On Thu, Jan 20, 2005 at 10:52:52AM +0100, Luca Bortot wrote:
> Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
> >i thought you might like to know that i tackled exchange back in
> >2000 and, using FreeDCE, got to the point where i didn't have
> >to worry about the DCE/RPC bit - i just compiled an IDL file
> >that took care of it for me - and was beginning on MAPI (i worked
> >out the 0xa5 - again - like everyone else has :)]
> >
> >also there is something called "transmit_as" which i have recently
> >become aware of which i believe to be used in the DCE/RPC interfaces
> >for communication of the MAPI blobs.
> >
> >http://www.winehq.org/hypermail/wine-devel/2005/01/0607.html
> >
> >thought you'd like to know.
> >
> >if you have already some code or know of some code that interprets MAPI,
> >i'd love to know about it.
>
> no, I don't have any.
> I don't even have enough competence on network reverse engineering to
> fully understand the link you gave me.
oh dear! sorry!
hum, okay, start roughly here:
http://www.opengroup.org/dce/info/index.htm#dcedoc
which won't be _terribly_ useful for you other than to say
"DCE/RPC: it _is_ well documented, and does a bloody good job,
even if it is a bit archaic".
> I have the need to let Outlook perfectly interface with my mail and
> calendaring servers.
>
> Until yesterday, I was convinced the best way to do this was to write a
> client-side plugin;
that's already been done: you can buy it from Novell, because they
bought Ximian (formerly Helixcode).
it's boring :)
> now, your mail is the second within a few hours that
> seems to assert that a server-side solution - Exchange emulation - is
> not as impossible as I read.
yes, it's not too bad, now that all the necessary components seem to be
hanging together.
> Since this would be a way better solution from my point of view, I ask
> you too if you can estimate a "beta delivery date".
for exchange 5.5, which should be the FIRST priority, it's
straightforward. for exchange 2000, you will need active
directory and kerberos code, which will take longer.
i cannot stress this enough: I DO NOT recommend that you take
on exchange 2000 first of all because the typical dickhead
microsoft strategy is extremely clever and they have raised
the entrylevel requirements to include not only all the
components required for exchange 5.5 but also chucking in a
few extra million lines of code on top with AD.
anyway.
alpha-level i can do, because it's the on-wire formats that
wouldn't take me very long, and i could add in "user test,
password test", that sort of thing.
decoding the exchange 5.5 DCE/RPC interfaces is a piece
of piss and is automatic using Matthew Chapman's "MUDDLE"
to generate IDL files and then using FreeDCE to build them
into useable code, both client-side functions and server-side
stubs that need to be filled in.
it's _mapi_ that is the pain in the arse, because it's not
NDR-formatted because it came from Windows 3.1 over port 1035
originally, and has just been blatted over-the-wire using a DCE/RPC
service as an authenticated and secure transport / proxy.
fortunately, at least an attempt on it has been made, albeit not a very
big one, in ethereal.
so!
if you _just_ wanted email, i reckon it could be done within two
to four months [decoding MAPI].
if you wanted calendaring as well, i haven't looked at it but i'd
imagine it to be of similar order.
once you have the on-wire formats and convenient functions to use
to call and do tests, then it'll just snowball from there:
the wire formats _define_ the job.
X.400 i imagine is well specified, yes?
etc.
l.
p.s. the limitation of course is funds: i _cannot_ work on this stuff
"for free" and am actively pursuing a number of inter-related projects
that _may_ provide funding - none of which is guaranteed.
-------------------------------------------------------
This SF.Net email is sponsored by: IntelliVIEW -- Interactive Reporting
Tool for open source databases. Create drag-&-drop reports. Save time
by over 75%! Publish reports on the web. Export to DOC, XLS, RTF, etc.
Download a FREE copy at http://www.intelliview.com/go/osdn_nl
_______________________________________________
otlkcon-devel mailing list
otlkcon-devel@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/otlkcon-devel
