Greetings! Welcome to issue #15 of Exchange Messaging Outlook (formerly Exchange Center Update), an occasional newsletter about Microsoft Exchange, Windows Messaging and Microsoft Outlook, both for users of Windows 95 and NT 4.0 and for organizations using Exchange Server.
Today's highlights:
Regular features:
LanFax 5.0 -- Network faxing for everyone
Alcom's LanFax 5.0 is potentially the best solution for small-office faxing with Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Outlook. It fills an obvious niche -- network-based faxing via a MAPI transport from Windows 95 or Windows NT. Even Windows for Workgroups clients running Win32s can use the separate LanFax client program or connect via an Internet browser and optional web faxing component.
The LanFax 5.0 software is installed on a NT Server, while the MAPI transport goes into individual Exchange/Outlook profiles on the client machines. Windows 95 clients need to be using Windows Messaging (see http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/msgfaq.htm), the Exchange Server client or Microsoft Outlook. Clients connect directly with the fax server, rather than through a gateway, so you can use LanFax without adding Microsoft Mail Server or Microsoft Exchange Server to your network.
Right now, the MAPI transport is at the beta/release candidate stage. There are a few known problems, but a final version is due by the end of the month.
Here's the best news of all: Until July, Alcom (http://www.alcom.com/products/50/download.htm) is giving away a starter package that supports one fax line and includes 3 client licenses. Upgrades can be purchased for additional lines and extra client licenses. The server documentation talks about adding a MAPI Gateway, but ignore that. You don't need it to use the MAPI transport, which is a separate download.
Drop me a line at sue@slipstick.com if you get LanFax up and running at your place. I'm really interested in hearing how it works out and will be putting up in the lab here, too.
WabOut converts WAB to Microsoft Outlook Contacts
Last week, we wrote about two new WAB to PAB/Outlook Contacts conversion techniques. This week, we hit pay dirt! WabOut is a free utility to convert the Windows Address Book to a Microsoft Outlook Contacts folder. Get it at http://www.empire.net/~level/WabOut.html. You'll need to be using a recent English version of Internet Mail and News that includes the standalone Wab.exe program.
MSN took its mail servers down unexpectedly Wednesday night for a massive upgrade to double capacity. Microsoft is going to take a lot of heat for not notifying users in advance, but since many had not been able to get their mail for days, it was probably the right move.
The servers were supposed by be back on-line by 1-3 a.m. PDT today, assuming all went well. Mail sent to @msn.com addresses during the outage will be delivered once the servers are back up.
What MSN users really want, of course, is real POP3/SMTP mail servers, not just a fix to the current system. They're tired of not being able to use Microsoft Internet Mail and Outlook Express with MSN, tired of not being able to get MSN mail from an NT workstation and, most of all, tired of having to jump through hoops to read MIME attachments. Which brings us to our next item...
If you hang out in the Exchange and Outlook newsgroups at msnews.microsoft.com, you've probably seen lots of good suggestions from a newcomer named Athena. Well, I took her advice about a decoder named XFerPro32 (http://www.sabasoft.com/) and am glad I did. What sets this one apart is its Decode from E-mail command. It can read your entire Inbox. Mark the messages you want to decode, and the attachments are automatically extracted and saved as files. It can encode attachments, too, if you have a CompuServe account and need to send files to other Internet users.
With H/PC Explorer 1.1 (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/hpc/software/hpcexplorer.htm), users of handheld PCs running Windows CE can now synchronize with Microsoft Outlook. For an update on sync utilities for other PDAs, see http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/outlhow.htm#pda.
Slipstick Systems Exchange Center goes daily
There's so much going on in the world of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Outlook that we've revamped the Slipstick Systems Exchange Center to bring you daily headlines, Monday through Friday.
Exchange and Outlook application designers can participate in the Microsoft Exchange Community discussions from our http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/design.htm page, thanks to a little ActiveServer magic.
Also new is the FAQ Feedback page at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/faqfdbk.htm, where you can submit new questions or comment on the FAQs. We really do read these. While we can't provide one-on-one troubleshooting assistance (That's what the newsgroups are for.), we try to make sure your issues are covered in the FAQs and tell you where to find the information you're looking for. For example, one query this week resulting on a new article, Coordinating Microsoft Outlook Contacts and the PAB (http:\\www.slipstick.com\exchange\olconpab.htm), that explains why you probably need both and recommends a method for migrating your PAB to Contacts.
Watch next week for a new site map to make browsing easier for MSIE users.
Exchange Center Bookstore bestsellers
Over on the MSEXCHANGE mailing list (see end of this message for how to subscribe), people are asking about Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 books. There aren't any yet, but I know that Greg Todd and Tony Redmond are both updating theirs to include 5.0, as will Bill Kilcullen's completely new book, Microsoft Exchange - Up and Running. For now, the recommendation is to use your 4.0 documentation to get the basics, then pick up the new material that comes with your copy of Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0. If you know of other 5.0 books in the works, write me at sue@slipstick.com with the details.
On the client side, my book, The Microsoft Exchange User's Handbook, has a whole chapter on the new client features in 5.0, such as more choices for forwarding messages, recipient-based encoding settings and security key exchange.
We've updated the Exchange Center Bookstore (http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/exchbstr.htm) this week to add more detailed reviews of some of the server administration books and to warn you about one of the beginner books. You'll also find the most popular book in each category marked as Best Seller!
If you hang out at the Microsoft Exchange Community (http://www.exchangeserver.com), you now can add the Exchange Center Bookstore to your personal links list.
ATTN: Public folder subscribers
A growing number of you with Microsoft Exchange Server are subscribing a public folder to the Exchange Messaging Outlook. That's great! I need your help to handle these better. Here's what to do:
I'd also like to get some idea of how many people might be accessing the newsletter through your public folder.
Get the answers from the Microsoft Exchange, Windows Messaging and Microsoft Outlook FAQs at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/faqs.htm.
This newsletter is devoted to Microsoft Exchange, Windows Messaging and Microsoft Outlook client issues. If you're mainly interested in Exchange Server setup and administration, I'd suggest that you join the MSEXCHANGE mailing list. Send a message to msexchange-request@insite.co.uk with a message saying "SUBSCRIBE" (without quotes or other punctuation). Or, just visit the Microsoft Exchange Forum at http://www.msexchange.org.
If you'd rather not receive this newsletter, then drop me a line at sue@slipstick.com, and I'll take you off the list.
If you received this newsletter as a forward from someone else and would like your own copy, e-mail me at sue@slipstick.com. Also send me the addresses of any public folder that you’d like to subscribe to the newsletter.
This newsletter is sent in RTF format. If you don't want RTF, let me know, and I'll adjust your settings in my address book.
'Bye for now! There are lots more Exchange goodies at the Exchange Center, so pay us a visit at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/.
Cheers,
Sue Mosher
Slipstick Systems, Moscow, Russia
Internet: sue@slipstick.com
MSN: Sue_Mosher
CompuServe: 75140,543