* The PostPath 2.0 client, Zimbra
PostPath, the open source Microsoft Exchange server replacement company, recently launched a new version of its Linux-based mail server, which might be worth a look. The new version includes an Asynchronous Java Script + XML-based client interface, and new server failover capabilities.
In case you don’t know about PostPath, the company offers a Linux-based e-mail and collaboration server appliance designed to drop into an existing Microsoft Exchange Server environment. The designers of the product say PostPath provides interoperability on the network protocol level with Microsoft Exchange and Outlook, Active Directory as well as RIM BlackBerry servers integrated with an Exchange environment.
The PostPath 2.0 client, called Zimbra, is based on the AJAX code cocktail, used to produce rich desktop-style application features in Web and HTML-based software. (Think of it as an upgrade from clunky Yahoo Mail-like e-mail inboxes). It has the ability to drag and drop messages, and navigate more smoothly among e-mail, calendar and collaboration features of the client/server package.
PostPath 2.0 also adds support for Linux HA (High Availability), a feature included in some Linux distributions for mirroring two servers, usually over a dedicated LAN link between the boxes with a flipped Ethernet cable. (Distributed Replicated Block Device – DRBD – is used to replicate the PostPath server on a remote machine). The result is a cluster of PostPath servers, with one machine taking over all e-mail and calendar serving functions in case the primary machine fails. PostPath 2.0 also includes the ability to encrypt data sitting on the PostPath server’s storage system.
