Zarafa (software)

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Zarafa is an european open source collaborative software solution developed in Delft, the Netherlands. It provides email storage on the server side and brings its own Ajax-based mail client called WebAccess. All server side components and the WebAccess of Zarafa are published under the AGPL license. Advanced features are available in commercially supported versions ("Standard", "Professional" and "Enterprise" (different feature levels)^[1]). The community edition supports three Outlook users for free^[2].

Zarafa is designed to integrate with Microsoft Office Outlook and is meant as an alternative to the Microsoft Exchange Server^[3]. The WebAccess has the same "look-and-feel" as the Outlook desktop application. People used to working with Outlook will be able to use the WebAccess without any problems. Besides the personal address book, calendar, notes and tasks, "Public Folders" and shared calendar functionalities (inviting internal and external users, resource management) can be handled by the software as well.

On 18th of September 2008 Zarafa launched the full server side stack under the Affero General Public License^[4]. The open source community version can be downloaded at www.zarafa.com/community.

The company that developes Zarafa has used Connectux as a tradename but is now called Zarafa.

Technology

Zarafa provides its groupware functionality by connecting the Linux-based server with Outlook clients using MAPI. The communication between server and client is based upon SOAP technology. The secure Outlook connect is realized using HTTPS. All data is generally stored in a MySQL database. Attachments can be saved on the filesystem. The Zarafa server can get its users information from LDAP, Active directory, Unix users or the MySQL database. The webmail is based on AJAX technology, with a PHP backend using a MAPI php extension. Other clients can connect via POP3, IMAP and iCalendar.

The project Z-Push was initiated by Zarafa in October 2007^[5]. It supports ActiveSync compatible devices (Symbian, Pocket PC, iPhone (firmware 2.X), Nokia (mail4Exchange)) implementing the ActiveSync protocol and using the Incremental Change System (ICS) provided by the PHP-MAPI extension.

Zarafa is part of the OpenMapi project^[6] which is developing an open groupware API based on MAPI.

Supported clients

• Outlook 2000 - 2007
• Web access via Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer 6 and 7
• All ActiveSync compatible PDA's and smartphones via Z-push
• POP3/IMAP4 email clients
• iCal calendar clients

Features

• Addressbook
• Calendar
• Notes
• Tasks
• Personal Folders / Public Outlook Folders
• Permissions for every User and Folder configurable
• Meeting invitation and free/busy option
• Resources planning
• POP3
• IMAP
• iCalendar
• PDA synchronization via Z-push
• Out-of-office message
• Brick-level backup
• Single sign-on

Screen Shot

A screenshot is available at the Zarafa homepage.

Integrated in open source

Zarafa is compatible / integrated with many other open source projects.

• MTA: Postfix, Exim, Qmail, Sendmail
• Database: MySQL
• Authentication: OpenLDAP, Kerberos (protocol)
• Web technologies: Apache, PHP
• Anti-Spam/Virus solutions: ClamAV, SpamAssassin, AMaViS/amavisd-new, DSPAM

References

Publications

• Peter van Wijngaarden: Linux Magazine NL, Sep/2006, nr 4 -- Zarafa extended with real-time LDAP coupling
• Sebastian Kummer und Manfred Kutas: Linux Magazine PRO (USA) Feb/2008 -- Zarafa - Exchange Alternative, Linux New Media AG, München, 2007

External links

• Official website
• Webaccess demo
• Zarafa Forums
• Zarafa Wiki
• Zarafa Documentation & Whitepaper
• Zarafa Community version (download)
• Z-Push