I guess I'm the opposite of Jon... the day I killed off our Exchange 2000 server was one of the happiest of my MSU career.  (the day we ripped out the Contel BIU and switched to a DEC bridge was perhaps #1)

We only had a small group of five staff using Exchange, and they transferred to another unit. I setup a linux/bsd server running Exim for distribution lists and vanity forwarding accounts. It ran trouble free for several years, then I had to add spamd whitelisting. I think it needed maintenance once in the two years since then.

I keep hoping for a good calendaring solution, but we just get by without it. Most recently we looked at using the new web mail system for calendars, but the users decided it wasn't worth the effort.

I just don't think it makes sense to run Exchange for a dozen users. 
-John
LIR



On Feb 11, 2009, at 1:20 PM, Jon Galbreath wrote:

I’ll preface this with “if I had to give up Exchange, it’d be over my cold, dead body.”
 
Now for the answers: You could still do distribution lists, but I think you’d have to configure them for each person, on their local client.  I don’t believe there are any shared address books.
 
For the calendars, I’m pretty sure it’s the same way.  There aren’t shared calendars.
 
Jon Galbreath
MCSE/Security+
Systems Administrator
International Studies and Programs
Ph: 517-884-2144
 
From: MSU Network Administrators Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of House, Blake
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:17 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MSUNAG] Move users from local Exchange 2003 to MSU email
 
Can anyone share with me the pros or cons to dissolving our local exchange server and moving everyone over to MSU’s email.
Currently we have about 25 users and only about 7 of them use our local email..
If we move to MSU’s email, can we still have distribution groups setup and can we have a separate account that we can all view each other’s calendar?
 
Sorry if this info is already posted somewhere.. I just had a time crunch handed to me to get this info ASAP.
 
Thanks for any info or links you can send me
 
Blake House