Understanding the need for a more comprehensive
functional solution for Mac, Microsoft provides a powerful Exchange
client for the Macintosh as part of their Office 2004 package called
Entourage 2004. This option is very effective for Mac users’ internal
and external connectivity needs because it provides the same look and
feel that Mac users are familiar with and many of the enhanced functions
of the latest Windows-based Outlook client.
The most compatible platform with the Mac
operating system, Entourage 2004 provides support for email,
calendaring, contact management, junk email filtering, synchronization,
and even support for handheld devices when combined with Exchange Server
2007. Exchange administrators can now leverage the Entourage client to
provide Mac users a familiar look and feel while delivering full
integration with added features and access to Exchange 2007 data.
Features and Functionality
The Entourage 2004 client software combined with
the Exchange 2007 platform and latest service packs can provide
enhanced functionality for the Mac user in many areas not before
available. The Exchange update is required for Entourage to work in an
Exchnage environment. To download the Exchange update, go to http://www.microsoft.com/mac/otherproducts/officex/officex.aspx?pid=officex&type=exchangeupdate and follow the instructions and requirements for the installation of the update.
Caution
The Entourage 2004 client and Exchange updates
are available from Microsoft and have been fully certified for use on
the Microsoft Exchange 2007 platform. Test all components and
functionality of Entourage in a lab environment before connecting any
Entourage 2004 clients to the Exchange 2007 organization.
When combined with the Exchange update, Entourage provides extensive support and enhanced functionality in the following areas:
Message format support—
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and plain text email format are fully
supported, providing seamless integration with Windows-based Outlook
clients.
Rules support— As with the Outlook, Entourage 2004 supports the creation of email rules at the client level.
Junk email filtering—
With today’s unsolicited email issues, users can now filter junk mail
by using three levels of filtering: Low, High, and Exclusive. This
option also includes an exempt feature for all contacts that are stored
and associated with the Entourage client.
Outlook functions— As
with Outlook, Entourage 2004 provides full support for Exchange
calendaring, scheduling appointments, contacts, and scheduled tasks.
Offline synchronization— To support roaming users, Entourage can fully synchronize mailbox data between Exchange 2007 and the client.
Offline address book— Entourage 2004 provides full synchronization of the Exchange 2007 offline address list.
LDAP support— Using the Entourage client, Mac users can now access the GAL and Active Directory through LDAP lookups.
Palm support— Sync and update information from the Entourage 2004 client to Palm handheld devices.
PST support—
Administrators can use the PST Import tool to export and import
Exchange data to Entourage 2004 from Outlook for Mac and the previous
version of Entourage.
Integrated upgrade support—
With the 2004 version, administrators can complete an upgrade directly
from Outlook, Outlook Express 5, and the previous version of Entourage,
saving mail information, contacts, and identities using the built-in
wizard available with the Office 2004 suite for Mac.
Deploying Entourage 2004
Requirements for installing Entourage 2004 vary
slightly from the requirements of Outlook and other Exchange solutions.
Before installing and configuring Entourage 2004 clients, administrators
must ensure that minimum hardware requirements at the Mac desktop are
met and the Exchange 2007 prerequisites have been configured. In
addition, the client must be updated and installed with the required
updates and software to ensure proper functionality and connectivity
when accessing Exchange mail data.
Before installing Entourage, ensure that the following requirements and configurations have been enabled on the Exchange server:
Though most of these settings are already
enabled to support Windows-based client connectivity to Exchange Server,
review and address any of the hardware and software requirements for
installing Entourage by reviewing Table 1 and the software prerequisites for Exchange 2007.
Table 1. Entourage 2004’s Mac Hardware Requirements
| Processor | Memory | Hard Disk Space |
|---|
| G3, Mac OS X–compatible | 256MB | 250MB available disk space |
Verify that the Mac client desktop hardware you
are installing meets the minimum hardware requirements to install
Entourage 2004, as listed in Table 29.3. If you do not know what hardware is installed on the Mac client, use the Mac System Profiler available on the Tools menu of the Mac desktop to display and evaluate the hardware installed on the Mac desktop.
After the Exchange server has been prepared and
the hardware requirement for Entourage has been addressed, the next
components to support Entourage are the updates and software
requirements for the Mac client. Before the installation of Entourage
2004 can be completed, the following components must be installed or
updated in the Mac client:
After all updates have been completed and
requirements met, the installation of Entourage 2004 can be completed
and the Entourage client can be connected to Exchange. To configure the
Entourage client for Exchange support, follow these steps:
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To further leverage the available features of
Windows and Exchange, administrators can enable NTLM version 2 for
authentication of Mac users when connecting with Entourage clients.
To encrypt a password using NTLM V2, select the
properties of the Exchange mail account and select the Advanced
Features tab. Enable password encryption by selecting the Always Use
Secure Passwords option.
Entourage 2004 does not support NTLM version 1;
ensure that the default domain policy is configured to support NTLM
version 2 before connecting Entourage 2004 clients.
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1. | Launch the Entourage 2004 client, and select Tools, Accounts.
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2. | Select the Mail tab, select New from the New drop-down box, and enter the account type for connecting to Exchange 2007.
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3. | Enter the user information for the account connecting to Exchange with the client:
- Account Name— Enter the name of the account created in Active Directory for the Mac user to connect to Exchange 2007.
- Password—
Provide the password for the Active Directory account or leave this
entry blank to prompt the user to log on when connecting to Exchange.
- Domain Name— Enter the name of the Active Directory domain where the account is a member.
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