Merak Mail Server, Running With the Pack
Merak Mail Server: Complete mail and groupware server with competitive pricing
In simpler times, a network mail server had few responsibilities -- send outgoing messages to the Internet, and deliver incoming messages to the recipient's inbox. Ah, the good old days. But that is no longer enough: Mail servers are now expected to do much more than just deliver mail. The bar has been raised, requiring mail servers to act as messaging platforms. While some products have strained under the weight of these new responsibilities, Merak Mail Server and GroupWare Server are designed to embrace these broadened responsibilities.
Consistent with the mail server-as-messaging-platform theme, Merak's Mail Server is the foundation of the system. Additional functionality is achieved by way of add-ons, such as the GroupWare server, and anti-virus, anti-spam, instant messaging, and Webmail enhancements. To reduce confusion, Merak bundles all of these products together in one 18 MB download. When the trial version is downloaded and installed, all of the above features are initially installed, consuming about 45 MB of diskspace.
When the 30-day trial period lapses, the type of license purchased for the Mail Server determines which add-ons are included. For example, the Lite license, which is oriented toward home users and telecommuters, is priced at $99. (It does not extend to any of the add-ons.) The other two licenses for Mail Server are Standard and Professional. Each of the three types is broken down further into two "flavors" -- regular and Power Pack. In all cases, the Power Pack variant includes more of the add-ons. When add-ons are not included, they can usually be licensed a la carte. As a result, the overall feature-vs.-price matrix for the Merak platform is somewhat complex. Merak's Web site illustrates the options clearly, but one still faces a thicket of choices.
Despite the complexity of the licensing scheme, installing Mail Server is a straightforward process. Merak has admirably streamlined a complex product into a fast and painless install. Because the product relies on a database back-end, it includes a free Microsoft database. Users of the Professional version can also opt for ODBC via MS SQL7 or SQL2000.
Mail servers require a certain degree of configuration before they can be useful -- there's just no avoiding it. Merak provides a Windows-based administration tool as well as a Web-based interface. Both share a similar look and feel and can access the same administrative functions -- a nice treat for those who've struggled with clunky Web-based admin tools. The software provides clear instructions for configuring the basics. For a mail server to even be minimally useful, certain network information must be set up correctly. Context help provides further assistance throughout the interface, albeit sometimes a little skimpier than would be ideal for a platform with so many features.
The software is highly configurable. Merak has done a good job at breaking down the interface into manageable chunks. For example, the "Accounts" configuration provides full control over virtual domains, user account parameters, mailing lists, handling of executables, and static routes. The "Server Monitor" uses both data and graphs to quickly summarize the activity and performance of each of the servers -- SMTP, POP3, IMAP, as well as instant messaging. Each of these servers, plus the Calendaring server (the GroupWare add-on) can be separately configured for logging and monitoring.
Obviously, minimizing spam and viruses is important subjects in email transport. Merak provides a three-pronged attack against spam by way of a content filter, an anti-spam filter, and what the company calls an "Instant Anti Spam Engine." The two filters let the admin configure flags that can be used to catch spam messages based on content in either the message bodies or message headers. But because filters can be outsmarted by the more clever spammers, Merak also offers the Instant Anti-Spam module add-on (priced from $90 to $780).
The Instant Anti-Spam module provides more sophisticated anti-spam defenses, such as SpamAssassin filters, Bayesian filters, and Challenge/Response mechanisms. Through this combined approach, Merak claims Mail Server can achieve near 100 percent accuracy in filtering spam as well as a 0 percent false positive rate. That's a big claim to make, as most email user prefer to control spam on the client end rather than have it controled for them on the server end. (You never know if that one false positive was the invitation to a White House dinner you'd been eagerly awaiting.)
Fortunately, Merak can be configured to mark messages it suspects as spam rather than merely deleting them. This provides the end user with a tool for identifying spam with the possibility of recovering false positives.
Mail Server can scan incoming and outgoing messages for viruses using either its integrated AntiVirus software (also an add-on, priced from $180 to $870) or an external filter from a third party. Administrators have a lot of flexibility here, as infected messages can be rejected, disinfected, or quarantined, and appropriate notifications can be sent to senders or recipients.
The Instant Messaging server (priced from $90 to $790) relies on the XML-based Jabber protocol to support standard IM features. Thus, it can interact with any Jabber-compatible client. Internally, the IM server can act as a gateway to IM users on ICQ, AOL, MSN, or Yahoo IM platforms.
A WebMail server and interface is included with the Standard and Professional PowerPack versions (otherwise, $220). Based on a standard Hotmail-like interface, users can access POP3 or IMAP4 mail with either the Merak MailServer or most other mail servers.
The GroupWare add-on for Mail Server ($66 to $900) provides calendaring, scheduling, contact, and other coordination features to end users. Administrators configure the GroupWare functionality via the Mail Server administration interface (Windows or Web-based). Users access the GroupWare server via Merak's WebMail interface or Microsoft Outlook (version 2000 and above). For Outlook users, Merak provides a small download that installs a "connector" between Outlook and the Merak database. Users can then configure Outlook to connect to their email accounts hosted by Merak Mail Server. They access shared calendars, schedules, and contacts through the standard Outlook interface. Because all GroupWare data is stored centrally in Mail Server, users can access these shared resources at their place of work via Outlook as well as remotely via Merak's WebMail interface.
Merak aims high with the Mail Server platform, attempting to address all markets at once, from the home office user to the ISP or corporate environment. The intelligent, modular design of the software is indeed critical to its success -- compact, fast, and scalable. The paradox here is that it is precisely this jack-in-the-box-of-all-trades that lends itself to a complex array of features and licensing schemes. In a sense, Merak Mail Server is one product that can be tailored to meet an organization's needs by way of the many available licensing schemes.
Pros: Highly accessible administration; Fast and scalable; Complex platform simply packaged
Cons: Relationship between mail server platform and various add-ons is initially obtuse; More configuration tutorials would help; Complex licensing schemes
Reviewed by: Aaron Weiss
Original Review Date: 3/10/2004
Original Review Version: 7.1.4
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