Exchange 5.5 Client for Linux

[gizmo4321]

I am in need of being able to run an Exchange 5.5 client on a Linux machine. I need to have the following capabilities:

1) Read mail stored on the server, and leave that mail on the server.

2) Access my Contacts and Calendar information.

I have tried both Evolution from Ximian, and Insight Connector 2.6 from Bynari. I was unable to even INSTALL Evolution because of a conflict with the existing libraries in my (default) installation of Mozilla (on RH 7.2). (In all fairness to the Evolution package, my problem may reside more in the fact that I am relatively new to Linux. As such, I may not be applying the RPMs properly.) Insight Connector has some usability issues (such as loosing mail when moving it from one folder on the server to another) that prevent me from being able to consider it a viable product. Using a mail client that provides a combination of IMAP and LDAP access to the Exchange server allows me to get my mail and see all of my folders on the server, but when I open a Contact item, all I get is an empty page, and the same goes for Calendaring, so that option doesn't work either.

At this point, I'm about half tempted to download and install WINE. The problem is, I'm trying to get away from Windows, so why on earth would I want to install a Windows Emulator?

Any help or pointers would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

[ifincham]

Hi,

M$ Outlook uses a proprietary api such that there is nothing yet available that does the full functionality, including calendaring, etc. The basic ximian evolution may look similar but it doesn't talk to an exchange server except in terms of email and you you use any imap client for that. However, they do have a 'connector' in beta that they intend to sell as a commercial product ($69 per seat) that purports to offer the full functionality. See -->

http://www.ximian.com/products/connector/

The bynari connector (

http://www.bynari.net/bynari/insightcon.html)

is more geared to giving the client (outlook) similar calendaring, etc., functionality with a different backend - i.e. their insight server instead of exchange server. Although it would be wonderful to kill off exchange, right now this is almost the opposite of what most people want, i.e. to be able to access an exchange server without being forced to use M$/outlook.

I once had this problem and have to admit that I ended up running outlook under vmware in a win98 virtual machine - wine should also work. This is one of the major problems in trying to use linux desktops in an organisation that uses M$/exchange - theres nothing open source like samba that has reverse-engineered the protocols and produced a GPL connector. Seems ximian claim to have done it and want to make some money from this one.


Hope this helps

 

[gizmo4321]

Thanks for the info.

As I mentioned before, Ximian doesn't seem to be an option since I can't install it (although I admit that this may be due to me doing something wrong). $69 for the Ximian Connector makes it a bit difficult to justify switching to Linux on the Desktop, when I've already paid $30/seat for the Exchange License, which comes with a client. In order for Ximian to be able to get away with that, they are going to have to have near PERFECT emulation of all of the Exchange functionality, IMHO.

So, based on what I've run into and what you are saying, it looks like I need some WINE. Thanks.