Webmail Evaluation - Spring 2000 - Meetings

March 29, 2000 - Agenda

• I/O diagram
• Web-SIG report
• Updates on products
• Test scripting
  Test script - user portion
  Test script - admin protion
• Status of testing environments

Minutes

• March 22 minutes: OK
• I/O Diagram: how webmail works
• Web-SIG: very interested discussion (surprise)
• Updates on products (new product to add to list)
• Test scripting, user interface
• Test scripting, adminstration
• Need for more testing hosts (multiple hardware platforms)
• Miscellaneous

WebSIG

• Lots of interest
• Positive response to idea of central e-mail server
• Note comment from team that a single central server is a single point of failure, may be more useful to talk about a central service

Updates on Products

• EMU: talked with sales rep, who claims 4 years uninterrupted service, that they now employ 10 people, outsource all web service and systems administration (some reservations)
• SilkyMail: extension of IMP (college project) into a "commercial" product. Noted on "unisog" mailing list (Andy will send info to the list). Free product, you pay for support. We'll add it to the list of product to evaluate.

Test Scripting

1. Review of test script of user interface

• Remove testing attachments with other systems, historical artifact #5
• Add reverse sorting options to #16
• Add being able to forward the headers (full headers) to another account #32
• Can someone send a message as coming from someone else (extension to #30)
• Add change password, set forwarding, turn on vacation message, quota status
• Add ability to seve a signature
• How does it handle IMAP preferences like purging, deletion, folder creation, deletion and subscription and manipulation of messages between folders.
• What other features are supported (comments): PIM, calendar, todo, etc. etc.

2.  Admin test scripting (starting with Sam's script)

• #1: critical to keep track of components tested (installed) with any set of Application and hardware. Web server, database, IMAP, POP, LDAP, and which products/versions required. Copious note-taking required!
• #2: is console web-based or terminal-based (or both)?
• #6: can the data be stored elsewhere (LDAP or other)?
• #8b: add note about how accounting information is retained using IMAP
• #9: clarify "look and feel," banners, graphics, etc. a) was it intended to be customizable?
• Remove #11 but list as comments, and specifically list extra features of product still under consideration.
• Quota management tools

Server Installations, testing installs

	IMP	TWIG	WorldPilot	SilkyMail
Tru64	Sam Nicolary	Sam Nicolary	Andy Diller	Sam Nicolary
Solaris	Don Roeber	John Parker	Andy Diller	Don Roeber
Linux	Don Roeber	John Parker	Cynthia Compere / Vern Yoneyama	Don Roeber
NT	Shaheen Beg	Dave Anstine	Andy Diller / Magida Phillips	Shaheen Beg

We'll address which web servers (Apache, Netscape, IIS) in a future meeting.

Miscellaneous

• Peggy will create a standard test mailbox with folders, messages of different sizes, attachments, etc.
• We will eliminate IMHO based on its requirement for its own proprietary web server
• Shaheen will contact Dave Millar to ask the web server/e-mail server/web-mail on NT question; Denise will send to PC-Net. Query should be which web servers and which e-mail servers are in use on NT specifically.