[Dclug] Mail server recommendations

[Crawford Rainwater]

Pardon any delays in responding as I get this list in Digest Format.

Both Scalix and Zimbra can handle the requirements, comments and details 
below.

 >Message: 5
 >Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:02:54 -0500
 >From: Benjamin Urban <benurban at users.sourceforge.net>
 >Subject: [Dclug] Mail server recommendations
 >To: dclug at tux.org
 >
 >I'm looking for a mail server solution with the following requirements:
 >* Must support IMAP

Both Scalix and Zimbra via web based as well as third party IMAP clients 
(e.g., Thunderbird, Outlook, Evolution, Outlook Express).

 >* Must support multiple domains

Both Scalix and Zimbra can do this as well.

 >* Must be easy and relatively quick to set up (preferably without
 >much scripting)

Both once you have dependencies in place can be installed in an hour or 
so.  That is of course if you are using the base OS platforms they are 
recommending too (RHEL and SuSE for both, Ubuntu 6.06LTS for Ubuntu as 
well).  We have "experimented" with CentOS on Scalix making it appear to 
run as RHEL 5 with pretty good success as well.

 >* Must be configurable and maintainable via a GUI

Both have web based GUI as well as CLI via the terminal/console. 
Depends on your comfort level.  Documentation on both for CLI is pretty 
decent from my personal experience.

 >* Should support per-user trainable adaptive spam filtering (probably
 >using IMAP folders)

Zimbra has that build in.  Scalix would need this added manually via 
Amavisd (which uses ClamAV and SpamAssassin).  The Scalix Wiki was very 
good at detailing this.

 >I would prefer a FLOSS solution; failing that, a free (as in price)
 >solution; failing that, a cheap solution, etc.  Years ago, I tried
 >using Gentoo for this, but it failed at least two of those
 >requirements; I'm looking for recommendations for distributions as
 >well as the mail server software itself.

Both Scalix and Zimbra have "Community Editions" as well as "Network 
Editions".  For the additional messaging features such as shared 
contacts and calendar, both will work with up to 25 users.  After that 
both have per user licenses in sets of 25 for one year period.  Both 
will also include technical support for the "paid versions" as well 
which we (Linux ETC) have found to be very good and responsive during 
the week, minor delays on the weekend of course.  For more "responsive" 
technical support, both sell packages at various levels all depending on 
how much "hand holding" or "hand on" (by them via remote) one wishes. ;-)

Not to make a sales pitch, but Linux ETC is a VAR with both since we 
picked up clients who had both in place before coming to us since their 
prior solution provider "disappeared" (for lack of a better and polite 
term).  Anyone wanting to take a look at them in more detail, feel free 
to contact me offlist since we have VMs of both active, including the 
the anti-SPAM and anti-virus features in play.

For those wanting to check out either on his/her own:
Scalix: http://www.scalix.com
Zimbra: http://www.zimbra.com

Feature and version comparisons:
Scalix: http://www.scalix.com/enterprise/editions/compare.php
Zimbra: http://www.zimbra.com/products/product_editions.html

Sincerely,

Crawford Rainwater
CEO and President
Linux+, LCP, RHCT, LPIC-1
-- 
The Linux ETC Company
368 South McCaslin Boulevard
Suite 146
Louisville, CO 80027 USA
+1 (303) 604-2550 (voice)
+1 (303) 664-0036 (fax)
http://www.linux-etc.com