good email server

hi.
i have a w2k server and i need a good email server which i can use to manage email accounts. what can you say about ms exchange? how about others? security and cost details will very much be appreciated. thanks! :)
-jet

I've recommended this is a recent post.. and I'll recommend it again.

MailEnable (Available here)

I host the mail for my domain and a friends domain threw it. The mail reason I use it, other than needing an Windows-based solution, is that it's free. I've used a few that cost money, and I don't like them nearly as much. MailEnable using MMC to run everything and it works rather well, with a good list of options.

Exchange is not a bad choice from the managment side, but its expensive and unless you know it inside out its very insecure. Its great for handeling internal email, as long as you have a mail gateway between you and the rest of the net, if not you will probably be an open relay at least. Sendmail is expensive and a pian to configure but more secure then exchange (notice i didn't say secure, just more so then exchange) CC:mail isn't bad.

I just got the certification for Exchange. Its a good, powerful server but not the most secure, as ballad mentioned. If money is an issue, the best solution is always to setup a linux box. Sendmail comes free and has been the mail server of choice for decades.

I use a freeware program called ArgoSoft Mail Server (http://www.argosoft.com/applications/mailserver/), which is good for me, but I only use it for three domains. A good (and free) small solution, but probably not your type.

Jetherson it would really help us answer your question if you could give some details of your needs. Like how many mail boxes, what type of network and your knowledge or access to knowledgeable people.

Microsoft exchange has come a long way since version 5 for instance it is no longer an open relay by default. (w00t). it offers shared phonebooks, messaging service, IM, shared appointment calander, directory services and much more. It requires 2000 server (which you have), active directory, DNS (which you also have) and the knowledge to manage them. Its not a walk in the park if you don’t know what your doing. Its also pretty expensive as is the virus software that works with it.

If you don’t have the need to warrant this kind of expense and/or you haven’t the experience to manage it but you still need a reliable secure server Id recommend Argosoft Pro for about 140 bucks. I used it for about 2 years with no problems on a corporate network. Once the general network users learned to use and depend on Email and needed more from it we moved on to exchange.

If your needs are not professional argosoft has a freeware version

From my experience in an MS environment Exchange is about the best your going to get, for a smaller user choice Argosoft is a good choice (as Tedob has stated above) as well. There are also other servers out there by Eudora and Emu mail that may suit your needs. Sit down and make a list of what you want... things along the way of a web interface, protocols (pop vs imap, etc) what your clients going to be... how many mailboxes total you think you will have, future upgrades, the whole shebang.

I'm a sendmail fanatic, but I rely on many of it's features that other packages do not provide such as the M4 macro language to work with mail routing. Exchange itself offers a good web interface and gives you excellent manageability by way of domain integration. Chances are you dont need something so extravagant and can simply get by with a smaller package such as the eudora or argosoft packages.

to make it short.... put your list of needs together, a list of wants, and a list of possible future wants.... figure your budget and review from there!

yanksfan mentioned Argosoft, I would like to add my comments on it.

I have used it and I am satisfied with it. I had used it several months ago for a while, then recently started useing it again. I was haveing problems geting it set up again but have since managed to solve my problem.

When you first instal it mail relay is turned off, but in order to use the server you need to enable mail relay BUT make sure you also enable SMTP authentification or you will be an open relay and you dont want that. That was exactly my problem, I was afraid to enable relay because I though by doing so I would become an open relay, but since discovered that turning on SMTP authentification ensures you must be a valid user to send mail and you need to log into pop first.

Just thought I would say that I like it and is a very nice and small server low on resources.

My choice is Merak, if you don't like spam merak is the way to go. Anyway, check those mail server reviews.
http://www.serverwatch.com/stypes/index.php/bWFpbA==

hey guys thanks for the reply. i'll try mailenable and argosoft. my server will need to have just around 10 mailboxes. i have "daily notification" program that sends around 50 emails daily. i was hoping i can test it first on my local pc before putting it on the live site.

thanks again for the response :)

-jet

Quote:

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Originally posted here by Tedob1
Jetherson it would really help us answer your question if you could give some details of your needs. Like how many mail boxes, what type of network and your knowledge or access to knowledgeable people.

Microsoft exchange has come a long way since version 5 for instance it is no longer an open relay by default. (w00t). it offers shared phonebooks, messaging service, IM, shared appointment calander, directory services and much more. It requires 2000 server (which you have), active directory, DNS (which you also have) and the knowledge to manage them. Its not a walk in the park if you don’t know what your doing. Its also pretty expensive as is the virus software that works with it.

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While I agree with exchange 2k being very good compared with 5.x, check your systems. It seems MS decided that the no open relay thing was a bug, if you install SP3 it will turn you back into an open relay untill you explicetly close it.