard Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3). Any e-mail client that supports POP3 can be used to retrieve messages from a Microsoft Exchange Server inbox, including Microsoft Internet Explorer Mail, Netscape Navigator Mail and Eudora. Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Service provides a standard SMTP server for any POP3 client to submit their messages.



Why should Exchange be my POP3 server?

Easy Setup and Administration

Upon installation of an Exchange Server, POP3 support is enabled by default, allowing POP3 clients to retrieve their mail as soon as the server is setup. POP3 administration is fully integrated with Exchange Server Administration, providing a single interface for POP3 and Exchange Server administration. The Internet Mail Service can guide beginning administrators through SMTP server configuration. Easy monitoring through Exchange Message Tracking and Windows NT Event Viewer and Performance Monitor.

Full Integration with Exchange Server

Users can easily switch between using an Exchange client or a POP3 client as their needs dictate. POP3 administration is done via the Exchange Administrator program, allowing for easy management of a mixed environment of POP3 and Exchange clients. Administration options are provided to easily restrict POP3 access on a per-mailbox, server, or site basis.

Support for Rich Content

Exchange supports rich HTML and MIME content for formatting messages with different fonts and colors and to include multimedia content. The server can be configured to convert messages with rich content into plain text for down-level clients. This is also configurable per-mailbox, per-server, and per-site. The per-mailbox configuration is particularly useful for organizations where people use different clients: e.g., some people might use Eudora 3.0, which supports HTML, while others might use Eudora 2.0, which only supports plain text.

Encryption and Security

Exchange provides several security options for POP3. You can use basic clear-text authentication, or you can use Windows NT Challenge/Response to provide a secure logon to the server. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) can be used in conjunction with clear-text authentication to encrypt the client-server data channel.

Performance and Reliability

Exchange provides a higher-performing, more scaleable platform than competing products like Netscape Mail Server. For example, on a mid-level server platform running Windows NT (dual-Pentium 166, 130Mb RAM), Exchange could support over 2500 active mail users, each sending and receiving over 22 messages in a typical 8-hour day.

Exchange scales better to support the typical higher-volume corporate usage profile for sending and receiving mail. Netscape performance figures typically measure scalability for only light mail users, sending and receiving only six messages a day, because their platform cannot scale to higher transaction rates found in most organizations.

Finally, POP3 messages are stored in Exchange Server, a highly reliable and efficient single instance message store. For other details about the architectural advantages that Exchange has over Netscape, please see the document http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/suitespot.htm.

Exchange News Service (NNTP)

Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 extends the reach of public folders to the Internet with full support for the Internet standard Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP). Exchange Server supports replication of newsgroups with any standards based NNTP server. Any public folder in Exchange can be published as a newsgroup for access from NNTP newsreaders or replication with other NNTP servers.

Why should Exchange be my NNTP server?

Easy Setup and Administration

NNTP setup and administration is fully integrated with Exchange Server, providing a single administrative interface for e-mail, newsgroups/public folders, and Web publishing with the Exchange Service for Active Server. The newsfeed wizard can guide even beginning administrators through NNTP configuration. Many settings, such as access control lists, security options, and newsgroup age limits can be configured on a site-wide basis or customized for each server.

Publish and Replicate Public Folders as Newsgroups

With Exchange 5.0 it’s easy to create and publish public folders as newsgroups for access from NNTP newsreaders or for replication with other NNTP servers. You can receive a USENET newsfeed from your Internet Service Provider, you can replicate public folders with other organization running Exchange Server or another NNTP server, and you can host your own newsgroups on the Internet for customer support or discussion forums. Exchange public folder newsgroups can be created and managed using the Exchange or Outlook client.



Full Integration with Exchange Server

Newsgroups in Exchange Server are just like any other public folders, so you can leverage public folder features such as Web publishing via the Web Service, content indexing with third-party search engines, and public folder rules for setting up mail-news gateways or moderated discussion forums. Public folders support threaded discussions just like NNTP. Microsoft Exchange client or Outlook users get the benefit of accessing newsgroups with the same client they use for e-mail and calendaring, along with the public folder capabilities these clients provide such as categorized views, cross-folder searches, and off-line folder synchronization.

Support for Rich Content

Exchange supports rich HTML and MIME content for formatting messages with different fonts and colors and to include multimedia content. The server can be configured to convert messages with rich content into plain text for down-level clients.

Encryption and Security

Exchange provides several security options for NNTP. You can provide anonymous (non-authenticated) access, you can use basic clear-text authentication, or you can use Windows NT Challenge/Response to provide a secure logon to the server. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) can be used in conjunction with clear-text authentication to encrypt the client-server data channel. Public folder access control lists give you complete control over which newsgroups each user can access.

