Customer Reviews

Managing IMAP

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The big limitation here is that this book concentrates on a couple of open-source packages, so lots of time is spent detailing their intricacies. I would think that a more general book on IMAP4 protocol would be helpful.
But there are good examples of CGI scripts that monitor and manage mail servers, for instance, that can be adapted by the creative sysadmin to many other purposes. I also wish that there was a CD-ROM disc, or website with the source code. Typing in code from a book is a drag. The good thing is that you can modify it and make it your own as you type it in.

I give this book a grade C. It talks about the benefits of IMAP and about the most popular IMAP servers Cyrus-Imap and WU-IMAP. It shows an intro to both these servers but it does not go into technical details. I had to go to other sources in order to find out how to setup Cyrus IMAP properly and how to troubleshoot it. I wish they had a more recent Revision like the other O'Reilly books that are kept updated. There are a lot of differences between the IMAP servers of the year 2000 and the IMAP servers in 2006. I wish there was an O'Reilly technical book on just Cyrus-IMAP and anotherone for Dovecot-IMAP (my second choice for an IMAP server). Someone needs to write a new IMAP book, please!

If you are a *NIX sysadmin you don't have a lot of time to learn every application you're expected to support in the depth you'd like to. This is one of those books that gets you the information you need to make decisions about which versions of IMAP to implement, why, and how to manage them and the pro's and con's. Also had some good migration commands. Good quick ref for CYRUS, etc.

If you are looking to find out about the IMAP protocol - This book is very good, I bought it to help me install the Cyrus imap server. The book covers the installation of cyrus but it does not cover the prerequisites. I found the hardest part of setting up the Cyrus server was dealing with the software prerequisites, i.e. tcl and cyrus sasl. If you are interested in learning about the IMAP protocol, this is the book, if you are interested in setting up Cyrus - save your money.

Anyone can set up a POP3 server. Setting up an IMAP server is rather more difficult, especially if you want it to scale to handle more than just a few thousand users.

If you are administering "modern" Internet e-mail servers, then this book is a vital component of your bookshelf.

Just like the authors of this book, I was also very surprised why there isnt already a book on this subject. IMAP is spreading especially in webmail, enterprise and scalable systems.

The book covers excellently the two major IMAP opensource servers UW IMAP and Cyrus IMAP servers.

The book also touches subjects, as remote filtering, and remote configuration storage.

Although the book leaves the usage of LDAP as a remote configuration option mentioned but untouched.

The boot also talks about well known IMAP clients on Unix, Linux, MAC and Windowns platform such as (PINE, Eudora, Netscape Messanger etc).

The book also talks about web-based email systems such as IMP, WING etc.

One thing that I disliked about the book and for which reason it will not be get a room in my library and looses one star is that all screenshots of webbased mail systems are taken in MS Internet Explorer.

Uh? I thought it was one of the BLUE books of Oreilly not a RED one.

Perhaps the authors of this UNIX based book believe that a web-based email client consists of two parts: 1. A server side gateway such as IMP, WING 2. Microsoft Internet Explorer

Also, on page 69 the book states "Internet Explorer and OE are available for Windows 95/98/NT, Macintosh, and Unix". I dont think that its correct. I use a Unix system (IRIX), and I cannot seem to find one version for IRIX. Isnt IRIX Unix?

Other than that , its a fine book that should be in your library unless you run a MS free house like mine.