Please don't take this the wrong way, for it is meant in the best possible sense, but would anyone really want MAPI on a *nix box?
I dunno, maybe it is just me, but there has to be something wrong in the Universe when they come out with that implementation. Up will be down. Right will be wrong. Taxes will give you money back... I dunno... Besides, considering what MAPI is, the number of Windows internals that it is tied to, and the modes in which Exchange operates (internet vs. workgroup) I doubt that they would be able to port it - and if they did it might not work exactly as expected. I'd much rather have that standard mbox file anyway. The mail data is text based. The contents of the file can be parsed with scripts. A Perl script can be used to load the contents into the mail form with ARSPerl and the mbox contents can be parsed with anyone of the parser packages that are available. Mime encoded attachments are fairly easy to work with as there are packages available for them as well. Life is a cool place. The only thing that is a pain is the parsing of attachments out of it - and that is only if your clients are using a Microsoft Outlook client to send the messages to the machine because Microsoft decided to encapsulate the attachment data with their own - say the word with me - "proprietary" format called TNEF (transport neutral encapsulation/encoding format). This why mail sent from an Outlook client when viewed on a *nix box have that cute little ".dat" file... Oddly enough, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Pine, Netscape Mail, most web mail based system, Eudora/Penelope - and the list goes on - mail clients don't use the format, which makes Outlook seem somewhat well.... I do agree with you, however. It is a pain. Maybe the wizards could bless the application suite with an import utility specifically for mail that could be used for this. That way they would be addressing the need while still keeping all right with the cosmos. > In all fairness I don't see this as solely BMC Remedy issue even though > it's a huge pain in the neck for me in terms of the compatibility. > > Microsoft engineered MAPI to be used natively on Windows (which they > sell of course) and supports POP3 and IMAP4 - but they don't push these > other protocols. In fact, to get all the bells and whistles out of > Exchange and Outlook you need MAPI. > > Remedy is engineered to be compatible with all of them IF the platform > allows it. Remedy does a pretty good job of being OS compatible IMHO > but the cross platform issues are just as much a Microsoft issue as > anyone else's. The MAPI connector should be universal in this fairly > mature enterprise market. Microsoft knows that true enterprise systems > rarely use windows servers - and they also know a LOT of automated > incoming and outgoing email products exist for all platforms out there. > > My customer in this case uses exchange - and because of that choice they > have limitations when it comes to interfacing with Remedy servers > designed for thousands of users and literally tens of millions of > customers. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Action Request System discussion list(ARSList) > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Grooms, Frederick W > Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 1:48 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Incoming emails on Solaris + Exchange > > The other question to ask: Is the protocol even available on Unix? > > -----Original Message----- > From: Action Request System discussion list(ARSList) > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Carey Matthew Black > Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 12:35 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Incoming emails on Solaris + Exchange > > Ray, > > I am not challenging or questioning any of those ideas or perspectives. > (Mostly because I think you are right on the mark.) > > However... Can you indicate any preferred protocols that should be > supported by BMC for E-Mail with ARS? Have you already submitted RFE > (Request for Enhancements) for support of those protocols? > > ( Just trying to light a candle, not a religious war over > platforms/standards/security. :) ) > > -- > Carey Matthew Black > Remedy Skilled Professional (RSP) > ARS = Action Request System(Remedy) > > Love, then teach > Solution = People + Process + Tools > Fast, Accurate, Cheap.... Pick two. > > > On Jan 30, 2008 1:22 PM, Ray Gellenbeck <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> ** >> >> Folks, remember that a big sector of Remedy useage is Uncle Sam, both >> govt and military. >> >> I can only speak for our project in that both POP3 and IMAP4 are >> forbidden by security. This makes like really rough for someone >> operating on Solaris as MBOX becomes your only protocol left for >> incoming email (MAPI is Exchange/Winblows). >> >> (begin soapbox) >> This is a heartache we have with Remedy as we re-evaluate ITSM >> platform selection in the future. BMC's attitude is increasingly >> "just get a windows box" for more and more of their solutions or >> sub-features with ARS. We're getting tired of hearing "oh, we haven't > >> developed a unix version of SSO for 6.03" in the past or "just use > MAPI or POP3" now for incoming email. >> >> Remedy started out primarily a Unix system and much of their growth >> was due to that sector. Government, at least a big majority of it, >> runs on Unix/Oracle. The younger generation of devs may not see >> things that way and I have no desire to fire a debate thread here, but > >> spend some time in the military sector and then evaluate that >> statement. If BMC doesn't wake up and smell the coffee as they roll >> out products, they could start finding their wallet getting lighter, >> IMHO. Slapping Windows-box bandaids in a secure Unix environment is >> not a realistic workaround just because BMC doesn't have the >> committment to ensuring that their product works as-advertised on all >> environments they claim to support when they sell it and collect their > multi-million-dollar support contracts each year. >> (end soapbox) > > ________________________________________________________________________ > _______ > UNSUBSCRIBE or access ARSlist Archives at www.arslist.org Platinum > Sponsor: www.rmsportal.com ARSlist: "Where the Answers Are" > > _______________________________________________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE or access ARSlist Archives at www.arslist.org > Platinum Sponsor: www.rmsportal.com ARSlist: "Where the Answers Are" > > -- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > -- Will Du Chene [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.myspace.com/wduchene _______________________________________________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE or access ARSlist Archives at www.arslist.org Platinum Sponsor: www.rmsportal.com ARSlist: "Where the Answers Are"
