Win2000 Server

[superbnerd]

I have a dedicated windows 2000 server (for app compatibility :() and am wandering what is the best way to set it up for web and email serving. It is already using IIS to serve up one website. What do you suggest I use to setup the mail server for the domain? Are there any FOSS mail servers for windows like OpenXchange? Should I go through the hassle of setting up cygwin, and would the IIS even function properly with the mail server on cygwin?

Thanks

[carlwill]

I am using Windows 2000 Advanced Server for web via IIS and Exchange 2000 for email.

I had a Debian buddy come over to try and help me get email going on Debian and or Fedora and I just gave up. Way too complicated!!!

I think IIS is great and would be happy to sell my Exchange 2000 SP4 license key if someone can help me set up email on Linux.

[superbnerd]

I really don't want to use/pay for proprietary Exchange becuase I don't need all of its features. I am stuck on windows until I can test wine. I just need a email service (smtp, imap and pop) like the many available to linux. The Openexchange project would be ideal, but it needs tools that are available only in linux. Thats why I asked if it would be possible to set it up on cygwin.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

[kosmosik]

I personally would use Apache on Windows, since I know Apache better... 2.0 has specific MPM modules for winnt... for mail check out Mail Enable Standard Edition - it is free (as in beer, standard version is limited but better versions are not so expensive) and quite good (as I've heard, I don't really use Windows)...

http://httpd.apache.org/
http://www.mailenable.com/

[superbnerd]

I had already considered mail enable standard, but it doesn't give me imao support in that version. Webmail is always useful when you are away from your personal computer.

I have been looking at mercuery mail (http://www.pmail.com/) but I cannot understand its annoying documentation. However, it appears it has all the features I need. I guess I'll have to reread the docs.

[kosmosik]

I had already considered mail enable standard, but it doesn't give me imao support in that version. Webmail is always useful when you are away from your personal computer.
personal edition offers IMAP and WebMail access... it is only $200 not too much for server software IMHO...

[superbnerd]

lol...but the exact same thing in linux is absolutely Free Open Source Software (FOSS). It doesn't make sense to have to pay $200 dollars for what is free across the street. How can they really justify the cost (not that it's that expensive)? They had better have excellent documentation.

[kosmosik]

lol...but the exact same thing in linux is absolutely Free Open Source Software (FOSS). It doesn't make sense to have to pay $200 dollars for what is free across the street.
well that is one big myth. Linux is free when your time is worth nothing... Linux is not free, often you will spend time on maintainace, also Linux staff is generally more expensive than Windows (beacouse there is more Windows admins on market), support costs money (and in some situations you cannot get without support - f.e. in organizations you have rules for software purchases and so on...)...

How can they really justify the cost (not that it's that expensive)?
justify? well they write software and want to earn money on it. for me it is OK... it is quite good offering for Windows mail server (as I've said - it is not expensive, there is free version also).

They had better have excellent documentation.
you probably don't need muchof it as setup probably is wizard driven or smth. have you read this post? poster don't know how to setup mail server on Linux so he uses Windows for it - well face it, mailserver setup on Linux is harder... maybe it is more efficient but hardware is cheap, but it is harder and what is expensive is not licenses, not hardware but human resources...

[superbnerd]

Calm down :p

I would perfer to setup a web/mail server on linux if I had the choice becuase I have much more knowledge of linux administration than I do for windows.

We should stay on subject or start a flame war, but I don't think windows admins are cheaper becuase there are so many. It has to do with the knowledge and work required. Most linux admins don't have a gui with options to guess from.

And yes there is no such thing as a free lunch, but linux is much more stable than windows, especially on a dedicated server. Installing patches for windows is like playing roulette :eek:

If you want to flame, post it in this windows vs linux thread (http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24932) ;)

[Artemis]

I think Exchange is to expensive and found a good alternative

Kerio Mailserver

[kosmosik]

We should stay on subject or start a flame war,
no flame ;] just discussion...

but I don't think windows admins are cheaper becuase there are so many. It has to do with the knowledge and work required. Most linux admins don't have a gui with options to guess from.
yes well maybe. but from economic point of view it is plain simple - less (experienced) unix/linux admins than (also experienced/certified whatever) Windows admin makes unix admins earn more... there was an article in Internet few moths ago describing this fact... and I don't think Windows admins guess from GUI, administering Windows can also require a lot of skill/experience - mind you :) IIS6 and Windows 2003 aint that bad after all. IMHO they are in fact very good and have some clear advantages over Linux... face it.

And yes there is no such thing as a free lunch, but linux is much more stable than windows, especially on a dedicated server. Installing patches for windows is like playing roulette :eek:
maybe it is but it is offtopic. I've said Linux is not free (as in beer) Linux is open etc. but not free.

[superbnerd]

Actually it is free in both senses of the word. I didn't pay any extra to download fedora, did you? The cost of bandwidth was included in my mothly dsl bill. If you count having to actually know what you are doing as extra cost then your point about windows admins is virtually voided becuase they would theoretically have to know the same knowledge (which levels the playing field), unless they are guessing :D You usually don't spend more time maintaining a linux box beucase once you set it up it stays that way. Things don't just change themselves (http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24932) because they feel like it. Then add in the Total Cost of 0wnership and its quite plain who is really free and who cost you.

Like I said, this really should have been in my other thread. This thread was started to get advice about free smtp/imap servers.

[Shadow Skill]

Well Fluxbox regularly manages to eat my menu config for Eterm.. :D But on the whole you are probably right as I simply hear more about windows configurations buying it as opposed to linux.