Re: [MLUG] Linux-based email solutions?

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Tue, 19 Sep 2006, Russell Horn wrote:

> On Fri, 2006-09-15 at 14:51 -0500, Mike Miller wrote:
>
> > We are planning to migrate our departmental email service to Linux 
> > (about 400 users; coming from VMS and Compaq/HP TeamLinks, in case you 
> > know something about that -- I don't!).  What is a good Linux solution 
> > for email?  If there is some company out there that will support it for 
> > $x thousand per year, that would probably be a lot better than if we 
> > had to find our own support.
>
> Mike why do you want to migrate to Linux? Are you trying to change 
> something about your existing setup?

We have a VMS server running TeamLinks.  That will no longer be supported 
by HP, so it is basically dying.  That is why it has to be replaced.


> Normally it is good to work out what it is you're trying to fix, then 
> look for the most cost effective way to fix it, rather than choosing a 
> platform first and trying to meld it into fitting your structural 
> requirements.

We don't have to move to Linux, but it looks like a good choice to me.  I 
see no reason to replace TeamLinks with yet another VMS-based solution. 
There are many more good products available for Linux than for VMS.


> For example, if everyone in your firm wants to use Outlook to access 
> their email they may well want all the other features that come with 
> Exchange too. Those can be emulated by several linux apps, but at a 
> cost.

People here use many things to access email.  The TeamLinks client was 
probably pretty widely used because it was sort of the default email 
client our IT people would hand to new employees.


> > I think TeamLinks is like imap.  So imap would be good.  I think we 
> > would like to do imap, pop and web-based email (maybe with imap 
> > underneath).  I think postfix would be good.  I suppose the desktop 
> > mail clients wouldn't have to change for most people, except for those 
> > using TeamLinks clients. What do you think?
>
> I agree, postfix is an excellent piece of software, however it is only 
> an MTA. It doesn't do POP or IMAP. For that you need something like 
> Cyrus, another great piece of software but administering it can be 
> something of a black art.
>
> For a complete groupware solution, you might want to look at things 
> like:
>
> http://www.zimbra.com/
> http://www.opengroupware.org
> http://www.kolab.org/index.html
> http://www.open-xchange.com/EN/
>
> There are others out there too that a bit of googling will turn up.

Thanks.  I have recommended a couple of those already as products we 
should consider.  I'll bet that whatever we switch to will be very fast, 
reliable and richly featured compared to what we've been using.  I tried 
to get them to start working on switching to Linux a few years ago, and I 
did manage to get them started, but just a little bit.  Maybe that will 
help with the next transition.

I think that it is pretty hard to argue against Linux for a server system 
right now.  It gives you loads of options for hardware and software, lots 
of people know how to administer Linux systems, and most of the best 
software for Linux is free to buy (but there can still be service costs, 
as with anything).  Today, fully 70% of the Top 500 supercomputers are 
running Linux, but it also runs on the lowliest handheld or laptop -- it's 
really taking over.  The future is looking very Linuxy to me.

Mike

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