Exchange Replication

Once you have fed newsgroups into Exchange using NNTP, they can be replicated anywhere in your organization using Exchange replication. You don’t have to manage different replication tools for directories, discussion groups, and calendaring databases. Exchange’s public folder replication capabilities allow you to selectively replicate newsgroups to other servers in the organization. Exchange’s e-mail based replication doesn’t require direct network connections between servers.

Dial-Up Support

Don’t have a dedicated network connection? No problem – Exchange Server is fully integrated with the Windows NT Remote Access Service to support NNTP replication using scheduled dial-up connections.



Exchange NNTP Features in Brief

• Supports replication of newsgroups using the Internet standard Network News Transport Protocol



• Supports NNTP newsreader access to newsgroups



• Supports both "push" and "pull" newsfeeds



• Scheduled dial-up connections for newsfeeds



• Supports multiple newsfeeds per server



• Easy, common administration integrated with e-mail



• Newsfeed wizard for easy setup of all types of feeds



• Site-based administration for managing multiple servers



• Replicated access control lists



• Replicated expiration (aging) settings



• Replicated directory for storage of user data and configuration information



• Single network logon for e-mail and news



• Multiple security options – Windows NT Challenge/Response, SSL



• Support for rich MIME and HTML content



• Server-based rules



• Server development tools/APIs



• Single-instance message storage



• Support for Internet standard USENET control messages for creating and removing newsgroups



• Integration with Windows NT Event Log and Performance Monitor



• User initiated and managed discussion groups



• Moderated discussion groups



• Content-conversion capabilities for down-level clients that cannot support MIME or HTML



• Quota limits on newsgroup size

Exchange Directory Service (LDAP)

The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is a way for clients to access the directory information held in the Exchange Server. Using LDAP, a client can browse or search the Exchange Server directory to find specific entries. Microsoft Exchange will support any client that implements the LDAP version 3 specification, including future versions of Netscape Communicator, Internet Explorer and current MAPI LDAP providers from Boldon James and other companies.

LDAP clients access the Exchange directory over TCP. As described above, there is no protocol mapping that would cause any performance penalties or inhibit scalability.



LDAP is also designed to let companies "publish" their directory, or portions of it, to outside users. Exchange Server lets an administrator choose which directory attributes (such as email address, phone number, manager, etc.) to publish to non-authenticated users. Using LDAP, an administrator could share basic employee information with the public and trading partners in a non-authenticated way.

Easy Setup and Administration

Upon installation of an Exchange Server, LDAP support is enabled by default, allowing LDAP clients to search the directory as soon as the server is setup. LDAP management is fully integrated with Exchange Server Administrator program, providing a single interface for LDAP and Exchange Server administration.

Full Integration with Exchange Server

LDAP support is natively implemented within the Exchange Server directory. Also, configuration of LDAP options is integrated with the Exchange Server Administrator program, allowing you to configure the Exchange Server and LDAP parameters within one interface.

Security

Although access to LDAP is not based on a password, administrators can select exactly what directory attributes they wish to expose to non-authenticated, anonymous users. Sensitive internal information (such as manager name or home telephone numbers) can be protected.

Exchange Internet Mail Service

The Internet Mail Service is not a new component, although there are a number of important new features. In Exchange Server 4.0, this component was called the Internet Mail Connector (IMC) and was available at extra cost or as part of the Exchange Server, Enterprise Edition. It operated as a Windows NT service and was a component separate to Exchange Server.

In Exchange Server 5.0, the Internet Mail Service is available in all versions of Exchange and has been significantly enhanced. Most significantly, it is no longer an external component. The Internet Mail Service is now implemented natively in the server, resulting in faster performance. The following items discuss several of the other important improvements:

Internet Mail Setup

Exchange Server makes it easy to connect to the Internet with a new Internet Mail Wizard Wizard. The Wizard checks for proper configuration (for example, whether TCP/IP is installed and Domain Name Service (DNS) is configured) and gathers information from the administrator through a series of easy steps. This makes it very easy to connect to an Internet service provider for Internet mail. A similar Wizard is also provided for connecting to Internet news groups.

Encrypted sessions with SMTP

One of the single biggest concerns on the Internet is security. Most if not all SMTP communications occur in the clear, since there was no agreed upon mechanism to encrypt the session. This is still an area of concern on the Internet, and a number of people are thinking about the right solutions. Realizing that our customers need this functionality today, we have implemented support within the SMTP framework to encrypt sessions between consenting hosts.

Extended SMTP support for negotiating the size of messages that you will accept

Many products today have provided a way for the Administrator to enforce the size of messages they wish to send or receive from their hosts. Microsoft Exchange Server does this today. The problem with this approach has been that there is no way to communicate the limit to the sending host before the message transfer is initiated. Hence messages are rejected after a certain amount of data has been transferred, tying up system resources unnecessarily. RFC 1870 allows the receiving host to indicate the maximum size of a message they can accept, and therefore other conforming hosts, will not send any data on the wire if this size is exceeded. This is a recommended protocol, and any SMTP message host should implement it fully in order to manage Internet bandwidth.

