Need alternative to Outlook to connect to Exchange server

DarkestRitual · Mar 1, 2010

Yea, Snow Leopard's Mail app has built in exchange support.

stewabr · Mar 1, 2010

michelangelo said:
Okay, so, to verify if Entourage (or Outlook for Mac) can do the trick, I promised yesterday to publish the non-confidential version of the connection mode of Outlook as required to automatically connect to company's Exchange server via proxy and SSL : When my office Windows PC connects and authenticates to my home Airport base station (wireless network) and I start Outlook, Outlook connects automagically to the Microsoft Exchange Server of my company, to my company account, and starts downloading email, address list and calendar

CONNECTION: Authentication with password (NTLM)
Connect through my local network
Connect to my Exchange mailbox through HTTP
EXCHANGE PROXY PARAMETERS
Use this URL to connect: https://mail.xxxxx.xxx
Connect through SSL only
Mutually authenticate the session during SSL connection
Name of proxy server: msstd.mail.xxxxx.xxx
On slow networks first connect with http, then connect through TCP/IP
Tu authenticate to my proxy server for Exchange
"Authenticate NTLM"

This should be all. It takes thousands of screens on Outlook

Now the question. Could this be achived with Entourage (now) or Outlook for mac (future) ?

jud and all other wise people, what would you think ?

TIA

Yes, it should work fine. Below are the instructions I wrote for two other Mac Users in my practice. They both were able to set it just fine with the same data you posted for our server.

1. Download Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition from Office for Mac - Easy Access to Downloads and Updates | Mactopia (This update is Microsoft’s answer to the issues that existed in connecting to Exchange 2007 servers. Please note however that there is no going back to the previous version)
2. Follow the configuration instructions posted at IT Pros - Microsoft for Mac Products | Mactopia
3. When trying to “Verify Settings” the Entourage client will say that not everything is set up correctly and ask you if you want to try again. Click on Skip.
4. Entourage will ask you if you want to let the mail server provide settings, click on Always Allow.

TechieJustin · Mar 1, 2010

OK... I read about an open source email app that can interface with Exchange.
The name is on the tip of my tongue - but I forget.
I need an Adderall.

TechieJustin · Mar 1, 2010

Evolution!

(Unless somebody else mentioned it.)

Riel · Mar 2, 2010

Well, i stumbled on this topic, but I can give you something you might like to run your own, comfy email application with exchange:

DavMail POP/IMAP/SMTP/CalDav/LDAP Exchange Gateway

works like a charm for me, the developer is very active too.

You can run it on your local machine, but for comfort I have it running on my server now.

I use Thunderbird with Lightning, and connect to my work via IMAP and iCAL. Sending mail over exchange via SMTP. I do not use the ldap adress book but it seems to work just fine.

michelangelo · Mar 2, 2010

stewabr said:
Yes, it should work fine. Below are the instructions I wrote for two other Mac Users in my practice. They both were able to set it just fine with the same data you posted for our server.

1. Download Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition from Office for Mac - Easy Access to Downloads and Updates | Mactopia (This update is Microsoft’s answer to the issues that existed in connecting to Exchange 2007 servers. Please note however that there is no going back to the previous version)
2. Follow the configuration instructions posted at IT Pros - Microsoft for Mac Products | Mactopia
3. When trying to “Verify Settings” the Entourage client will say that not everything is set up correctly and ask you if you want to try again. Click on Skip.
4. Entourage will ask you if you want to let the mail server provide settings, click on Always Allow.

Thanks, stewabr, I will give it a try

michelangelo · Mar 2, 2010

Riel said:
Well, i stumbled on this topic, but I can give you something you might like to run your own, comfy email application with exchange:

DavMail POP/IMAP/SMTP/CalDav/LDAP Exchange Gateway

works like a charm for me, the developer is very active too.

You can run it on your local machine, but for comfort I have it running on my server now.

I use Thunderbird with Lightning, and connect to my work via IMAP and iCAL. Sending mail over exchange via SMTP. I do not use the ldap adress book but it seems to work just fine.

