Windows Multi-Domain Mail Server Woes
Can anybody recommend a Windows email server that doesn't fuss over domain names?
Unfortunately, our Post.Office server has incurable open-relay issues that force us to change server products. [Post.Office has long been discontinued.]
I am testing IMail and Merak and surprised that both over-complicate management by dividing users up by domain name. Is this standard? WHO CARES which domain name a mailbox belongs to?!
I don't know about other ISPs, but most of our customers have multiple .COM, .NET and .ORG domains and they want ONE e-mail inbox for all of 'em.
Post.Office was wonderfully transparent in this regard. One admin list contained the domain names to be supported by the server. Then, user "Bob" with primary address "bobby@customer1.com" could have aliases "admin@customer1.com", "bobby@mail.customer1.com" and "bobby@otherdomain.com." One mail server. One mail account. Unlimited aliases across multiple domains. How nice.
By comparisson, IMail wants a "virtual server" configured for every domain. The result of all this extra work? There are non-standard login problems (unless you can afford to grant a static IP to EVERY domain/virtual server) and users can't have cross-domain aliases. To do that, you must setup individual mailboxes with forwarders. What a mess! A customer with 20 domain names would consume 20 virtual servers, 20 forwarding mailboxes -- all just to get mail to one inbox.
Admittedly, there are some benefits to grouping mail accounts, but why by domain? Again, most hosting customers or organizations have multiple domains. They want one admin and one junk mailbox for mis-addressed mail -- not a separate one for each domain name.
If anybody can recommend an "all-purpose" mail server for Windows that better understands ISPs, I'm all ears. [Better yet, could somebody simply add SMTP AUTH support to Post.Office? I'll pay!!!] Damn Software.com/OpenWave for pulling this product without donating the source to public domain.
Sorry for the rant. I feel much better now.
Any help is GREATLY appreciated.
Dave
