This server allows InScribe users to share their Calendars, access a global Contacts list (LDAP+Calendar), send and receive email (POP+SMTP) and chat through public folders (IMAP).

While we are perfecting the system, the software is free to use. When we reach v1.0 there will be a nominal licence fee for the server probably in the order of US$50.

Please download, install and try the server out. If you have any problems create a Bug Report and we'll fix it promptly.

Version: v0.83 [Alpha] Installer [Windows, 333K, 30/11/2005]

The Server:

• Provides services:
  • Calendar Over HTTP - Shared calendaring (a bit like WebDav, in fact it may actually be converted to use webdav in the future).
  • POP3 - User mailbox access.
  • SMTP - Message delivery to local users.
  • LDAP - Directory of local users.
  • IMAP - Public Folder access.
• Uses standard data formats:
  • vCard - User information transfer to client.
  • XML - User information storage.
  • iCal - Calendar entry storage.
  • MBOX - Mailbox format.
• Maintains a list of users and the gives the administrator the UI to edit and delete users.
• Stores all the details specific to a user in an XML user file. And stores all the events for that user in a subdirectory as text files containing vCal objects.
• Uses the HTTP protocol to allow clients to request information about the users in the system and the events in their calendars. This is transparent enough to use via a HTTP proxy, allowing users behind standard corporate firewalls to access their calendar wherever it is.
• User information is returned to the client in vCard format, reinforcing the stardards complience implemented in the server. The idea is to use standards wherever possible to make it easy for other clients to add support for the server's protocol. I've looked at CAP and found that it's too complicated for my liking. I will be providing code in LGI for connecting to the server over SCP/HTTP (shared calendaring protocol). The server's protocol implementation is included in the same source, their are callbacks for implementing the various commands.
• The server also provides a local mail transport, implemented through the standards POP3 and SMTP. This allows users on the network to mail one another as well as shared their calendars. To help connect users an LDAP service is also provided to list all the users on the server. Mail can also be sent to people external to the server via the built in SMTP client, which has an IP range to prevent the software being used as an open relay.

The Client:

• Scribe implements access to the data stored on the server by mounting a tree of folders, one for each user where each folder contains all the calendar events for that user. This behaves like the local calendar folder in that you can see all the items in the list view.
• The calendar view then has the ability to configure extra source folders. These source folders can be assigned different colours and can be made shown/hidden. The user can select the folder that they create new entries in. So by adding a folder that is mounted on the shared calendar server Scribe can manage remotely located calendar entries through the standard calendar view.
• The connection to the server is managed via an "account" in InScribe. There is a new protocol type in the account options "SCP", and the standard server address and user/pass apply. This does mean that to use SCP you will need a InScribe license, unless you want to give up your one POP/IMAP account in i.Scribe, which I guess is kinda pointless (although it might be fun just to try it out). But this is targeted at the business market, who don't have a problem paying for software. Unlike the personal market...