Interesting, maybe difficult to install and get to work for ignorant people like me. Also, I noticed on the website it mentions webdav connections. Don't you need to configure the Exchange server to be webdav-something compliant, which could be different from the settings I indicated above ?

Riel · Mar 2, 2010

It's really easy to setup (instructions for mac are on that site), I am no computerman too, but in recent past I was looking for my ubuntu desktop to sync with work exchange. I can't live without it and several collegues use my set now. I thought it just needs web-access to work (can you access exchange via webpage). Most servers have this active though.

It's very easy to run locally, just run davmail, set your exchangeserver in it, and set your imap server settings in your fav mailclient to localhost:1143, that's really all about it.

If you want to try mail me your exchange server adress (not your username and pass) and I set it up here. Then you just connect to my server and see if it works for you. It's worth a try, isn't it?

Mail me at riel.noter.mansATgmail.com

michelangelo · Mar 3, 2010

Riel said:
It's really easy to setup (instructions for mac are on that site), I am no computerman too, but in recent past I was looking for my ubuntu desktop to sync with work exchange. I can't live without it and several collegues use my set now. I thought it just needs web-access to work (can you access exchange via webpage). Most servers have this active though.

It's very easy to run locally, just run davmail, set your exchangeserver in it, and set your imap server settings in your fav mailclient to localhost:1143, that's really all about it.

If you want to try mail me your exchange server adress (not your username and pass) and I set it up here. Then you just connect to my server and see if it works for you. It's worth a try, isn't it?

Mail me at riel.noter.mansATgmail.com

Yes, I can access Exchange via webpage. Yes, it is worth a try if (1) it can enable me to access my agenda data (and save them to iCal) and (2) it can enable me to access my address list (and save it on Address Book)

TechieJustin · Mar 3, 2010

How about Evolution?

Evolution (software) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Downloads - Evolution

michelangelo · Mar 14, 2010

Riel said:
It's really easy to setup (instructions for mac are on that site), I am no computerman too, but in recent past I was looking for my ubuntu desktop to sync with work exchange. I can't live without it and several collegues use my set now. I thought it just needs web-access to work (can you access exchange via webpage). Most servers have this active though.

It's very easy to run locally, just run davmail, set your exchangeserver in it, and set your imap server settings in your fav mailclient to localhost:1143, that's really all about it.

If you want to try mail me your exchange server adress (not your username and pass) and I set it up here. Then you just connect to my server and see if it works for you. It's worth a try, isn't it?

Mail me at riel.noter.mansATgmail.com

Complex.

I downloaded davmail and only succeded to input my Exchange webmail address htpps://web.axens.net/owa/

If I try htpps://web.axens.net/exchange/ on my browser, it simply fails which indicates, according to the notice, that Exchange is not configured for WEBdav

Then, I have no idea how to get it to work. My mail address is <michel_angeloATme.com>

TIA for assistance

michelangelo · Aug 7, 2011

Forgot to summarize.

So far, while I was using a 9-years old iBook, I succeeded doing what I wanted with Plaxo <www.plaxo.com> and use the paying service Platinum Sync. This can synchronize quite smoothly to the Exchange server and to the mac. I do not use Plaxo for other purposes than syncing. I have closed all confidentiality doors to others. Don't know if this is truly reliable or not, but syncing works nicely. Calendar, address book. The sole glitches are located within Outlook. Reversal of first name <-> family name can occur (always with a cause, always located within Outlook unreliable settings). Must be fixed within Outlook.

HTH

gkdidaxi · Aug 7, 2011

Hi.
Btw, hasn't APPLE included this feature in Lion, so as to work like a charm, exactly as it does with the iOS?

michelangelo · Aug 7, 2011

gkdidaxi said:
Hi.
Btw, hasn't APPLE included this feature in Lion, so as to work like a charm, exactly as it does with the iOS?

That is a possibility. Since I now have a computer which is lion-compatible and also have the instructions for setting up access on a Windows machine, this could work. DavMail could also be a more complex option which also may work. Since I now have a solution (a "for pay" solution, but a solution nonetheless) with Plaxo, which works seamlessly, I am not so much motivated as before to explore complex things.