Microsoft Watch: Microsoft To Step Up Server Product Release Schedule

May 26 2004

The Exchange Server team acknowledged at TechEd that the company has scrapped the Exchange "Kodiak" code name. Kodiak, which Microsoft first discussed in 2001, referred to the next major version of Exchange Server that was due to follow Exchange Server 2003. The most recent ship date Microsoft had assigned to Kodiak was 2006....
But before Microsoft delivers the next major version, the company will roll out a more minor interim release, currently known as Exchange Edge Services. Edge Services is due out in early 2005.  Exchange Edge Services is akin to the "R2" Windows Server release, Akers acknowledged. R2, due out next year, will bundle together a number of bug fixes, feature packs and some additional new functionality. Edge Services will feature Microsoft's new CallerID anti-spam technology, as well as version 2 of the Intelligent Message Filter (IMF) capability that Microsoft is rolling out first as an add-on to Exchange Server 2003.
OK, I'm confused.  When Exchange Edge Services was first announced, it was indicated that it was going to be a separate server, not linked directly to Exchange or to Active Directory.  Now it's the interim release?  Something's not adding up.
Link: Microsoft Watch: Microsoft to step up server product release schedule >

Ed Brill TechEd, as the Exchange spins Category:  MS TechEd 2004  Add/View Comments [10]

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  1. 1  Carl  | 5/26/2004 7:57:00 PM

    Brings back memories.. Touchdown, Hurricane spitfire they all existed for the 4 years before Microsoft finally shipped Exchange

  1. 2  Chris Miller http://www.IdoNotes.com | 5/26/2004 8:40:45 PM

    Microsoft fails to mention, according to published diagrams, that 'CallerID' technology is reverse DNS only. Now we know how bad reverse DNS lookups are on the Internet. (even in Domino it basically stops almost ALL mail from coming in). Not many shops have DNS set up correctly, plus all the ISP's shops use that do not provide them right either. I could go on here....but Microsoft is putting a feature in that Domino does in a switch from a configuration document?

  1. 3  Philip Storry  | 5/27/2004 12:54:04 PM

    DNS lookups on the connecting hosts's IP address don't work, yes. Too many companies have outbound servers that have no DNS address.

    .

    But Domino can do a lookup on the domain in the from address - that can, in my experience, help enormously. Lots of spammers send mail from khjfa@kljasfh.com or similalrly bad faked addresses. If the from address has no MX records, kill the mail...

    .

    It's not perfect - it can kill some (badly written) newsletters, but they're about the only casualties.

    .

    That is, however, a distraction from the main point - which is that the roadmap for Exchange Server currently looks very bad.

    .

    I'm hearing rumours - which Ed can't possibly repeat, I'd bet - that this is due to the brave new storage engine they want to use. The SQL Server team keeps trying to get the Exchange team to compromise, and the Exchange team keeps pointing out that they can either have an enterprise-level mail storage system or they can have something that won't work...

  1. 4  Ricky  | 5/29/2004 10:09:55 AM

    Its not "just reverse DNS". Its actually the addition of a new element in the MX record. Read the specs then comment Chris.

    A common theme here seems to be to just be anti-MS regardless of the facts. What's IBM's proposal to reduce SPAM?

  1. 5  Nathan T. Freeman  | 5/29/2004 11:44:41 AM

    "What's IBM's proposal to reduce SPAM?" Native anti-relay capabilities that are engaged with the click of a checkbox. Easy DNS Blacklisting delivered today, with improved Whitelisting support delivered in Domino 7 (now in beta). Quality security on mail servers so they aren't hacked by default passwords for SMTP-AUTH attacks (commonly performed successfully against Exchange servers.) And most importantly, an email client not subject to virus attacks that turn a home PC into a virus-based spam relay vehicle. Are you familiar with anything going on in the spam world? Some 70% of spam traffic is currently piped through home PCs that are infected with Outlook-based viruses that turn them into open SMTP relays. The whole "caller ID" model would block that, sure -- but what's even easier is simply blacklisting major ISP dynamic allocation blocks of IP addresses. See www.chris-linfoot.net for a tutorial on spam and how to deal with it in Domino.

  1. 6  Ricky  | 5/29/2004 6:32:58 PM

    Nathan you are clearly a fundamentalist.

    Microsoft made a proposal to the IETF as did others but NOT IBM. You name features in most mail servers. Hello Nathan - they aren't working!!!

    Spam isn't sent from Outlook, possibly from spyware and other malware on peoples machines but not Outlook Nathan. I think you used your "virus rant" instead of "spam rant".

    Blacklists & Whitelists have a role to play for sure but they're not enough. So I say again ... what's IBM's big idea?

    <deafening silence>

    IBM Lotus is in follow mode and it saddens me. We should be leading.

  1. 7  Ricky  | 5/29/2004 6:35:00 PM

    >Quality security on mail servers so they aren't hacked by default passwords for SMTP-AUTH attacks (commonly performed successfully against Exchange servers.)

    This is also commonly used (according to IBM) against DB2.

    How does "quality security come into it?"

    All of Lotus' security experts work for MS now I hear.

  1. 8  Nathan T. Freeman  | 5/30/2004 12:40:23 PM

    "Ricky," I'm not going to get into more discussion about this with an anonymous troll on Ed's comments. If you think I'm an IBM shill, you clearly don't know me. I've been critical of Lotus' plans for their product lines for YEARS, and only in the last 12 months have I seen ideas coming from them about the future of Notes that are encouraging. If it's even remotely necessary to explain that Outlook's primary function in the world today is as a virus-propagation vector, then you clearly have your head in the sand.

  1. 9  Ben Poole http://www.benpoole.com | 5/30/2004 5:23:33 PM

    ... he's clearly not happy in his job at Big Blue...

  1. 10  Ed Brill www.edbrill.com | 5/30/2004 6:13:42 PM

    "All of Lotus' security experts" -- one high profile guy went to Microsoft. I can only imagine the recruiting pitch -- "We still can't get this security stuff right three years after 'Trustworthy Computing' -- please help us! We have $53 billion in the bank, we'll pay you anything! Just FYI, though, new hires only get two weeks of vacation now."

    Where's IBM's proposal around spam? There's actually a talk about that at Inbox2004 this week from Nathaniel Borenstein. I'll see if I can get those slides posted publicly somewhere.