XFOR: Not All IMAP Clients Are Built Alike

 Last reviewed: January 20, 1998
Article ID: Q175988
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5

SUMMARY

If you use Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 and want to run IMAP clients against an Exchange Server computer, you need to be aware that not all IMAP clients are alike.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 is IMAP4 Rev 1 compliant, which is covered by RFC 2060. IMAP comprises over 30 commands, through which messages can be searched, fetched, and expunged from the Exchange Server computer. IMAP is well suited for online and offline use. IMAP can connect to multiple mailboxes (providing permissions are in place) and public folders, and can be used for non email purposes, such as news services.

IMAP is powerful and flexible. Microsoft and the many other makers of IMAP clients showcase IMAP functionality in different ways. For example, some clients do not have a folder view and some do. Some clients show all folders associated with the mailbox account and others require the user to subscribe to them. Users that run multiple IMAP clients may not find consistent results across every client they use. As a result, users and administrators may look to the Exchange Server computer as the source of some IMAP client problems.

Microsoft has tested over a dozen IMAP clients since it committed to IMAP protocol support for Exchange Server 5.5, and testing continues. When Microsoft sees client behavior that may be interpreted as server trouble, that information is posted in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. A number of articles already exist, and more will be added as the product matures.

Exchange Server 5.5 is IMAP neutral, and it accepts and responds to IMAP commands assembled by the client. Though the clients use a common framework (RFC 2060), not all clients work the same. When performance questions arise, administrators can activate detailed IMAP protocol logging, and they can view the IMAP conversation. For more information on this issue, see Q169538, "Activating Protocol Logging for POP3 and IMAP4," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

Additional query words: IMA
Keywords : XFOR
Version : WINDOWS:5.5
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo

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Last reviewed: January 20, 1998
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