Mark Reimer wrote:
>
> Hi folks,
>
> Actually, I'm evaluating IMail, and like what I see. I do have a couple of
> questions, which experience is probably the best answer.
>
> I plan on using IMail to give about 500 students access to e-mail using a
> web browser on lab machines (i.e. public). Very few (if any) will be using
> POP3. There will be a maximum of 30 to 40 users on at any given moment
> (that's all the lab machines there are).
Your situation is very like ours. While we give students some (limited)
server space for documents and such, we expect large archives to be
stored on floppy or other removable media (we have a few zip and super
drives for their use).
> 1. How much disk space on the server should I allow for each user?
Currently we're allowing 20 MB for mail accounts, and 40 MB for NT user
profiles and documents. Not everyone uses this space, since some have
their own computers (we're a boarding school) and others stay with our
Macs, which are more stingy with user space. Our document storage is on
a Mac server, so Macs and Windoze machines have access to the same
directories.
> 2. Is there any known anomalies that IMail might have with attachments that
> I should be aware of? Most of the lab machines have floppies so students can
> save their homework on them, so I expect that attachments will be saved to
> floppies as well.
Len Conrad's answer to this one is quite good. I would only add that
those students most interested in downloading "interesting" picture
files via email tend to use hotmail or yahoo accounts, and not the
school-supplied ones. Perhaps they don't trust us? ;-)
We do use a weekly scheduled batch file (idea from this list!) which
uses a tool from the NT resource kit to calculate the IMail user
directories nearing their space quotas and email the report to the
administrators. Turns out it's the staff that's the problem - some of
them don't throw anything away!
> 3. The users log into a NT server. I'm planning on setting up IMail on a
> dedicated server. I can do this 3 ways. There are a few accounts on NT
> (administrator (renamed of course), Guest, and a few others) that won't need
> mail accounts. Which is the best solution??
> a. IMail on a BDC and use the built-in function of having mail accounts
> built from the NT Sam.
> b. IMail on a BDC and manually (or addusers) keeping the users up-to-date.
> c. IMail on a stand-alone server and manually (or addusers) keeping the
> users up to date.
We originally set IMail up on the PDC, but took the opportunity to
switch to the IMail internal database when circumstances required. Our
Mac users were unable to change their email passwords until we walked
them through the NT logon. Let IMail do it. One of my summer projects is
to start with a database of new students, extracted from our master
admin system, and (1) create NT users, (2) create Macintosh users, and
(3) create email accounts. Since I have to do 1 and 2 already, 3 is just
another line or two in the batch file. Not a real problem. If you ONLY
use NT, option A is easiest, but your option C is most versatile, which
is always an advantage, IMHO.
>
> Thanks for your insight.
>
> Mark Reimer
de nada. Took us long enough to figure this out, might as well spread
the experience around.
--
--Cal Frye, Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio
"BREAKFAST.SYS halted ! Cereal port not responding."
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