HP Issues Battlecry in High-end Unix Server Market

One of the highest-end products on the market, the Simeon Message Service is a tool designed for enterprise environments that need a scalable and robust solution for more than 500 users. But with a price tag of $6,000, Simeon is probably not the best choice for sites under 500 users, where there are numerous Windows NT and UNIX tools that offer more bang for the buck.
Hewlett-Packard rolls out its HP 9000 Superdome server solution two weeks ahead of the scheduled launch of Sun’s oft-delayed Ultrasparc III.

Simeon Message Service is available on the Digital UNIX, Hewlett Packard HP-UX, IBM AIX, Linux, SGI IRIX, and Sun Solaris operating systems. The server does not currently run on any Windows platforms; additionally, Esys has not made an evaluation release of the server available for download. As a result we are unable to provide an extensive review and rating of the server at this time.

Simeon is closely tied to the UNIX operating system, which means that veteran UNIX sysadmins should have fewer problems installing and configuring the server. The Simeon Message Service is composed of an IMAP4 server, a proprietary IMSP (Internet Message Support Protocol) server, a sendmail component and an LDAP/X-500 Services server. Security features include support for SASL (Simple Authentication and Security Layer) and authentication support for CRAM-MD5 and Kerberos V4.

Pros: 7 Robust server for the UNIX environment, 7 IMAP4 support, 7 Integrated LDAP/X-500 server, 7 Interoperability with other Mail Transfer Agents

Cons: 7 No Windows NT release, 7 Expensive

New: 7 Remote admin support, 7 IMAP4 support, 7 Authentication server; 7 List of Features


Upgrade Meter: 4

Operating Systems / Latest Versions:

Unix: Linux, Digital Unix, SGI IRIX, HP-UX, and Sun Solaris – v2.0.3