Members of the ISP-Webhosting list discuss the fertile field of Windows mail servers. Some are cheaper, some have more features, and some are more powerful but take more work to deploy.

[June 19, 2002]

On the ISP-Webhosting list in May, RM queried,

"I am looking for a new mail server. NTMail has had too many problems for me to consider it reliable any longer. I tried IMail, didn't really like it, and have recently been trying MDaemon, which looks pretty good. Any advice on selecting a Windows mail server?"

A number of respondents discussed MDaemon's strengths and weaknesses:

[EG noted] "I looked at MDaemon, but after talking with their techs, I decided it wasn't for us: when a software developer informs you that their product is designed for 'smaller office environments' and not designed to be used in a small ISP environment with around 1,000 users, I just had to say no thanks. I also didn't like the fact that all message delivery was scheduled and not 'instant.'"

[BF countered] "I have been running MDaemon for many years. The virus scanning engine is very efficient, and my new spam killer is working great. One complaint I have is that since it is an ongoing development effort, there are constant updates which require a few minutes of down time."

[JN added] "MDaemon is kind of a geek's dream if you enjoy powerful Windows apps. There are a boatload of ways to configure and administrate it locally or remotely, and it comes with a free built-in Web-based e-mail interface that users just love—and you can still do stuff at the command line to make you feel at home!"

Others looked at CommuniGate Pro:

[EG observed] "I like CommuniGate Pro from Stalker Software. It's expensive, though, and the webmail system isn't that good. It's too complicated for our liking, because we know we would get a lot of questions about it."

[RR offered] "Give CommuniGate Pro a spin. It is a very well-designed mail server if you want to have a complete all-in-one package. There have been a few occasional problems with freezing up under Linux, but they've been very rare, maybe once every two to four months. Other than that, it runs beautifully. Plus, the options and features it has are very complete and easy to understand."

Still others suggested some alternate options:

[DN noted] "I use Merak Mail, and I've had no major problems with it. The only minor problem was properly interfacing it with Norton AntiVirus. It's very inexpensive: the standard version supports unlimited domains and users for only $280. Every time I look at the prices for IMail, NTMail, and others, I have to shake my head and wonder why…"

[PM observed] "We use VOP Mail from Vircom. It's similar in price to IMail, but it has more features for ISPs with respect to mail-and Vircom's support is excellent."

[RR advised] "If you want to build your own mail server without paying for it, consider using a FreeBSD or Linux Server with Qmail or Postfix for SMTP and vpopmail, QmailAdmin, or SqWebMail for the Web management. It takes a little elbow grease to understand how it works and to install it, but once it's done, it's pretty reliable. Plus, you can customize it as much as you want. It costs nothing, and you get a very reliable solution."

ML followed up with a question about delivery:

"How important is instant delivery? It keeps the processor busy all the time when it doesn't really need to be. What's five minutes in the e-mail world?"

A number of respondents contended that it can be crucial:

[JM warned] "Five minutes is an eternity, especially if you're using the SMTP server to support Web applications. When someone clicks 'e-mail me the password I forgot,' they don't want to wait five minutes."

[MB agreed] "I've had people complain to me about their e-mail not being delivered immediately after they send it. They obviously know nothing about how mail servers work. Still, users expect immediate delivery all of the time. Your mail service is often judged by how fast it can deliver e-mail."

[BF added] "I have had users call within seconds of sending a message to ask why it didn't go through. Many people handle legal matters and send time-sensitive information via e-mail. They just don't understand that e-mail is not designed to be a secure or even guaranteed method of delivery."

—End