Messaging Server Description and Features

Target Skills:

Ability to describe the basic features of Netscape Messaging Server 4.0

Messaging Server Description and Features

Netscape Messaging Server 4.0 is the fourth generation of a powerful, standards-based Internet mail server. Messaging Server is designed for high-capacity, reliable handling of the messaging needs of both enterprises and service providers of all sizes, from small to extremely large.

Features

The server consists of several modular, independently configurable components with many powerful features.

Highly scalable with standard protocols:

Fast and reliable, multithreaded message transfer agent (MTA) that uses Internet-standard Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to handle both internal and Internet mail messages

Extremely efficient, high-capacity, and fast multithreaded Internet Mail Access Protocol (IMAP4) service for mailbox delivery, supporting thousands of simultaneous users

Full-featured, fast, multithreaded Post Office Protocol (POP3) service for mailbox delivery, providing complete support for the most widely used Internet mailbox protocol

Centralized database for server configuration, based on the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)

Centralized LDAP database for mail-user account storage, user authentication, and mail-routing control

High scalability of services to support greatly increased usage over time

Flexible configuration and monitoring:

Flexible message store with fast indexed access, configurable partitions, quotas, and aging rules

Highly configurable logging features with automated rollover

Monitoring capabilities through Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Multiplexor service for providing mail users a single point of connection to many POP and IMAP mailbox servers

Plug-in architecture for developing extensions to server capabilities

Mailstone stress-testing utility for capacity planning and testing

Powerful security and access control:

Support for password login (to POP, IMAP, or SMTP) and certificate-based login

Delegated administration through access-control instructions (ACIs)

Client access filters (to POP, IMAP, or SMTP)

Filtering of unsolicited bulk email (UBE)

Convenient Management Interface:

Graphical Netscape Console interface for managing multiple servers from a single location
End-user self-management of account information through HTML forms

Summary of New Features in Messaging Server 4.0

Configuration Management and Administration

All server configuration stored in Directory for easy bulk administration

New Java-based Graphical User Interface for Server Administration

Single seat administration of network

Directory-based Access control over server tasks for easy delegation

Message Store Management

Single Copy Message Store using Hardlinks

Automatic Aging of messages by Size of message and age of message

Aging policies per folder and per user

Folder Sharing via IMAP

Tools to report shared folder usage

Online capacity expansion by adding new partitions

Move user between partitions online

Move users between servers while server is online

Online full and incremental backup of user message folders

Online Restore of message folders

Automatic cleanup of deleted messages

User level and message store level quotas

Configurable quota warning thresholds

Configurable 'grace period' for holding messages to quota-exceeded mailboxes

Quota usage reporting utility

MTA

Plugins at SMTP level to enable

Restrict incoming messages by size per domain prior to accepting message
Restrict messages by #recipients per domain prior to accepting message

Defer messages to outgoing domains

Improved control of MTA parameters from GUI

View status of messages queued to outgoing domains

Single-step processing of Delete, Resend or Return all messages for a domain

Rewrite message headers based on directory attributes

Configurable Address completion rules

'vanity' domain addressing

Security

TCP-connection level access control of incoming client connections for SMTP, POP, IMAP

Anti-relaying, anti-DNS spoofing prior to msg being accepted

IMAP over SSL

Password Policy enforcement

Certificate based authentication for SMTP, IMAP

Sever processes not required to run as root

Server Reliability, Availability and Monitoring

Online reconfiguration of server configuration

Online backup and restore of user folders

Online capacity expansion of message store

Support for failover configurations

Heartbeat monitoring of server processes

Monitoring of disk and system CPU parameters

Monitoring of message traffic, queue depths

Monitoring of Message server logs for specific messages

Configurable thresholds and notification mechanism for all monitored conditions

Virtual Hosting Support

Ability to support full email addresses in directory and in MTA

Configurable delimiters between uid and domain

Configurable mapping between IP addresses and hosted domains