Feature Comparison Matrix
The following table shows the key comparison points between Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Exchange Server.
POP3 feature comparison table
| Functionality | Windows Server 2003 POP3 mail services | Exchange Server 2003 |
|---|---|---|
Support for POP3 clients |
Yes |
Yes |
Support for other client and development protocols |
No |
MAPI, IMAP, WebDAV, CDO, ADO, HTTP |
Support for multiple server storage of mailboxes |
No Note POP3 mailbox storage must be defined as one location. However, multiple server support can be achieved by using a network-attached storage server or a Distributed File System (DFS) configuration. |
Yes |
Integrated Web client support |
No |
Yes, with Outlook Web Access |
Authentication methods for POP3 |
Integrated authentication through Active Directory, local security access method, encrypted password file |
Integrated authentication through Active Directory |
Authentication passing methods |
Basic, NTLM, APOP |
Basic, NTLM, Kerberos, Certificate, Public Key |
SSL support |
No |
Yes |
Collaboration features |
Not applicable |
Calendar, Outlook Web Access, reminders, rich address book, rules, storage event sink |
Support for integrated antivirus and anti-spam solutions (third party) |
No |
Yes, using AVAPI 2.0 |
Backup method |
File based |
Online and offline database backups |
Storage architecture |
File based |
Exchange database |
Mailbox size limits |
Yes, through Windows Server quota system, which means user-specific per volume |
Yes, can be configured at the mailbox level |
Distributed architecture |
No |
Yes, support for front-end and back-end servers |
Cluster support |
No |
Yes, for all protocols |
Support for distributed storage |
Yes, through network-attached storage or Distributed File System that requires configuration and maintenance overhead |
Each Exchange Server within SMTP domain can be configured as a mailbox server |
Support for Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) |
No |
Yes, using Exchange Management pack for rules, monitoring, and Knowledge Base access |
Tested to scale of millions of users |
No |
Yes, up to 3 million |