Timothy
Parker Consulting Incorporated
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3Rsoft MailStudio@Message Finding a comprehensive mail handling
package for Linux can be somewhat frustrating.
The mysteries of sendmail and mmdf can drive newcomers to Linux running
in circles, and packages with the capabilities of Microsoft’s Exchange server
are either very expensive or not fully functional. 3Rsoft intends to offer a
better way to handle mail with its MailStudio@Message
package. MailStudio@Message
is an HTTP based e-mail package. From any machine with a Web browser, users can
access their mailboxes based on a Linux machine. More than a simple mail handler, MailStudio@Message
adds network storage access and a scheduling feature, all accessible through a
browser. For those users who have favorite e-mail packages such as Outlook or
Eudora, MailStudio@Message can integrate
as a server to those readers as well. MailStudio@Message
stores all the mail messages it handles on the Linux machine, instead of
transferring them to the reader’s hard drive.
This allows for more centralized backups and also permits the use of
multiple machine (such as desktop and laptop) access without synchronization
problems. Unfortunately, it also
means a single point of failure and often large data files on the server.
MailStudio@Message is designed
for corporate environments, primarily those requiring many mailboxes, although
any smaller company or even family-and-friend setups could easily use it. The MailStudio@Message
package consists of a CD-ROM with software for RedHat 6.x, TurboLinux 6.x, and a
few UNIX variants (Solaris 2.5 and above, AIX 4.X, and Tru64 or OSF 5 compatible
platforms). The software will run in demo mode unless a license key that hinges
on a host ID is input. The software is accompanied by a single, relatively thin
perfect bound GuideBook which steps you through the installation and
configuration. The book is well written and illustrated. Installation of the
software requires you to use tar or RPM to extract the CD-ROM contents, followed
by an uncompression step. A script takes care of the installation and prompts
for the few configuration parameters (host name, mail directories, and so on).
The process takes only a few minutes. The interface MailStudio@Message
presents to the user can be changed from the default setup, and users can
customize to some extent. The interface is clean and useful, and the reader and
mail creation tool will require no training.
It looks like any other GUI-based mail package in general use. The
address book is well designed and allows for groups to be easily set up. There
are several options for forwarding and automating mail checks, all of which the
user will easily find and understand. The system administrator’s interface is
just as easy to use, and allows system-wide settings of parameters such as
maximum number of mail attachments and spam handling. There are quite a few
parameters available for the system administrator to manage, but the interface
makes working through the selections easy and fast. There are several add-in packages for MailStudio@Message,
none of which we tested, that could add useful features to some installations.
An anti-virus package can check incoming and outgoing mail and
attachments for viruses, although the recognized signatures do not seem to be
updated as often as some other packages (such as MacAfee). Secure Webmail is
designed to add SSL and S/MIME capabilities to MailStudio@Message
to allow encrypted mail handling, especially useful when travelling or accessing
mail from outside the corporate network. Digital signatures are also supported
by the Secure package. For those with talented cellular phones, the WAP webmail
plugin supports sending and receiving of e-mail via a cell phone with support
for both WML and mHTML. Finally, Voice webmail adds real-time streaming
voicemail with access to recorded messages from web browser with multimedia
capabilities. In our tests, we loaded MailStudio@Message
on an 800MHz Pentium III server with 512 MB RAM, and over 100GB of hard drive.
Running RedHat 6.2, we loaded and configured MailStudio@Message
in about ten minutes. Since the
demo version limits the number of users to 20, we simulated a load of 20 users
accessing MailStudio@Message from
clients of all types, all through Web browsers. With all 20 users simultaneously
sending and reading e-mails with large attachments, the server took only a very
small performance hit. A much
slower Pentium system could easily handle the load for a 20-person office.
A load sharing capability is built into MailStudio@Message
but we could not test it with the demo version. The other features of MailStudio@Message
are interesting, but are flash to the basic e-mail package. The address book is
useful and easy to work with, and integrates well with the e-mail composer. The
file storage interface is essentially a front-end for FTP or Samba and allows
remote creation of file and directory areas on the server (subject to system
administration limits). The interface is good, but won’t replace some of the
fancier drag-and-drop file transfer tools available for Windows and Linux.
A neat feature of MailStudio@Message
is a built-in BBS setup which allows for both public and closed user groups. This can be a friendlier interface to discussion groups than
Usenet newsgroups as well as easier to manage.
Finally, an instant messaging feature is acceptable but won’t rival
some of the shareware messaging packages now appearing for Linux. The strengths of MailStudio@Message
are easy to see: server-based POP3 mail handler allowing access to mail boxes
from any Web browser; easy installation and configuration; friendly user
interface with zero learning curve, and good performance. If you are looking for
a server-centric mail solution, 3Rsoft’s MailStudio@Message
is a good place to start your search. 3Rsoft Summary: Talented, easy to install server-centric POP3 mail handler with friendly user interface. |
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tparker@tpci.com with
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