In
addition to the Mac operating systems, Exchange Server 2010 can support
a variety of clients by using virtual machines on the Mac client and
leveraging support for IMAP, SMTP, and POP. Using these protocols,
Exchange Server administrators can provide limited email functionality
and support a variety of clients throughout the Exchange Server
environment for email and communication purposes.
PC Virtualization Access to Exchange Server
Most effective for users
who are familiar with operating and working within Windows PC-based
operating systems, the PC virtualization (that is, Virtual PC for the
Mac, Parallels, or VMware Fusion) provide the same full functioning of a
Windows PC client on the Mac OS desktop. Using this option allows Mac
users who are comfortable working in Windows Microsoft Office and
Outlook applications the ability to use a Microsoft client from the Mac.
Running within a virtual machine, a Windows domain client PC can allow
the same features to a Mac desktop as any Windows domain client.
With a virtual PC
machine, the latest version of Outlook for Windows can be used on the
Mac client desktop, accessing Exchange Server 2010 data with full
Windows-based support in areas such as offline files, multiple profiles,
and Windows domain network resources.
POP3 Access to Exchange Server
POP3 is a popular
method of providing mail services over the Internet. POP3 is highly
reliable but has limited functionality. Users who access email using
POP3 are limited to downloading all messages to the local client and can
only send and receive messages when a connection is established with
the POP3 server.
Unlike the RTM release
of Exchange Server 2007 that did not provide POP3 configuration from
the graphical user interface (GUI), Exchange Server 2007 SP1, SP2, and
Exchange Server 2010 provide direct GUI configuration settings within
the Exchange Management Console to enable POP3 support. Configuration of
a user client to support POP3 in Exchange Server 2010 using the
Exchange Management Shell is as follows:
set-CASMailbox testmbx -PopEnabled:$True
where testmbx is the name of the mailbox being enabled for POP3 support.
When enabled with
Exchange Server 2010, POP3 can be leveraged to provide email support to
additional non-Windows–based clients’ platforms. Through the common
method of sending mail, multiple client platforms can communicate over
email regardless of the actual desktop operating system and client mail
software being used.
The POP3
functionality of Exchange Server 2010 can support multiclient
environments, including the Eudora Mail client, the Thunderbird Mail
client, and other POP-compatible nonspecific
client platforms. This protocol is best used when supporting
single-client systems that download mail and store mail information
locally.
IMAP Access to Exchange Server
IMAP is a fully supported method that allows access from
non-Windows–based client systems to access Exchange Server 2010
information. Designed to allow access to Information Stores located on a
remote system, IMAP can also be used to support the Linux-based
Thunderbird Mail clients.
Using the Thunderbird
Mail client, FireFox users can access, collaborate, and store
information on the Exchange Server 2010 server with the IMAP support
built in to Thunderbird. With this functionality, networks can now
incorporate additional operating systems, such as Linux with Thunderbird
Mail, and still support email functionality between all network users.
Use the Preferences
option on the Thunderbird Mail client to configure and enable support
for IMAP communication with Exchange Server 2010.
Windows Mobile/Pocket PC Access
Client mobile access is now
fully integrated and supported when the Exchange Server 2010 server is
installed. Remote and mobile users can use the Outlook Mobile version to
send, receive, and synchronize mail, calendaring, and task information,
using the Windows Mobile and Pocket PC platform over mobile information
services built in to Exchange Server 2010. In addition, Apple iPhone
users now have ActiveSync support for access to Exchange Server.
HTML Access
Another feature with
Exchange Server 2010 is HTML access. With this feature, administrators
can use Internet-ready cellular telephones to provide HTML access to
Exchange Server information for mobile users regardless of where they
might be.
By providing
additional mobile services and client permissions through Active
Directory, alternate access can be granted to email and Exchange Server
using Internet-ready mobile phone devices over HTML access.
Outlook Web App
Another very effective
method of allowing access to Exchange Server information is OWA.
Enhanced greatly in Exchange Server 2010, OWA can be used to provide
browser access to Exchange Server mailboxes from inside the network and
from the Internet. Microsoft has
greatly enhanced Outlook Web App in Exchange Server 2010 to support
non-Internet Explorer browsers in Premium client mode. This allows
support for Apple Mac Safari, FireFox for Windows, and other browsers to
have full OWA support, with additional browsers being added to the list
of Premium client support.
Even for browsers
that do not have Premium support, OWA is nondiscretionary as to which
type of Internet browser can be used to access it. Effective in
functionality just like the full Outlook client, Linux-based users and
others using non-Windows–based systems can access OWA for email and
calendar management using the Light mode for client access, still with
extensive support in terms of features and functions.
