Greetings! Welcome to Vol. 2, No. 15 of Exchange Messaging Outlook, 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 Microsoft Exchange Server.
Today's highlights:
Regular features:
Outlook 98 at the Exchange Center
We've opened a new section at the Slipstick Systems Exchange Center for Microsoft Outlook 98, at http://www.slipstick.com/outlook98/. It's growing slowly but surely with details about new features such as Net Folders, missing features and key information you need to help you decide whether and how to deploy Outlook 98.
Microsoft has changed the names of the Outlook newsgroups hosted on the msnews.microsoft.com server microsoft.public.outlook97* to microsoft.public.outlook*. You may need to reset your newsgroup list to see the new newsgroups. (One of the Microsoft news servers seems to have had indigestion lately, chewing up some postings and replies.)
A couple of you shared your own travel tips with us after the last issue of the newsletter touched on road warrior issues:
Happy 2nd Birthday to Microsoft Exchange Server
Two years old, and the momentum is still growing! Every week, I get more messages from organizations all over the world who are excited about switching to Exchange Server. Congratulations to the folks in Redmond who built it (and keep improving it) and to all the VARs, consultants and administrators who help deploy and support it.
I was surprised to see no anniversary celebration at http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/ this year, but maybe they're too busy putting the finishing touches on Service Pack 1 for Exchange Server 5.5. What I did find was a variety of special offers at http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/support/deployment/migrate/offers/default.asp to encourage you to consider moving to Exchange Server:
Discounts on Exchange Server Client Access Licenses (CALs) for current Lotus cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail customers
Compaq Legacy Mail Migration Program (http://www.compaq.com/promos/mail/) for trade-ins of Compaq and certain non-Compaq servers
From Dell, a free copy of Exchange Server 5.5 Standard, plus five CALs, with the purchase of certain PowerEdge servers:
From Data General, a preconfigured, ready-to-run Exchange-in-a-Box (http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/support/deployment/migrate/offers/ExinBox.asp)
Discounts are also available on training, support services and third-party add-ons to help with migration, monitoring, anti-virus, fax, document management and applications development.
Automated Profile Management, LLC, makers of the Profile Maker utility for configuring Exchange and Outlook user profiles, joins the Slipstick Systems Exchange Center as sponsor of the Issues pages.
Their support helps us continue the work of the Slipstick Systems Exchange Center to bring you independent news and tips related to Microsoft Outlook and Exchange.
Does your company make a product for Exchange or Outlook? Then consider joining our roster of sponsors. You'll get high visibility for your product or company among users and administrators looking for concrete Exchange and Outlook solutions. For more information, e-mail mailto:sponsor@slipstick.com.
Another way for you to show your support for the Exchange Center is to purchase books on Exchange and Outlook through the Exchange Center Bookstore at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/exchbstr.htm, an affiliate of amazon.com. See the new Exchange Server 5.5 and Outlook 98 titles beginning to roll out.
One of the thorniest Outlook/Exchange Server issues is getting a group view of the schedules for several people. Our Outlook FAQ offers several solutions at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/outlhow4.htm#scheduleall. The newest are:
Availabillity Viewer
A modified Appointment form that you can use to track free/busy times for a group of people or resources. This is an updated version of the form first discussed in the April 1998 issue of the Exchange Administrator newsletter.
http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/olforms/availvue.htmCentiplan
Planboard for Outlook/Exchange that displays group activities not only by date but also with project assignments.
http://www.centior.nl/uk-centiplan.htm
One of our favorite Exchange gurus, Tony Redmond of Digital Equipment Corporation, hosts a free one-hour tele-seminar May 7 at 11a PDT (2p EDT). The topic is planning and deployment when migrating from Lotus cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail to Exchange Server. For details on this and other Digital tele-seminars, see http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/support/deployment/migrate/offers/services.asp.
Personal Directory Administrator for Microsoft Exchange and Outlook
Add-on to allow users to update personal details on Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 through LDAP, from Boldon James
http://www.bj.co.uk/pda.htmMailJail Lite for Outlook 98
Freeware junk mail filter for Outlook 98, with free monthly rules updates.
http://www.mailjail.com/02about/downlite.htmKrypto (beta)
Allows you to use PGP 2.6.x with Outlook 97/98.
http://www.digitalsecurity.com/Boldon James X.400 MAPI transport
Supports the Windows 3.x Exchange client, as well as Windows 95 and NT.
http://www.bj.co.uk/x4mapitr.htmMailBeamer
Adds SMTP/POP3 capabilities to a workgroup or Microsoft Mail postoffice.
http://www.dataenter.co.at/products/mailbeamer.htmPABTool
Transfers address book entries between Exchange, Outlook, Netscape and PalmPilot Desktop.
http://www6.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/info.html?fcode=000LYAImpel Documents
Plays a sound or displays a document when a message is received. This is the first of several programs from Impel Software that use e-mail technology to "push" content. Forthcoming applications will be used to distribute software or run utilities on another computer.
http://www.impelsoftware.com/MapRoom
Converts Sierra Solutions' MailRoom to Exchange or Outlook Personal Folders.
http://www.maclean.com/maproom.htmlExchange Server 5.5 Routing Objects (beta)
Components to provide server-side routing and state tracking to help you build workflow applications with Microsoft Exchange Server. Includes the Microsoft Exchange Routing Wizard sample application.
http://www.microsoft.com/ithome/resource/exchange/misc/default.htm#aExchange Server 5.5 Scripting Agent
Updated scripts and documentation.
http://www.microsoft.com/ithome/resource/exchange/misc/default.htm#bActiveView (ver 1.5)
Improves management of Outlook contacts, calendar and tasks through a separate but related database, which can contain freeform notes and be viewed by multiple users. New features include envelope printing (through Microsoft Word), ability to work with multiple .pst files and various performance improvements.[No longer available as of 9/2002]
http://www.nextword.com/AVprod.htmExchange Templates (ver 1.1 beta)
Adds support for Outlook 98 HTML mail, public templates, attachments in replies, Outlook properties and many more features to this outstanding tool for working with e-mail messages.
http://www.nsoftware.com/ExLife (ver 1.30, build 001)
Another must-have utility -- updated to add automatic processing to items added to folders, Outbox processing for Microsoft Exchange Server, rules on demand and support for the original Exchange client distributed with Windows 95. Supports Outlook 98.
http://www.mokry.cz/exchange/exlife.htmCyberSecretary (ver 0.9.5 beta)
Automates Microsoft Outlook 97/98 with scripts that can be triggered by nearly two dozen Outlook events, such as receiving a message or opening a Contact item, or can be scheduled or random.
http://www6.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/info.html?fcode=000PPTBill Power (ver 4.2)
Improves performance of this utility for generating invoices from Microsoft Outlook journal entries, plus other improvements.
http://www.studio848.com/billpow.htmMicrosoft Fax Update
This link connects you to the Windows Update page, assuming that you have Internet Explorer 4.x and Windows 98. You'll find a new version of the Microsoft Fax service. According to the information on the update page, it "enables long distance and delayed fax functionality." I have not had a chance to test whether it delivers those fixes.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsupdate/default.asp
Search the Slipstick Systems Exchange Center at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/search.htm.
Get the answers from the Microsoft Exchange, Windows Messaging and Microsoft Outlook FAQs at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/faqs.htm.
The Microsoft Outlook FAQ has a Table of Contents at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/outlfaq.htm to help you find answers faster. New and updated items are at the bottom of the page.
Ask new questions and provide other feedback for the Slipstick Systems Exchange Center FAQs at http://www.slipstick.com/exchange/faqfdbk.htm.
ISSN 1523-7990
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