We currently have Exchange set up with about 50 users. We're running it
on a box with SCSI RAID mirroring, 1 GB of RAM, and at least a 2 GHz CPU.
A lot of times I find myself saying: "Microsoft is still Microsoft."
The biggest problem is that it takes about 11 minutes to shut down. It's
pretty consistent in the time that it takes though. It actually goes
quicker if I shut down Exchange services manually first and then shut
down the server.
Some Windows XP users also take over a minute to find the server when
they open up their Outtlook. I'm still trying to figure this one out.
Outlook Web Access works only from Internet Explorer. I natually assume
that this was done on purpose. You can't check your Outlook in any other
web browser.
It also seems as though Microsoft purporsely made any connectivity with
a Novell box difficult. I installed a Netware client on the server a few
months ago and then removed it because the server was even more unstable
without it.
Windows Backup is quite unreliable. And if you use any Microsoft product,
you are more likely to be raided by the license gestap even if you are
totally innocent.
SuSE has recently come out with Open Exchange. It looks like it has
some of the pricing structure that Microsoft has, however.
http://www.suse.com/us/business/products/openexchange/index.html
The main reason I went with Exchange at our place is that Microsoft
gives great deals to non-profits that made it significantly cheaper to
buy.
Chris
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FRANK BURNS: Unless we each conform, unless we
obey orders, unless we follow our leaders blindly, there
is no possible way we can remain free.
_M*A*S*H_, "The Novocaine Mutiny"
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Chris Baker --
www.chrisbaker.net
chris@???, chrisbaker@???, cbaker2@???
"When you stop growing, you start dying."