7. Changes to Public Folders in Exchange Server 2013
Years
back, it was rumored that public folders were going to go away, but in
Exchange Server 2013, not only are public folders still alive and
kicking, but Microsoft has also improved how public folders are managed.
Public
folders in Exchange Server 2013 are no longer a monolithic hierarchy in
a separate public folder database. Public folders are now a series of
mailboxes tied together by a common directory. Although viewed as if
they are public folders, the content is actually mailbox content. Thus,
administrators have the ability to leverage database availability group
replication of the public folder mailboxes and utilize the ability to
have high availability and disaster recovery of public folders handled
just like mailboxes.
Public folders are no
longer treated separately or differently than normal mailbox databases,
so administration tools, management tools, policies, replication, and
all tasks done with mailboxes can be applied to the new public folders.
Public folders are managed within the Exchange Administration Center,
as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Public folder administration within the Exchange Administration Center.
The
only disadvantage in the new Exchange Server 2013 public folder system
is that the public folders are no longer multimastered, meaning that a
copy of the public folder no longer exists on multiple Exchange public
folder servers across the enterprise. The administrator
has to determine to which Exchange server a public folder is homed.
Users in that location have local access to the public folder. Users in
other locations can access the public folder, but their access will be
across the WAN instead of to a local replica. Most organizations have
not found this change to be a dramatic problem as most organizations
have public folders that are specific to a unique site; however, some
organizations have leveraged public folders for the ability to have
live copies of public folders in each and every site that a public
folder database resides. Some reengineering may need to be done to
address public folders in certain environments.
8. Introduction of Site Mailboxes in Exchange Server 2013
With
the proliferation of SharePoint in most business environments,
Microsoft is providing better integration between SharePoint 2013 and
Exchange Server 2013. Exchange Server 2013 introduces site mailboxes.
Site mailboxes are nothing more than document libraries and containers
within SharePoint 2013 that are accessible through the Outlook Web App
and Outlook 2013 interface.
Users can
still access the SharePoint folders within SharePoint; however, by
linking the SharePoint folders as site mailboxes in Exchange Server
2013, users can simply access SharePoint without having to toggle or
launch a separate browser screen.
9. Exchange Server 2013 as the Focal Point for Remote and Mobile Communications
One
of the big focuses for Microsoft for Exchange Server 2013 was to have
better support for mobile phones and tablets. Until now, mobile devices
used client software that was built in to the mobile phone, whether
that was the mail app that came with the Apple iPhone or iPad, or the
mail client that came with Android or Blackberry. With Exchange Server
2013, Microsoft is providing direct support for mobile devices through
an extension of Outlook Web App.
With
HTML5, Outlook Web App supports offline storage of OWA content, so a
device that that has a browser that supports HTML5, such as Internet
Explorer 10, Safari 5.1, Chrome 18, or the like, not only can access
OWA, but when the device is disconnected, the user can still read,
respond, and queue up messages. Microsoft has addressed screen form
factor as well as finger touch support in OWA, providing a single OWA
server multiple ways to provide OWA content.
In
fact, there are three OWA modes supported, one which supports three
columns that is the OWA that most organizations are familiar with for
full desktops and laptops. Microsoft also provides a two-column mode
that is optimized for tablet systems. OWA recognizes tablet devices and
can format OWA to the two-column mode, or by adding the /?layout=twide
to the end of the OWA string (like https://{servername}/owa/?layout=twide),
the user of the tablet device (e.g., Windows 8 tablet, Windows Surface,
iPad, Android tablet, Slate) will see a two-column screen similar to
what is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6. OWA in a “wide” format for mobile phones.
The
third mode is a single column mode that is optimized for mobile phones.
Because mobile phones typically do not have a wide surface screen,
having a single column off OWA provides a better viewing experience. By
adding the /?layout=tnarrow to the end of the OWA string (like https://{servername}/owa/?layout=tnarrow), the user will get a narrow view of OWA similar to what is shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7. OWA in a “narrow” format for tablets.
Despite
the column form factor, whether one, two, or three columns, it is still
hitting the exact same OWA server, with no special servers,
configurations, or programming required. And with HTML5 support for
offline access, users can cache their email messages on their mobile
devices or tablets. In addition, because HTML5 is universal, the
endpoint can be an Apple Mac, iPad, Android phone, or other device with
HTML5 support.
Additionally in OWA for
Exchange Server 2013, Microsoft has embedded the concept of apps. OWA
2013 comes with default apps such as Bing Maps, Suggested Appointments,
and Action Items with the ability for third-party development of apps
for OWA. Apps activate Exchange Server 2013 for additional
functionality; as an example, the Bing Maps app provides Bing Maps to
automatically be displayed and accessible within email messages. If
someone sends you an address, a click or tap of the address opens up
Bing Maps to display the map of the address as well as other
information about the site.
Organizations
using Exchange Server 2013 have found the new OWA so feature complete
that when users are remote, they only use OWA as their method to check
and manage their messages.