Extended SMTP support for Read Receipt and Delivery Status Notifications

Historically on the Internet there was no way to verify if a message had been received or read at its destination. While a few products tried to implement this capability using non-standard methods, not every host supported these methods so the result was uneven.

Using RFC 1891, Exchange Server provides the ability to request a delivery status notification for any recipient on a message. Email users will get delivery status notification across the Internet from other Exchange Server 5.0 host, or from other messaging systems that support this standard.

Formatting content on a recipient by recipient basis

Internet messaging has a very long history and there are a variety of products and standards that must coexist. Because there are so many different products in everyday use, predicting the type of content they can receive is a major problem today. If you send a message with attachments using MIME to three people, its conceivable that at least one of these people may not be able to view the contents of the attachment because of the formatting options chosen. To overcome this problem, Exchange supports the concept of Per Recipient formatting options, allowing a user to record the content formatting preferences for individuals. Administrators can also create custom recipients on the Internet and specify content preferences that are honored.

This ability is in addition to the current support for defining formatting options on a Per Domain or Per Message basis.

Rich text messages over the Internet

Exchange Server supports HTML as well as Rich Text Format (RTF) in this version. Messages can be created in Exchange Server and represented in either format. The decision on formatting can be made per recipient, per message, or per domain.

Sending E-Mail anywhere in the world is easy and supported

Supporting International customer demands for e-mail features has been a top priority for Microsoft Exchange Server and we demonstrated this in earlier releases by supporting the following character sets:

Swedish IA5	JAPAN - JIS (ISO-2022-JP) per RFC 1468	Korean (RFC 1557)
Norwegian IA5	JAPAN EUC	Chinese GB 2312 (RFC 1842)
Latin - 1 (ISO 8859-1)	JAPAN Shift-JIS	Taiwanese (BIG5) (RFC 1842)

Exchange Server 5.0 will extend its current support to include over 30 character sets that will be pre-configured during installation. Also, administrators will have the ability to select either a proportional or fixed pitch font in each character set for inbound messages.

RFC 1521, RFC 1522 Support. RFC 1521 provides for the use of the character set label in messages and RFC 1522 allows header information such as e-mail addresses and subject fields to be specified in particular character sets.

MIME Support

Windows and the Microsoft Exchange clients have been MIME-aware since the release of Windows 95. However, in Exchange Server 5.0, we are using the MIME type in order to determine what application to use to launch attachments. This would allow you to receive a document using a non-standard extension (for example a Word document with the extension .SAV). Based on the MIME content type, the Exchange client would use Word to launch the document. The Exchange client also tags the right MIME type on outbound messages.

Microsoft Exchange Connector for Lotus cc:Mail

The new Microsoft Exchange Connector for Lotus cc:Mail makes Microsoft Exchange the best upgrade for cc:Mail servers.

The Microsoft Exchange Connector for Lotus cc:Mail allows administrators to seamlessly integrate Microsoft Exchange into cc:Mail environments. Once installed, Exchange Server and cc:Mail systems can exchange messages and synchronize directories. The cc:Mail Connector supports both DB6 and DB8 cc:Mail post offices. By introducing Exchange Server into a cc:Mail environment, cc:Mail users will benefit from Exchange Server's strong connectivity to the Internet and other systems. Also, customers can take a phased approach to migration that will cause minimal disruption with an organization.

• Easy to install and get connected. Configuration for message transfer only requires a Post Office name, path, and password. No drilling down on many different forms to get connected as with the cc:Mail MTA. Directory synchronization only requires a basic configuration of what you wish to export and what you wish to import.
  
  
• Lightning fast performance. Transfer 5,000 messages per hour using the cc:Mail on a Pentium 166 Exchange Server with 64MB RAM. The cc:Mail Connector can synchronize 8,500 directory entries per hour on an initial synch and do update synchs thereafter at the rate of 2,000 unchanged directory entries per minute..
  
  
• More than just text. Transfer messages, attachments, embedded messages, OLE attachments, and file links.
  
  
• Enhanced connectivity. Connect cc:Mail to Exchange and immediately take advantage of Exchange's Internet Mail Service which provides several times the message transfer of Lotus' SMTP gateway and MIME compatibility. Also, you can use any other Exchange Connector or MSMail gateway through the cc:Mail Connector.
  
  
• Flexible directory synchronization configuration. Synchronize only entries or types of entries that you want between the two systems. Synchronize cc:Mail mailing lists and bulletin boards, as well as all types of Exchange recipients.
  
