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The test code for Microsoft’s ‘Titanium’ has been released for general
download under a brand-new name — Exchange Server 2003, the company
announced Monday.
Microsoft said the test code for Exchange 2003, which
is on schedule for release in the middle of this year, can be downloaded for
evaluation as part of the Exchange Joint Development Program (JDP).
Formerly code-named Titanium, Exchange Server 2003 touts messaging a
collaboration between servers running on Windows .NET Server 2003 and
Windows 2000 Server SP3 or later and with the latest beta 2 release to the
general public, Microsoft is featuring tighter integration between Outlook
Web Access and the Outlook e-mail client.
Exchange Server 2003 and Outlook 11 are scheduled to be released in
mid-2003, following the scheduled spring release of Windows .NET Server
2003.
The Redmond software giant said the new ‘Titanium’ release, an
incremental upgrade to Exchange 2000 Server, would also place a greater
emphasis on security. “This enhanced security frees administrators from
having to worry about locking down their systems, enabling them to install
and run only those features that they require for their environments,” the
company said.
Additionally, Outlook Web Access would now supports the S/MIME
encryption of messages. By adopting the S/MIME protocol, Microsoft said IT
administrators can time out connections to reduce the likelihood of security
breaches created by unattended browser sessions.
Exchange Server 2003 also features new junk e-mail message protection
capabilities, including support for connection filtering based on real-time
black-hole lists and dial-up user lists, inbound recipient filtering and
Spam Beacon Blocking, the company said.
Beta testers can also expect improvements to VSAPI, the virus scanning
API
Exchange servers that do not have resident Exchange mailboxes (such as
gateway servers or bridgehead servers). “This will enable the scanning of
incoming messages for potentially harmful code as soon as they enter a
customer’s environment, and will reduce the operational impact on Exchange
mailbox servers,” Redmond said.
With e-mail management high on the task list for IT admins, Microsoft
believes upgrading to Exchange Server 2003 and Outlook 11 will mean “greater
flexibility and significant enhancements” that save time and ease management
for IT professionals.
Exchange Server 2003 features a new cached mode of operation that
synchronizes user information in the background, allows users to work from a
local copy of their mailbox, regardless of the presence or quality of
network connectivity. It also touts an enhanced user interface in Outlook
11, with search folders and a reader pane that provides 40 percent more
information on screen than the preview pane in earlier versions of
Outlook.
Microsoft has also enhanced the messaging application programming
interface (MAPI), which is used for communication between Outlook and
Exchange. Beta 2 testers can expect improvements in e-mail performance, due
to a reduction in the amount of network traffic between the client and the
server, and compression of data on the wire. The MAPI enhancements has been
built to let users directly connect to their Exchange server over secured
HTTP, avoiding the complexities of connecting to a corporate network when
working remotely.
The new version of Exchange comes with native support for wireless access
with Outlook Mobile Access and provides support for mobile devices with
iMode, cHTML and WAP 2.0 microbrowsers, as well as Pocket PC and SmartPhone
devices.
