exchange server good or bad

[wigs]

someone at work who wants to use the calendar feature in outlook is asking me to look into solutions. can anyone let me know about some good things and bad things about exchange server. We currently have 2 Windows 200 servers with about 30 computers and 15 outlook users. Most are not even logging into the domain. I am a newbie in the world of systems admin, am alone as far as network upkeep goes and have no backup, and no one with enough natural abilities to teach. can anyone help me. not to mention I am terrified of ex server. I do have a company that can install and fix. For a price though.

[LiVeWiRe]

wigs,

Exchange is good (IMO) but does come with a price tag. I think it's close to $1000 for the actual software and then you need licensing which is around $70 per user or device depending on how you set things up.

You may be able to find the software cheaper and depending on what type of organization you are in, there may also be discounts available.

You would also want to (strongly) consider antivirus software for Exchange, such as Trend's ScanMail. Again, good software but at a price.

A setup for your organization shouldn't prove too difficult and with some good research you should have no trouble finding documentation to assist you in installing and configuring Exchange. It is also pretty straightforward from an admin perspective...

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask...

-LW

[mairving]

Exchange is like most everything else that MS sells, expensive bloatware that is easy to use but can be difficult to troubleshoot. I run Exchange 2000 at work for about 80 users at work. It is the only server in my network that requires frequent, usually twice a week, reboots. I would prefer to rid myself of it but it is difficult since it was here when I got here and is integrated into the AD domain. I would use either Qmail or Sendmail if I were starting anew.