  
• Fully integrated with Windows NT. Performance monitor counters exhibit transfer rates, queue sizes, non-delivery occurrences, and directory synched entries. Events are logged to Windows NT Event Log in several different categories. Read receipt and non-deliverable reports generated for both systems.
  
  
• Monitor the system with Exchange. Leverage Exchange's link monitors to determine if there is connectivity between your downstream post offices.
  
  
• Integrates with cc:Mail Migration Wizard. Tight integration with the migration tool to upgrade custom recipients to mailboxes and retain former cc:Mail addresses so that old mail on both systems will be redirected to the new Exchange mailbox. The Migration Wizard also moves cc:Mail BBSs (bulletin boards) to Exchange public folders.
  
  
• International support. Support for 17 different post office languages.
  

Other Features

Although Exchange Server has too many individual improvements to list, here are a few of the new things to look for.

Person to Person Key Exchange ensures security over the Internet

Using the Key Management Server provided with Exchange 4.0, users within a company have been able to exchange signed and encrypted messages, ensuring security, privacy and authenticity. However, mail travelling out on the Internet has been far less secure.

Using Exchange Server 5.0, users can individually exchange security keys and certificates, even between different organizations. This allows them to exchange signed and encrypted messages, even over the Internet. By using signed and encrypted messages, customers can use the Internet to securely conduct vital business communications with their trading partners.

Address Book Views allow custom directory groups

Address book views allow logical grouping of one or more recipient objects based on a set of properties, regardless of the site boundary. Administrators can establish different "views" of the directory, while still maintaining the existing single global address list.

Using this feature, administrators can create views relevant to a specific geographic location or project team. For example, rather than showing the entire worldwide address list to every employee by default, an organization might prefer to initially show only mail recipients within California. Or a project team could establish a view specific to all its members.



Administrators can build multiple directory views. Beyond the initial creation, they require no additional maintenance because they are simply views onto the common directory. In addition, off-line address books can be created for specific views. This would allow users to manage a smaller off-line address book that may contain fewer entries more useful to their needs, rather than a larger address book containing every entry available within the organization.

Public Folder Sub-sites provide better bandwidth utilization

Exchange Server 5.0 allows administrators to group servers within an Exchange site into ""sub-sites"". Sub-sites are designed to improve slow link utilization between users and servers during access to public folders.

For example, under Exchange Server 4.0, when a user accesses a public folder, the Exchange Server would transparently access any of the available public folder replicas within a site in order to achieve load balancing. In installations with large, geographically dispersed sites, this would increase network traffic if a user is connected to a public folder at a distant server, rather than a closer alternative. Sub-sites allow administrators to maintain the ease of administration of a large Exchange site, while narrowing the network traffic.

Attribute Filtering for Inter-site Replication

Much in the same way that administrators can choose which directory attributes to expose to anonymous users through LDAP, administrators can now choose which directory attributes, or properties, to replicate to other Exchange sites. For example, if it is not important to make the office number or the Admin note available to other users, these can be filtered.

Macintosh client for Schedule+

Macintosh users now have full calendaring, contact management and task management functionality available to them with the new Schedule+ client. This complements the Macintosh Exchange Mail client that was released in an earlier Service Pack. Macintosh users can easily book appointments with Windows users, and vice versa.

Enhanced User Interface in Exchange Administrator

There have been several enhancements to the Exchange Administrator program designed to make the Administrator more functional and easier to use. There is now a configurable toolbar, which allows administrators to customize a toolbar to allow quick access to frequently-used commands. On the toolbar is also a drop-down list of available servers, which lets administrators quickly jump to a specific Exchange server. In addition, the Exchange Administrator includes Wizard-based interfaces for setting up the Internet Mail Service and an Internet Newsfeed.

Backup performance up to 300% faster

Depending on the type of tape drive used, Exchange Server will now perform full or partial backups up to 300% faster, allowing administrators to backup the server in less time. As Exchange Servers grow larger and hold more important data, this feature along with Exchange's native recovery capabilities will let administrators better protect their valuable data.



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Collabra ShareMigration

The Microsoft Exchange Server Migration Wizard now supports one-way migration of Netscape Collabra versions 1.0, 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2. Using the Migration Wizard, administrators can easily migrate Collabra discussion forums to Microsoft Exchange. Since Collabra is used in conjunction with a messaging platform, there is no directory information or personal messages to migrate.

Once the Collabra forums have been imported as Exchange public folders, administrators can easily "publish" those folders as newsgroups with the push of a button, allowing Intranet and Internet users to participate in the discussions.

Novell GroupWise Migration

The Microsoft Exchange Server Migration Wizard now supports one-way migration of Novell GroupWise versions 4.1 and 4.1a. Using the Migration Wizard, administrators can easily migrate GroupWise users, mail and schedule information to Microsoft Exchange.