Configuring Microsoft Exchange Server

This section is only applicable if you are using ExtraView with Microsoft Exchange Server.

Starting with Exchange 2007 and subsequently with Exchange 2010, the Exchange server strips off the plain text version emails and only forwards the HTML version. This is the default setting of Exchange.

Customers who wish to use EVMail with Exchange, should ensure that the mailbox for EVMail is configured not to do this, and to include the plain text version of the email.

References on this behavior are found at:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg491244(EXCHG.80).aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa997869(v=exchg.80).aspx

Exchange 2007 includes the following MIME message retrieval options for POP3 and IMAP4 clients:

  • Text
  • HTML
  • HTML and alternative text
  • Enriched text
  • Enriched text and alternative text
  • Best body format

By default, Exchange 2007 uses the Best body format option for POP3 and IMAP4 message retrieval. The Best body format retrieval option represents the native content of a message that is stored on a server that is running Microsoft Exchange. This format retrieval option is used to reduce the likelihood of unnecessary content conversion operations on the server. Because POP3 and IMAP4 client protocols do not let clients specify Exchange content retrieval options when they retrieve messages from Exchange, the message retrieval options must be configured on the server that is running the Exchange Client Access server role. These settings control how the content is requested from the Exchange Mailbox server and how the content is sent to the POP3 or IMAP4 clients.

You can use the Exchange Management Shell or the Exchange Management Console to manage the message retrieval options for POP3 or IMAP4 users. For more information, see How to Manage POP3 and IMAP4 Message Retrieval Format Options.

Change in the “Best body format” retrieval behavior in Exchange 2007 SP3 Update Rollup 1

Exchange 2007 SP3 Update Rollup 1 introduces a change in the behavior of the Best body format retrieval option. In some situations after you apply Exchange 2007 SP3 Update Rollup 1, legacy POP3 or IMAP4 clients may be unable to render content that is retrieved from an Exchange 2007 Client Access Server (CAS).

In versions of Exchange 2007 that are earlier than Exchange 2007 SP3 Update Rollup 1, the Best body format option is functionally equivalent to the HTML and alternative text retrieval option. In this scenario, POP3 or IMAP4 clients that use the Best body format or HTML and alternative text retrieval option receive an HTML message together with a text-only copy of the message. This lets clients that cannot render the HTML message format view the text copy of the message.

When you apply Exchange 2007 SP3 Update Rollup 1, the behavior of the Best body format option changes. In this scenario, POP3 or IMAP4 clients that use the Best body format option only retrieve the native content that is stored on the Exchange Mailbox server. The POP3 or IMAP4 clients no longer receive an additional text-only copy of the message. If a POP3 or IMAP4 client cannot render the HTML message content, the client may be unable to view the retrieved message content.

If you require the earlier behavior of the Best body format option in an organization, modify the POP3 or IMAP4 retrieval settings to use the HTML and alternative text retrieval option. You must configure these settings on every Exchange 2007 Client Access server that provides services to POP3 or IMAP4 clients. After you modify these settings, you must restart the following services, as appropriate:

  • Microsoft Exchange POP3
  • Microsoft Exchange IMAP4

PopMessagesRetrievalMimeFormat

  1. Text Only
  2. HTML Only
  3. HTML and Alternative Text
  4. Enriched Text Only
  5. Enriched Text and Alternative Text
  6. Best Body Format

You can manage the message retrieval options for IMAP4 and POP3 access for an individual user’s mailbox by using the Exchange Management Console or by using the Set-CASMailbox cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell. The following table describes the message retrieval format options that are available for POP3 and IMAP4 users.

  • In the console tree, expand Server Configuration, and then click Client Access
  • In the work pane, click the POP3 and IMAP4 tab
  • In the work pane, select POP3 and then, in the result pane, click Properties
  • On the POP3 Properties page, click the Retrieval Settings tab
  • In the Message Retrieval pane, select “HTML and alternative text” from the drop-down list under Message MIME format
  • Click Apply, and then click OK to save your changes
  • Run the command:

    Set-CASMailbox -Identity CAS01 -PopMessagesRetrievalMimeFormat value.

    Use “HTML and alternative text” – 2 – as the value