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Exchange Messaging Outlook Volume 7, Number 16

Greetings! Welcome to Vol. 7, No. 16, 23 Jan 2003, of Exchange Messaging Outlook, a biweekly newsletter about Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Outlook.

Today's highlights:
  • New security-related update for Outlook 2002
  • Security settings folder = minimal impact
  • Microsoft CRM released
  • Defense Messaging System 3.0
  • More holiday tools

Regular features:

  • New utilities
  • Updated utilities
  • Other new resources

Please note: the links contained in this article were accurate as of the date of this publication. We cannot guarantee the accuracy at a later date.

New security-related update for Outlook 2002

Microsoft has issued a public update for Outlook 2002 resolving a problem with Exchange clients that could allow information in encrypted HTML-format messages to leak out. Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-003 (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-003.asp), Flaw in How Outlook 2002 Handles V1 Exchange Server Security Certificates Could Lead to Information Disclosure, provides details on the problem. The vulnerability does not affect mail encrypted with S/MIME certificates or non-Exchange clients.

The update does contain other minor fixes, however. Details on the fixes and on download locations are available in a Microsoft Knowledgebase (MSKB) article at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=812262. The client update requires Office XP Service Pack 2. The administrative update can be installed over SP1 or SP2. For end users, the best update procedure is the use the Office Updates scanner at http://office.microsoft.com/ProductUpdates/mainCatalog.aspx to see which updates fit your system.

Security settings folder = minimal impact

At long last, Microsoft has released some quantitative information on the performance impact of implementing the Outlook Security Settings folder to control attachment blocking, loosen or tighten security for the "object model guard," and, in Outlook 2002, trust specific Outlook COM addins. When the Outlook Email Security Update was initially released two and a half years ago, Microsoft warned that it was not scalable and, as a result, many administrators were probably hesitant to deploy it. Or, they avoided the Email Security Update altogether.

The good news is that checking the security folder when Outlook starts adds only a few remote procedure calls (RPCs) to the startup sequence -- 16 RPCs in addition to the usual 20 or so. The MSKB article at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811968, Performance Implications of Outlook Security Settings in the Public Folder, explains that those extra RPCs occur only one time, as Outlook starts, and have no appreciable effect on the performance of either the client or the Exchange server.

The bottom line, therefore, is that the security settings folder is probably more scalable than Microsoft originally thought. In large organizations, no doubt you'll want to replicate the folder to several public folder servers. Given that changes to the security settings should be rare, the replication traffic should also be minimal.

Microsoft CRM released

Microsoft released Microsoft CRM (formal name = Microsoft Business Solutions Customer Relationship Management) to manufacturing this week, a bit later than the original December 2002 target date. The sales module has some Outlook integration. The service module is web-only. More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/crm.

This week's release is the U.S. version. An international version is expected in the second half of this year.

I like the way Microsoft describes MS CRM as a ".NET-connected" application. That's one of the most precise uses of the .NET term that I've seen, and it's appropriate in this case, because MS CRM is not .NET through and through. The data store is SQL Server 2000, while Active Directory holds security information. The basic CRM platform that controls the business logic is written with C++ and provides a web services interface. The application layer uses ASP.NET and, for the sales module, Outlook. Custom applications that interact with Microsoft CRM use XML and SOAP to communicate with the web services in the business logic layer. Developers can get the SDK from http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/CrmSdk/htm/default.asp.

Defense Messaging System 3.0

A security-enhanced version of Outlook is being deployed at U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) sites worldwide as part of Defense Messaging System 3.0, which also includes Exchange Server. Deployment began last July and is slated for completion in March. The DMS version of Outlook incorporates security technology from SPYRUS for encryption and authentication. DMS is replacing dozens of different mail systems used at DoD.

More holiday tools

I've updated my holidays transmittal form to add support for the Location field, make it work better in non-English environments, and let the user set a category on all the added items. I have one more tweak to make and a readme to write, but if you'd like to try it, feel free to download it from http://www.slipstick.com/files/events.zip. Send feedback to webmaster04@slipstick.com.

Also, the New Utilities section below includes a tool that allows you to select public holidays from many countries and add them to Outlook.

Finally, Microsoft apparently has published yet another update for the Outlook.txt holidays file. The latest version, dated Jan. 21, 2003, is available from http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/OutlHol.aspx and apparently fixes various errors.

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Please note: the links below were accurate as of the date of this publication. We cannot guarantee the accuracy at a later date. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our Add-ins section and search for the product name.

New Utilities

AOL2POP
http://www.aol2pop.com/
Makes America Online mail available from any POP/SMTP mail program, including Outlook.

MICROSOFT CRM
http://www.microsoft.com/crm
Includes sales and service modules for managing customer information and activities. Some integration with Outlook in the sales module only.

