MERCUR -- POP3/SMTP/IMAP4 mail server for Windows 95/98/NT platforms

A fairly standard POP3/IMAP4 mail servers with noteworthy support of ODBC database connectivity, Mercur offers many useful features that should appeal to medium-sized businesses and ISPs as well as the low end of the enterprise.

What makes Mercur unique is its reliance on ODBC for data management. You can user accounts and event-log information in ODBC data sources. This makes it easy to import user data created in other applications -- useful when working with a large number of users -- while the ability to store log information in ODBC databases means that it can be extensively analyzed in database-management packages.

Configuration can be performed with either the configuration tools shipped with MERCUR or with an HTTP-based module that can be accessed with any standard Web browser. There are a few differences between the two configuration methods, but the support of Web-based configuration means that remote configuration is possible from anywhere on an intranet or the Internet.

Management is performed in the User Manager, which is consciously patterned after the Windows Explorer and is used to set up permissions, routings to remote mail accounts, and static routes to various accounts (such as setting up a route to sales@bigcorp.com that depends on the subject line). There's coordination with Windows NT for some permissions on domains, and MERCUR's management of different domains is very good.

For example, you can enter user information and have it entered automatically both in MERCUR and Windows NT's User Directory. Such point-and-click functionality makes MERCUR easy to set up and administer on an ongoing basis. On the flip side, the reliance on Windows NT -- and, to a lesser extent, Windows 95/98 -- limits future expansion, as there are no UNIX or Macintosh versions available.

There are middling security measures available in MERCUR. You can encrypt incoming and outgoing messages but overall security and permissions are performed on the operating-system level. IP filtering is available; Atrium Software calls it a firewall capability, but it doesn't really rise to the level of a full firewall. Look for this capability to be updated in a later version.

Also included are anti-spamming capabilities, mailing-list management services, scheduling capabilities that allow great control over when messages are sent out and received, and extensive control over messages in terms of how many messages can be stored on the system and how large these messages can be. A notable omission in MERCUR is support for LDAP, which is increasingly becoming a check-list item for the enterprise.

MERCUR is available for download as a fully functional server with only one limiting factor -- a maximum of three user mailboxes. Pricing for the server begins at $122 for a 5-user mailbox license and scales up to $250 for a 10-user license, $330 for a 20-user license, and $640 for an unlimited user license. Registration also entitles you to a free 30-day installation and evaluation support policy (via e-mail and fax).

In sum, there are several handy features in MERCUR that may make it a good choice for the Internet site or ISP that depends on Windows NT for its mail services, and the ODBC connectivity make MERCUR a unique product in the mail server world. But if you're looking for a scalable mail server appropriate for a mission-critical enterprise environment and are not totally wedded to Windows NT, you may want to look at products that offer both LDAP support and UNIX versions.

Pros: Use of ODBC databases for user information and log information; Integration with Windows NT; Support for IMAP4

Cons: Lacks support for LDAP; No UNIX/Macintosh versions available

Version Reviewed: 3.1
Reviewed by: Kevin Reichard
Date of Original Review: 8/7/98