Exchange MAPI and IMAP access from a Macintosh
The difference between MAPI and IMAP is more important than the juxtaposition of a few letters!
Almost all Macintosh e-mail programs focus on providing Internet-standards-based access to mail servers. RIT's Exchange system does support the Internet standards of IMAP and SMTP and LDAP, so virtually any e-mail program can connect to it. One advantage to supporting these protocols is that any client program that "speaks" in these standard languages can talk to the Exchange server. Microsoft Outlook Express, Netscape Communicator, Microsoft Entourage, Apple Mail ... they can all work with the same e-mail server; it's something you probably take for granted!
Exchange also supports its own proprietary method of communication with Outlook clients, called MAPI. It provides a richer feature set at the client level, allowing you to do things like set your Out of the Office message right from Outlook. Typically, Microsoft Outlook MAPI clients run only on the Microsoft Windows operating system.
However, there is one MAPI client for Mac OS, called Microsoft Outlook 2001. It is the only MAPI client known to be available for any non-Microsoft operating system. Outlook 2001 runs only on "Mac OS classic" operating systems, such as Mac OS 9 -- but it also does run within the Classic environment on Mac OS X.
Finally, there is another protocol that is used by Microsoft Entourage (version 10.1.4 and later). WebDAV, or just DAV, is a Web-based protocol that is supported by Exchange. With WebDAV, a client program could, in theory, do everything a MAPI client could do. Entourage 2004 (or version 11) takes advantage of this more than ever before -- it supports sending and receiving e-mail via WebDAV, as well as other Exchange-related features. (For more information on how various versions of Entourage connect to Exchange, see Microsoft Entourage Exchange servers and protocols.)
Exchange does not support all of its functions through IMAP, SMTP, and LDAP, unfortunately. For some of the more advanced functions -- the server-based address book or calendars or task lists or Public Folders that contain more than messages, for example -- you currently need a MAPI or a WebDAV client. Because Microsoft Entourage supports WebDAV, it can provide some -- but not yet all -- of these features.
Apple's iSync uses WebDAV to power its synchronization between the Apple Address Book and your Exchange account, as well. This requires Mac OS X "Panther" or later.
For other functions, like forms, you must have an Outlook client on Windows. (Forms are tied closely to Windows at the moment.)
Microsoft Entourage 2004
Microsoft Entourage 2004 (or version 11) should be available to RIT during summer quarter 2004. It will be available on the RIT Microsoft Campus license agreement for RIT-owned computers, and through the RIT Campus Connections bookstore for home use purchases by students, faculty, and staff.
There are several advantages to Entourage 2004 over previous versions:
- better handling of account password changes and expiration (for when you need to change your RIT computer account password through http://start.rit.edu/)
- completely WebDAV-based for Exchange accounts, which improves efficiency and compatibility with Exchange
- support for delegate access
Microsoft Entourage v.X
One exception is Microsoft Entourage v.X with the Summer 2003 Exchange Update (version 10.1.4 or later). This client is not based on MAPI, but does provide support for Exchange mail, calendaring, contacts, and address lookup. It also supports Palm HotSync! Depending on your needs, this is probably the Exchange client of choice for your Macintosh running Mac OS X -- and the closest thing to Windows' Outlook on the Mac.
Find out more about the "Limitations of Microsoft Entourage v.X with the Exchange Update".
Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther"
Apple's Mac OS X includes some Microsoft Exchange integration features, but they are not based on MAPI. The Apple Mail application includes enhanced mail-related features to support Exchange, but uses the Internet-standard IMAP protocol. The Address Book application can also synchronize with your Exchange-based contact list using WebDAV; the Mac OS X . There is currently no support for working with calendars or other, more advanced capabilities.
Outlook Web Access
And, finally, there is Outlook Web Access (OWA). This Web-based client for Exchange supports quite a few features, but it does not really use IMAP or MAPI from your desktop computer, as a traditional application would. However, it still lets you get to your mail, contacts, and calendar from modern Web browsers.