What is the NHME Basic service?

NHME Basic is a light featured Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) email service that is intended for users who require moderate functionality within Exchange. POP3 accounts provide user's access through email clients such as Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook.

What is the NHME Web Access service?

The Web Access service gives you the capability to access your Outlook email account from any device that has access to the World Wide Web. The Web Access service is ideal for users who require roaming or remote access to their email account. This service provides functionality for basic messaging components such as:

• Email
• Vacation Alert
• Forwarding
• Spell Check
• Inbox rules
• Spam filtering
• Personal calendar
• Group scheduling
• Contacts
• Personal Address Book
• Global Address Book
• Journal capabilities
• Public Folder Storage and Sharing
• Task Management
• 100 MB of mailbox storage per user
• 100 MB shared folder storage per company

Web Access uses the protocol Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to define and transmit web pages. In reality, the web server actually uses a MAPI call to access and manipulate the messages in a user's Exchange mailbox. HTTP clients require almost no configuration. Users simply point their browser to the proper URL and supply a username and password. Microsoft Exchange has a web-based method of accessing email called Outlook Web Access, or OWA, which can be used by any allowed user who has Internet Explorer version 5.0, 5.5 or better. HTTP client users cannot download messages to read offline. Users must maintain a connection to the web server in order to access their mailboxes. By default Northwestel always transmits via secure HTTPS over port 443.

What is the NHME Full Client service?

Full Client allows you to take advantage of enhanced messaging and collaborative features as well as the ability to use the Outlook software offline. To use Full Client you must first install the Outlook software on your computer. You can use Outlook Software that you may already have on your PC as part of your Microsoft Office suite or you can order the Outlook 2003 configuration CD for the Northwestel Hosted Microsoft Exchange service by contacting Northwestel.

Full Client is different from other messaging services using POP3, IMAP4, HTTPS, because it uses MAPI to connect to Microsoft Exchange and communicate.

Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) is a Microsoft application program interface (API) that facilitates communication between mail-enabled applications. MAPI makes it possible for other applications to send and receive messages using Outlook. For example, third party fax applications can place incoming faxes into a user's inbox using MAPI. MAPI is not really a protocol, but rather a very robust application program interface (API). MAPI is not just messaging, but also allows for calendaring, public folder access, journaling, contacts, notes, scripting, etc. MAPI unlocks the full functionality of Outlook and the ability to send e-mail from other Office applications, e.g. Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

A MAPI profile must be configured in Outlook (only Outlook is supported for MAPI) before a client can connect to an Exchange server.

Users can access MAPI accounts in one of two ways:

1. MAPI via ISA

Most hosted Exchange architectures including Northwestel's Microsoft ISA (Internet Security and Acceleration) server, which acts as a VPN and firewall tool. MAPI connectivity to the Exchange servers is processed through the ISA servers. For most people, this is the default method of using MAPI.

2. MAPI via RPC over HTTPS

Some ISPs' security policies block network traffic over port 135, which prevents the use of MAPI via ISA. Exchange 2003 avoids this challenge by also publishing all MAPI traffic over port 443, a common secure web port. This is called MAPI via RPC over HTTPS.

Although superior to MAPI over ISA, this method requires the following requirements:

• Users must have Outlook 2003
• Users must be running on the Microsoft XP operating system
• Users must use Microsoft Windows service pack 1 or better

The Northwestel Full Client service also supports other protocols to connect to Microsoft Exchange 2003. The following protocols are supported as part of the Northwestel Microsoft Hosted Exchange service for the following email tiers:

Why do I need Outlook 2002 (XP) or Outlook 2003 for NHME Full Client?

The Outlook 2002, XP, 2003 versions of Microsoft Outlook is the only approved version for the Full Client service. Any other version of Outlook may expose your organization to a number of security risks and will not provide you with the many collaborative features available on Microsoft Exchange.