Outlook Connector for MDaemon®

MDaemon Email Server for Windows

Introduction

Outlook Connector for MDaemon® Messaging Server opens up the groupware collaboration functions of Microsoft Outlook to small and mid-sized businesses by using MDaemon as the email messaging server. With Outlook Connector for MDaemon you can stay in touch with employees, co-workers, customers and vendors by sharing Outlook’s email, calendar with free/busy scheduling, address book, distribution lists, tasks, notes and more.

As with MDaemon, Outlook Connector is designed for businesses with little or no professional computer support. Its simplicity, economy and extensive features make Outlook Connector for MDaemon the recognized way to use Outlook’s groupware collaboration tools on a small to mid-sized business budget.

Alt-N Technologies’ MDaemon Messaging Server provides outstanding groupware and collaboration functionality when paired with Outlook Connector. It makes professional-quality groupware collaboration features available to budget-minded small- to medium-sized businesses with or without IT personnel. The shared information is also available for on-the-go users through the groupware collaboration features of MDaemon's webmail client, WorldClient.

Features

Available in Multiple Languages

  • English
  • German
  • French
  • Spanish
  • Russian
  • Japanese
  • Portuguese
  • Italian
  • Chinese
  • Danish
  • Finnish
  • Norwegian-Bokmal
  • Swedish
  • Dutch
  • Hungarian
  • Polish

Groupware Collaboration Support

Groupware Functions Integration

  • Outlook Connector links the content sharing functions of Outlook to the groupware functions built into MDaemon.
  • This plug-in enables Outlook users to share their calendars, messages, contacts, tasks, notes, and other items using MDaemon as the email server platform.

Real time synchronization

  • Additions or changes made in Outlook are synchronized in real-time on the server.
  • No user synchronization is required.

Designed for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

Easy on Budgets

  • Outlook Connector and the groupware functions of MDaemon make the benefits of Outlook sharing economical for small and mid-size businesses.
  • Outlook Connector is designed to be installed and configured without requiring an extensive IT background or expensive certifications. At the same time, it has fine tuning options making it popular with IT professionals.

Runs on Current and Legacy Systems

  • Both Outlook Connector and MDaemon run on either legacy or current hardware and operating systems.
  • There is no need to upgrade to costly hardware and operating systems to enjoy the benefits of group sharing.

Versatile Uses

  • Many types of small and large businesses can benefit from Outlook Connector.
  • Business types include manufacturers and service enterprises, law offices, insurance companies, hospitals and doctor offices, charities and non-profit organizations, schools and school districts, financial planners, government agencies, technology companies.

Flexible Licensing

  • The Outlook Connector license is separate from the MDaemon license and may be a different size.
  • You can This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the number of users who actually use Outlook Connector. It is not required for the MDaemon and the Outlook Connector license sizes to match.

Sharing Flexibility

Sharing by Degrees

  • Options for sharing vary from only showing the availability of the information to allowing complete control to add, change and delete.

Outlook and Web Mail Access

  • Outlook Connector uses the same shared information available through MDaemon’s built-in web mail, WorldClient.
  • You can view your shared information via WorldClient or Outlook.

Apply Sharing Permissions to Subfolders

  • When setting up sharing permissions, you can apply the permissions to the current folder and, optionally, all of its subfolders.

Integration with Outlook Features

Grouping Support

  • Grouping support allows you to organize mail different ways within Outlook. Outlook Connector provides support for this popular capability.

Delivery Confirmation

  • Outlook Connector supports Outlook’s delivery confirmation function.

“Send immediately...” Support

  • Outlook Connector supports the “Send Immediately” function of Outlook.

Mailbox Convenience

  • All incoming messages go to the Outlook Inbox.

Mail Folder Support

  • Mail folders can be shared without needing to use an Outlook IMAP account. Users have only one Inbox, and sent messages are saved to their IMAP Sent Items folder.

Performance

Fast Message Transfer

  • Moving messages among folders is fast.

Modest System Requirements

  • Outlook Connector requires few system resources on the computers running MDaemon and Outlook.

Local Cache Storage

  • Outlook Connector has an easy way to select a location for the local cache storage if you need to move it from the default.

Stability

  • Outlook Connector uses MAPI service provider technology, which is Microsoft Outlook’s native technology.
  • Outlook Connector replaces the troublesome PST files with fast and reliable local data storage.

