[ale] [bob at verysecurelinux.com: SuSE Openexchange]

[Chris Ricker]

On Mon, 16 Dec 2002, Transam wrote:

> One of the Linux Distributors, SuSE, has just announced their new product:
> 
>      SuSE Linux Openexchange
> 
> It is intended as a reasonably priced, reliable, Linux-based replacement
> for Microsoft's troublesome and expensive Exchange server.  It works
> with Microsoft, Linux, and other clients.
> 
> The price is US$ 1,249.00 for the initial 10 client package.  Cost per
> additional client varies from $50 to $32, depending on the number of
> client licenses purchased.  There are some discounts if purchased by
> December 31.  It is not Open Source.  The installation CDs include a
> complete SuSE Linux system and is intended to be installed on empty
> hardware, not as an add-on to an existing Linux system.
> 
> I send this mail because Exchange's "groupware" features are the only
> thing tying many people to Microsoft servers.  Now, that ball and chain
> may be removed.  I have not yet installed this product.

Note that AFAICT, Linux Openexchange is not a drop-in replacement for
Exchange. It's simply a combination of Postfix, IMAP, LDAP, and a web-based
groupware / web client package. It looks to me like your Outlook users will 
have to give up Outlook and use the web groupware stuff instead.

I've not seen this in action yet, though, so I could be wrong ;-)

There are at least two other Unix drop-in replacements for Exchange, 
and they actually do support the collaborative features of the Exchange - 
Outlook combo (calendaring, shared address, etc.)

Samsung Contact <http://www.samsungcontact.com/en/>
Bynari InsightServer <http://www.bynari.net/insightserver.html>

Neither are free software, but both at least let you keep Exchange out of 
the server room and back in the shrink-wrapped box where it belongs.

Of the two, Contact is the better product in my experience.  It's the HP
OpenMail stuff, sold off by HP to Samsung after Microsoft leaned on HP
("sell your customers a Unix replacement for Exchange, and we'll revoke your
access to OEM pricing on Windows licenses", essentially, is at least the
rumored version of the story). Bynari works well for < ~500 clients, but
seems to be fragile after that, while Contact scales much better.

later,
chris
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