MXCLAIM
http://www.customermagnetism.co.uk/downloads_mxclaim.html
Free Exchange 2000 addin for appending disclaimers to outgoing messages, with an option for separate disclaimers on plain text and HTML messages.

OUTLOOK2MAC
http://www.littlemachines.com/
Exports Outlook mail, calendar, and contacts to mbox, iCal, and vCard files for import into Entourage and other Macintosh mail and collaboration programs. Can also be used to extract all file attachments to a system folder.

PUBLIC HOLIDAY CALENDAR FOR OUTLOOK
http://www.panoramastudio.co.uk/outlook-calendar.htm
Add holidays to Outlook from your home country and other countries you choose. Free.

SCOOFFICE SERVER
http://www.sco.com/products/SCOoffice/mail/
Linux-based mail and collaboration server supports shared folders, direct booking of resources, discussion folders, free/busy data interoperable with Ximian Evolution, and address books. Includes connector for Outlook.

SNAPSYNC
http://www.futuredial.com/futuredial/P_SS.htm
Transfer selected contact information between Outlook and dozens of supported mobile phones, connected to your PC with a data cable.

SYNCHPST FOR OUTLOOK
http://www.synchpst.com/
Synchronizes data in two Personal Folders .pst files. The criteria for deciding if items are the same varies by the type of item. You might use this tool to set up a basic sharing mechanism, with each user syncing their personal .pst file to the same group .pst file.

ULTRA SPAM FILTER
http://www.ceeworks.com/
Client anti-spam tool supporting all kinds of Outlook accounts, including Hotmail and Exchange. Works by analyzing message content. Keeps all suspected spam in a separate database to reduce clutter in your Inbox.

VIRTUAL EMS
http://www.dea.com/Virtual.asp
Optional module for EMS Enterprise event management application integrates with Exchange to show calendars of people to be invited to the meeting.

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Updated utilities

ADD EMAIL ADDRESS
http://www.sperrysoftware.com/AddEmailAddress.asp
Latest version of this tool to automatically create Outlook contacts can now handle people you receive messages from or reply to. Can add categories as it creates contacts.

AUTO PRINT
http://www.sperrysoftware.com/jcAutoPrint.asp
Latest version of this automatic printing tool can print incoming or outgoing messages and attachments either together or separately. Also adds support for folders other than Inbox.

DUPLICATE E-MAIL REMOVER
http://www.mailutilities.com/outlook/der/
Version 1.2 of this mail cleanup tool provides more precise comparisons of potentially duplicate messages and fixes several bugs.

EZDETACH FOR OUTLOOK
http://www.techhit.com/ezdetach/
Version 1.2 of this tool for removing attachments adds the ability to pass an attachment to a script or other program, add a link in messages to point to the detached file, filter on attachment names, and automatically zip or unzip attachments.

HIDE FAX NUMBERS
http://www.sperrysoftware.com/jcHideFaxNumbers.asp
Latest version of this tool to hide fax numbers from the address book can hide the numbers as they're added to the contacts, without the need to toggle them off.

OSA-SYNC PRO
http://www.vaita.com/OsaSyncPro.asp
Version 2.0 of this utility for synchronizing and sharing Outlook data on a local network adds support for sharing mail folders.

OUTLOOK 2000+ YEAR VIEW
http://www.planetsoftware.com.au/products/yearview.aspx
Version 1.4 of this ActiveX control for displaying Outlook appointments for a full year adds the ability to view all appointments, not just all-day events.

OUTLOOK 2002 UPDATE JANUARY 22, 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=812262
Public update resolving a problem with Exchange encryption that could allow some information to leak out, plus the above issues and several others.

SEND PERSONALLY
http://www.mailutilities.com/outlook/spe/
Version 1.1 of this mass mail utility fixes problems with messages created from mailto: links or with Word 2002 as the mail editor.

SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER
http://www.mailutilities.com/outlook/sum/
Version 1.1 of this automatic distribution list subscription tool adds support for subscriptions that the user has to confirm and fixes a few bugs.

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Other new resources

DEVELOPING CUSTOM FORMS USING MICROSOFT OUTLOOK 2002
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnout2k2/html/odc_olcustfrm1.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnout2k2/html/odc_olcustfrm2.asp
Six basic lessons on how to create custom Outlook forms. Does not cover any coding techniques.

MANAGING SPAM
http://izzy.org/Scripting/Exchange/SpamFilter.htm
How to build a spam filter using an SMTP protocol event sink in Exchange 2000.

MICROSOFT CRM SDK
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/CrmSdk/htm/default.asp
Software development kit for Microsoft CRM product. Applications that communicate with Microsoft CRM use XML and SOAP.

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