GATES INTRODUCES EXCHANGE AT NETWORLD+INTEROP CONFERENCE

There is a pell-mell rush to increase commerce over the ubiquitous, worldwide Internet. To enable such electronic dealings has required an operating system that facilitates information interchange while providing security against theft.

At the Networld+Interop Conference in Las Vegas, Nev. on April 2, Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash. introduced Microsoft Exchange. In his keynote speech to the conference, Microsoft chairman, Bill Gates explained how the new software offering facilitates commerce over the network.

Microsoft Exchange Server contains e-mail and built-in groupware to allow group scheduling, discussion databases, and document sharing so users can view and share information in public folders. It enables system administrators to monitor and troubleshoot a company’s entire messaging system—including Internet connections and usage—from one workstation. It enhances the Microsoft BackOffice family of server applications for distributed intranet and Internet computing. “We embrace the Internet (so that) any top three clients (can) work together with Exchange,” he said. The software allows anyone with a browser to connect up and view Exchange public folders. Any system with a browser can connect and view public folders. Microsoft also offers clients for popular desktop operating systems, Windows32, Win16, MS-DOS, and Macintosh.

“Companies are recognizing that a directory with the right security is one of the foundation pieces to (allow) messaging, conferencing, and Web publishing to flourish both inside and outside their company,” Gates stated. Thus, a main focus of Exchange was enterprise messaging.

Microsoft faced challenges creating Exchange: “Did you use a log-in order to manage the message store and directory store, so if systems fail, you are always in a consistent space to come up in a few seconds, restore operation, and begin running?” Gates observed.

For clients using Microsoft Exchange, the company offers a messaging API, (MAPI). It has been working with a software developer to build MAPI applications that will begin shipping this month.

The client has built-in electronic mail; group scheduling, as a standard feature; discussion groups; and tracking in the standard client. Any application can receive and send messages through MAPI. The API has become the Windows’ market messaging connection standard.

Exchange security determine the time of day users receive access and it sets access quotas. It also determines if someone challenges the security system. It brings any challenge against any servers on the network to a central location to provide a single-site view of the directory.

Windows NT security and user names are the basis for Exchange. It offers new user attributes relating to messaging. “To add a user to the system, you don't have to do one thing for printers and files and another thing for messages,” Gates explained. “The single-directory approach is fundamental (to exchange).”

Exchange also features a single transfer agent for directory and message transport. An important final point, is an underlying transaction system, a system with a log that makes it completely recoverable.

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