Alternative mailserver for Windows environments

The solution described in this article is useful for every company that has a Windows Server infrastructure with Active Directory and does not want to invest into the mail server from the same company but still wants to have the administration of mail delivery integrated into Active Directory with MMC. Single SignOn is not a question: the user accounts and the passwords are stored only in one place..

The server must provide mail sending and server side mail boxes (IMAP) with access lists so that it is possible to define access rights on every mailbox. Users shall be able to see other users' mailboxes if this is wanted. Then there must be a webmail interface for nomadic users, server based filtering and access to the mailboxes from smartphones.

edv2g created a Debian Linux based system with Postfix and Cyrus. Both are tied with a LDAP type connection to Active Directory.

For configuration of alternate e-mail addresse, forwarding targets and the decision if an e-mail shall be stored in a local mailbox some VBscript programs were written that integrate into MMC.

The webmail interface is provided with squirrelmail. It is not the most recent piece of software but mature and extendable with many plugins. As for instance avelsieve the only one software we know so far by means of which really end users can manage server based filters.

A fresh webmailer (roundcube) is being prepared.

So all the musts of the customers are fullfilled. Groupware and calendar functionality is provided with egroupware (and in future perhaps tine). Those systems are running for years now without causing trouble.

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