Open Protocols

  • Outlook Connector uses industry standard SMTP and IMAP protocols to facilitate cost-effective, open and secure communications.
  • Outlook Connector uses the standards-compliant MDaemon for its groupware functionality.

Administration

Easy Installation

  • Outlook Connector is easy to install and set up on both MDaemon and Outlook.

Easy Maintenance

  • Enable sharing by server or domain.
  • Add users individually or in bulk.
  • Automatically add Outlook users on first use.
  • Keep contact lists up to date.

Grows with Your Needs

  • The default settings of Outlook Connector create an easy entry point for beginners.
  • Detailed configuration options provide fine-tuning controls for experienced users and IT professionals.

User Experience

Easy Sharing

  • Through Outlook, each account holder assigns content sharing options to other users.

Easy Client Functions

  • Share selected folders. Set up sharing options by user.

Folder Ownership Display

  • In Outlook 2003 and later, Outlook Connector displays the name of folder owners adjacent to the folder name

Multilingual Support

  • Outlook Connector is localized in multiple languages. When using system-level folders —such as Drafts, Calendar, and Contacts—Outlook Connector users see these folders names in their selected language,
  • Administrators of MDaemon see the names in English.

“Out of Office” Editor

  • MDaemon has a function for setting up server-side auto-responder messages for individual accounts. Outlook Connector extends access to this function to Outlook.
  • You can use this function for setting up “out of office” messages, for example.

Outlook Connector for MDaemon — Guidelines

General Recommendations

  • Wherever possible, using Outlook 2003 and 2007 is recommended over using Outlook 2000 and 2002 on client PCs.
  • We highly recommend using a single Outlook Connector account in a profile of its own.
  • For maximum performance, we recommend using Outlook Connector with MDaemon Pro 9 and above.
  • It is recommended that the local Outlook Connector cache file is excluded from realtime scanning by third party desktop anti-virus applications as otherwise corruption of the cache may occur.
  • It is highly recommended that Outlook should only be configured to use HTML or Plain Text format for sending emails. Outlook should not be configured to use Word as its email editor or to use Rich Text Format (RTF) — both of these methods result in emails which do not adhere to Internet standards.
  • For performance reasons, we recommend configuring Outlook Connector's 'Send/Receive' tab to only download headers and to only check the Inbox folder for new items at each Outlook send/receive — these are the default settings.
  • Regular defragmentation of the MDaemon server's hard disk is recommended for maximum performance. Server performance can be further improved by reducing the amount of logging MDaemon is doing along with moving the logs folder and user/public/queues folders to a physically separate disk.

Deployment Considerations

The list below represents issues which should be considered prior to deployment. It should not be taken as definitive or complete, and we always recommend testing the products in your own environment to ensure that compatibility and features are as required prior to purchase.

  • In Outlook 2007, custom category names/colors may not be retained after it is restarted.
  • S/MIME encoded (digitally signed) emails are not currently supported in Outlook Connector.
  • Outlook 2007 may use excessive amounts of memory if you have a large number of folders, each with thousands of messages in them where grouping is also being used. Note, this problem is also present in an Exchange 2003/Outlook 2007 installation and is not specific to Outlook Connector.
  • Outlook's search folders will only reflect changes to items if Outlook has been re-started.
  • Users with large mailboxes may experience reduced performance using Outlook Connector in comparison to using an IMAP or POP3 account. This is most noticeable when opening Outlook, when large folders are accessed for the first time, when using Outlook 2003's 'Search Folders,' or when accessing the Journal folder.
  • Outlook custom forms and custom template files (.OFT) are not currently supported by Outlook Connector.
  • The 'Activities' tab for Contacts may not work or may cause Outlook to hang (on very large profiles).
  • For performance reasons, roaming users may need to relocate their Outlook Connector cache files on a network share so that the data does not roam with their profile.
  • Compatibility with third party Outlook plug-ins and PDA synchronization software cannot be guaranteed — the trial period should be used to ensure compatibility and functionality with any important plug-ins prior to purchase.
  • Outlook Connector does not make use of PST files and so compatibility with any software which requires PST files should be checked prior to purchase. In some cases, adding an empty PST file to the Outlook Connector profile may help.
  • In Outlook 2003, when scheduling meetings, users need to select Tools -> Check Names for the free/busy information to update.
  • To make use of MDaemon 9's free/busy service, Outlook 2000 users will need to have the Web Publishing Wizard installed (comes with Office 2000).
  • Journal folders are not yet supported inside MDaemon's WorldClient webmail interface.