GuidesNTMail -- Mid-range/enterprise-level mail server for Win NT and Win 9x platforms

NTMail — Mid-range/enterprise-level mail server for Win NT and Win 9x platforms

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NTMail offers SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 mail services for both dial-up and LAN Internet connections using Windows NT (Intel and Alpha) or Windows 95 platforms. The server was designed from the outset for Windows NT and as a result enjoys several optimization benefits that you won’t find in many of the mail servers ported from Unix platforms or upgraded from older 16-bit Windows code. In addition to taking full advantage of Windows NT’s multi-threading capabilities, NTMail allows you to utilize the Windows NT user database instead of or in addition to its own user database. The server also makes use of the Windows NT performance monitor to provide you with real-time feedback and statistics on the server’s performance. Finally, NTMail is integrated as a Windows NT system service and can be controlled remotely if needed.

NTMail offers SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 mail services for both dial-up and LAN Internet connections using Windows NT (Intel and Alpha) or Windows 95 platforms.

NTMail also utilizes your Windows NT resources to their full potential with processor-specific coding optimized for systems based on their use of Alpha, Intel, and/or multiple processors. As a result NTMail is one of the best performers in its category. The Windows 95 release, on the other hand, lacks the optimization benefits and some of the more advanced features found in the NT release, making it more of an NTMail Lite server than a full-fledged version of NTMail. While still quite capable, the Windows 95 release lags noticeably behind alternative Windows 95 mail servers like SLMail and Mdaemon.

With the exception of LDAP services NTMail is up to date on the latest Internet mail protocols including SMTP/POP3, IMAP4, HTML mail, and MIME. Among NTMail’s features are a graphical user interface for configuration, a standard interface for the control of servers, an integrated NTListlist server (a fully functional mailing list server), remote browser-based administration capabilities, extensive logging capabilities, mail forwarding for up to 20 other users, an integrated simple caching WWW proxy server, an e-mail to fax gateway (LG-Fax), a server-based rules system, auto-responder capabilities that can send receipts and acknowledgments, anti-SPAM support, a password server, a finger server, Application Programmer Interfaces (APIs) that allow third parties to utilize NTMail’s facilities, and support for add-on robots (via APIs).

The add-on robots are one of NTMail’s cooler features. Robots are programs that can perform additional functions and add new features to the mail server. A variety of robots are already available for NTMail and include archiving tools, auto-responder extensions, a broadcast feature for sending out messages to all users in a specified domain or domains, a console pager for sending messages to digital pagers, a tool that will post messages to DNews NNTP servers, and more (for a complete listing of current robots, check out NTMail’s Robotspage).

NTMail provides three different options for configuration and administration tasks — via Applets in the Windows 95/NT Control Panel, by using NTMail’s WWW Configuration Server (via HTML forms that can be accessed with any standard Web Browser), or by modifying settings directly in the System Registry. All three methods allow you to add or remove users, grant domain administration rights to specific users, add mail to be read, and make similar installation and administration changes.

With its impressive set of features, blazing performance under Windows NT, choice of administration tools, platform-specific optimized code, and support for the latest Internet mail protocols, NTMail clearly stands out as one of the best mail servers on the market for Windows NT. Although the Windows 95 release doesn’t fare quite as well, it is still a reasonable choice for users without access to a Windows NT computer. But if you really want to realize the full potential of NTMail, the Windows NT release is the only way to go.

Pros: Blazing performance, optimized for NT platforms, solid set of features, relatively inexpensive
Cons: Windows only, lackluster Win9x version, lacks LDAP services and advanced security
New:IMAP4 support, new robots, improved performance, LG-Fax fax gateway

New in v4.0: Web-based remote administration capabilities, enhanced mail performance (more than twice as fast), entirely redesigned graphical user interface, integrated simple caching WWW proxy server, improved recovery capabilities, two new types of logs and additional logging options
Upgrade Meter: 5

New in v4.30A: DDL domain support, Web access to e-mail, robots & DLLs may be written to receive e-mail for user accounts and domains; global search capabilities; Release Notes
Upgrade Meter: 4

New in v4.30C: Ability to email support via GUI, Alias address used for SMTP logging, Allow post to servers with bad keys, Bypass Juce check if authenticated user, GUI to display user count, Inspect.exe show size of individual msgs, List Max Message size logging, Log Management optional for domain admin, MX backup to return error messages, Mail Manager to set autoresponder rate, Make threads dynamic, Viewing List Members slow, Logging for Virus Scanner; Misc. Bug Fixes. – To upgrade to this version, you will need to download the Intel or Alpha version and run the “.exe” (or for Alpha, unzip and run “setup.exe”). Any version of 4.XX of NTMail may be upgraded to 4.30C at no cost. ; Release Notes
Upgrade Meter: 4

New in v5.0: Load sharing, SQL & LDAP connectivity for user authentication, the release of the Mail Meta Language (MML) for scripting, the ability to perform NTMail configuration via Cold Fusion; Release Notes
Upgrade Meter: 5

New in v5.1: Works with SP1, SP2, SP3, SP4 or SP5
Upgrade Meter: 2

New in v6.0: Optional free GLWebMail (with advertising) that provides similar NTMail bundled in; complete IP address/port control for each service; proxy server security; SSL for proxy; POP/IMAP/WebMail access rights; WAP support; improved performance; allows simultaneous different types of ETRN; allows POST to authenticate to SMTP; default unknown user action set to reject; log action statements from user scripts; no longer restricts IPs to which the Web can bind; subscribe/unsubscribe problems in IMAP fixed; lost footer file no longer stops service start; removed traps that developed on shutdown; Service Activity page now visible; messages from to local host no longer disappear; Release Notes
Upgrade Meter: 5

New in v7.0: Administrators can create names for groups of people as a type of “mini list” so that any e-mail sent to the group name will be forwarded automatically to all members of that group; new GUI; various new reports added: Current Activity Report, Mail Queue Size Report, Domains Report, Undeliverable Mail Report, Account Report, and Virus Scan Report; profiles define the attribute and access rights of a user; multiple MML Scripts allow each stage of the SMTP protocol to run multiple scripts (e.g., it is now possible to run two or more EOMScripts); support for Active Directory; moved dialup actions to file; passwd & finger by disabled by default; Useraccesslist moved to file; COM object updates services; parallel sign-on problems fixed; support for RFC 2595 – POP/IMAP TLSParrallel Sign On Problems fixed; allusers group restricted to local domain; everyone group restricted to local system; WAP AcknowledgeCurrentMsg(acktext); fixed no domain footer if mail from external; COM Updated for un-implemented functions; GUI no longer says “Message Manager not eSarah..”; incorrect unknown user failure if -list fixed; LAST command always returns last mail; check IP address entered for nameservers; POP Unknown user for valid NT accts fixed; Release Notes
Upgrade Meter: 5

Version Reviewed: 4.30A
Reviewed by: Forrest Stroud
Last Updated: 9/4/01
Date of Original Review: 3/16/98

Operating Systems / Latest Versions:

Windows NT – Intel (v4.30A), Alpha (v4.30A), .
Windows 95 (v4.20A)
Windows 2000
Linux, Solaris

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