Comparing POP3 in Windows Server and Exchange

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Both Exchange Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 (Web Edition, Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, and Datacenter Edition) mail services provide inboxes for POP3 clients. They both also allow integrated authentication through Active Directory® directory service. Both are scalable messaging solutions although Exchange Server is the recommended solution for large environments.

Exchange Server provides better administration for the POP3 service than Windows Server 2003 although the user experience on a POP3 client (such as when sending or receiving e-mail is the same).

Exchange User Advantages

Exchange Server is an integrated messaging and collaboration environment and provides many advantages over a server running the Windows Server POP3 service. These advantages include:

  • Support for protocols such as IMAP and MAPI, which allow rich messaging functionality either online or offline.

  • Microsoft Outlook® Web Access for access from any computer on the Internet for email, calendar, contacts, and tasks.

  • Mobile client support through Microsoft Outlook Mobile Access.

  • Rich client functionality such as group calendaring with free and busy information, resource management, and rules.

  • Support for e-mail features such as aliasing, mailing lists, auto-reply, and auto-forwarding.

Exchange Server Architecture and Administrative Advantages

The Exchange Server architecture offers administrative advantages in terms of e-mail routing, maintenance, and administration. The following architectural differences should be noted when comparing the POP3 service in Exchange Server 2003 with the POP3 service in Windows Server 2003:

  • Integrated administration   Exchange System Manager allows you to manage all your Exchange servers from a single location. In Windows Server 2003, you manage the POP3 service on each individual server.

  • Support for online and offline backups   Exchange Server deploys a transactional database that can be backed up when it is either online or offline. Online backup minimizes the time that the server is unavailable for users. Windows Server POP3 e-mail should be backed up when it is offline. Having to back up while offline could lead to a service interruption for users. If the administrator backs up while the service is online, he or she runs the risk that open files (mailboxes) might be skipped by the backup software.

  • Support for virus scanning   Microsoft Exchange Server is designed with an Application Programming Interface (API) for antivirus. This API allows antivirus products to scan Internet mail and report the sender and receiver of infected mail. This API allows organizations to implement antivirus and anti-spam solutions that protect their users. The Windows Server POP3 service does not have any built-in support for virus scanning or anti-spam utilities. A virus scanner used on files on the server running the Windows Server 2003 POP3 service would need to be capable of skipping files that cannot be read and tracking the need to come back to them. If a virus scanner does not meet this requirement, there is no guarantee that all files will be scanned.

  • Single instance storage   Exchange Server stores only one copy of an e-mail message (with or without an attachment) sent to several recipients on the same server. Single instance storage allows for central storage of e-mail while keeping the requirements for storage space to a manageable scale. The Windows Server POP3 service stores multiple instances of a copied e-mail and will, therefore, lead to larger datastores until messages are downloaded from the server.

  • Support for multiple domain names   Exchange Server allows mailboxes that have different domain names and multiple e-mail aliases to be within one domain. The Windows Server POP3 service also supports multiple domains if using either Active Directory or encrypted password file authentication, but it does not support multiple e-mail names using local Windows account authentication.

  • Support for Microsoft Operations Manager   The Application Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) includes a management pack module for Exchange Server 5.5 and Exchange 2000 Server. This management pack module consists of preconfigured rules that can monitor Exchange Server and its services. Additionally, these rules are coupled with Knowledge Base articles that can help administrators troubleshoot and solve detected issues more efficiently. Currently, no MOM management pack is available for the Windows Server 2003 POP3 service.

  • Additional administrative advantages   Exchange Server supports a distributed architecture along with the ability to move mailboxes between servers without modifying the client settings. With Exchange Server, convenient administration is available without any scripting.