Assured: The Isode Blog

New Approach to Evaluation Guides

The extension of the quick configuration wizard in R12 to include a quick setup option for Internet Messaging evaluations (as discussed in a previous post) has led to a complete re-write of the ISP evaluation documentation.

The three old guides, covering setup of M-Vault, M-Switch and M-Box for Internet messaging evaluations and totalling 52 pages, have been replaced with one new 22 page ISP Evaluation Guide.

The new guide is available in PDF and HTML formats from our ISP Evaluation page.

RSS Feeds

We're using Google Docs to write our new  evaluation guides as we find that it's approach to collaboration suits the way we author and edit these documents. We've also taken advantage of two additional Google Docs features:

1. The ability to easily generate the guides in different formats (we've standardised on HTML and PDF but we could just as easily export the guides as Word or OpenOffice docs).
2. The ability to publish RSS feeds for the guides so that evaluators can keep track of changes.

This last feature is particularly important for us as software authors. We frequently add new chapters to evaluation guides to illustrate new functions and to make evaluators aware of new evaluation packages related to the one they are trying. Encouraging RSS subscriptions to our guides (this is the RSS feed for the ISP Evaluation guide) could turn out to be an efficient way of updating our contacts.

R12 Re-cap: Internet Messaging

In previous 'R12 Re-cap' posts we've looked at Sodium, X.400 Quick Configuration and MConsole. In this post we're taking a look at Internet Messaging.

LEMONADE

With R12, Isode's messaging servers became the first to be released supporting the new Open Standard for Mobile Messaging (LEMONADE).

Isode has been an active participant in the IETF's LEMONADE working group to define extensions to IMAP and SMTP for mobile messaging. M-Box (POP/IMAP) and M-Switch (SMTP) are the first messaging servers released to support these new Open Standards. Our Internet Messaging whitepapers give more details on LEMONADE and why we believe that this Open Standard is important for organizations looking to provide email access to mobile staff.

Evaluating Internet Messaging

We previously pointed out the improvements made to the Quick Configuration wizard for X.400 Messaging. With R12, Quick Config has been extended to cover Internet Messaging, allowing evaluators to set up a full Internet Messaging evaluation in a matter of a few minutes.

Quick Config is installed as part of M-Switch and is described in detail in the Internet Messaging Evaluation Guide linked from the documents section of this evaluation page. Quick Config will configure all of the elements of a test system, including M-Vault and M-Box, you should therefore ensure that you have M-Switch, M-Box and M-Vault installed before running Quick Config. If you have already installed versions of Isode products earlier than R12, please remember to read the Release Notes for information on upgrading to R12.

Anti-Spam

As well as functionality for mobile messaging, we've enhanced our anti-spam solution with support for: SPF (Sender Policy Framework); TLS (data confidentiality) for inbound and outbound SMTP; and IMAP quota and ACL capabilities. M-Switch Anti-Spam is available for evaluation here.

R12 Re-cap: MConsole

In previous posts we've looked at R12 changes to X.400 Quick Config and Sodium (secure Open Data, Identity and User Manager). In this post we're taking a look at changes to MConsole.

MConsole is our central tool for M-Switch Operational Management, providing detailed monitoring information and a wide range of controls. MConsole has been completely re-written and with the release of R12 a number of additional capabilities have been added, including:

• Quarantine Management: MConsole can display information on each quarantined message including sender, recipient and spam score.
• Message Tracking: Integrated support for message tracking via access to the message database including content of messages in the queue, archived messages and tracking of failed messages.
• X.400: MConsole now supports redirection, resubmission, forwarding and viewing of X.400 messages.

                             

Click images for more MConsole details
Message Properties	Message Channels

You can read more about MConsole here.

MConsole is installed with M-Switch R12. If you have already installed a version of M-Switch earlier than R12, please remember to read the Release Notes for information on upgrading to R12.

R12 Recap: X.400 Quick Config

Continuing with our re-cap of features within Isode's latest release, R12, in this post we're looking at the X.400 Quick Configuration Wizard.

With previous Isode releases we've shipped a 'Quick Configuration Wizard', a tool that enabled quick setup of pure X.400 or X.400 MIXER configurations. With R12 the scope of the Quick config has been dramatically extended so that it now covers a wide range of X.400 messaging scenarios:

• Aviation CAAS or Aviation XF: These are standard X.400 configurations, with the option of setting up an ATN Directory. The users can be based on the Common AMHS Addressing Scheme (CAAS) or XF Addressing Scheme (click here for more information on aviation solutions).
• EDI: Standard X.400 configuration with support for EDI content types (click here for more information on EDI solutions).
• Military: Standard X.400 configuration with support for military content types (click here for more information on military messaging solutions).
• MIXER: Demonstrating conversion between X.400 and Internet messaging (click here for more information on M-Switch MIXER).
• Pure X.400: a 'pure X.400' configuration without market-specific settings (click here for more information on Isode's X.400 products).

Whichever scenario you choose, Quick Config will configure the test system within a matter of minutes, allow the sending of test messages as part of the configuration process and launch our X.400 test system, XUXA, for further testing.

Quick Config is installed as part of M-Switch and the X.400 messaging options are described in detail in the M-Switch X.400 Evaluation Guide linked from documents section of this evaluation page. Quick Config will configure all of the elements of a test system, including M-Vault and M-Box (for MIXER), you should therefore ensure that you have M-Switch, M-Box and M-Vault installed before running Quick Config. If you have already installed versions of Isode products earlier than R12, please remember to read the Release Notes for information on upgrading to R12.

R12 re-cap: Sodium

In a previous post we gave a quick overview of the new features within the latest Isode release, R12. R12 was a major release for Isode and we think its worthwhile taking a closer look at some of the new features users and evaluators are now able to access.

In this post we're taking a look at Sodium (Secure Open Data, Identity and User Manager), a new cross-platform Administrative Directory User Agent which gives flexible and extensible GUI management of directory data. 

Sodium is part of the Isode directory product set, and is ideal for use with M-Vault. It may also be used with any directory server which supports X.500 DAP (Directory Access Protocol) or LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol).

Sodium includes:

• Support for Strong Authentication and Signed Operations (more)
• X.509 certificate request and management functions (more)
• Extensive built-in schema support including templates for military (ACP133) and aviation (ATN Directory) markets.(more)
• Easy Browsing and Searching (more)
• Extensive Data Modification, Addition and Deletion facilities (more)
• Flexible template configuration (more)

Sodium is installed with M-Vault R12 and is featured in the M-Vault Evaluation (here) and the Strong Authentication Evaluation (here). If you have already installed an evaluation version of M-Vault earlier than R12, please remember to read the Release Notes for information on upgrading to R12.

BlackBerry and LEMONADE Approaches to Mail Filtering

We recently participated in a Ferris webinar which discussed, amongst other things, the new IETF standard for mobile email (LEMONADE).

After the webinar, which included our sending of the first LEMONADE Forward without Download message, the moderator commented that LEMONADE was now "closer to what is mainstream in proprietary standards like RIM...".

This backhanded compliment got us thinking about whether a real comparison of the BlackBerry and LEMONADE approaches to common mobile email issues would indeed indicate that LEMONADE still had some catching up to do in order to compete with proprietary protocols.

The first of the short whitepapers resulting from that thinking "BlackBerry and LEMONADE Approaches to Mail Filtering" is now available on the Isode website. Mail filtering is important for mobile email as it saves bandwidth and enables the user to concentrate on those messages that need to be (or can be) dealt with on the move.

The paper concludes that LEMONADE's approaches to email filtering can provide equivalent services to Blackberry filtering, with a number of overall benefits.