Antepo's OPN System XT

The client lets users set typical status messages, including "available," "do not disturb" and the secretive "appear offline." Users can send different status messages to different users and groups, a feature that worked perfectly in my tests. The software also supports blacklists, lets you see who adds you to their contact lists and allows for cc's of messages. It does not support embedded graphics, audio, video, screen sharing or remote control.

Chat rooms, which Antepo calls forums, may be public, private, password- or user list-protected, or perpetually open. Chat scrollback can be sent to a user invited after a chat has begun so he or she can catch up. All IMs and chat room events can be logged and stored centrally.

I had to edit the XML configuration files to use some of the advanced features, such as security and access control, plus I had to configure the system to deny one LDAP group from talking to another. These types of controls should be moved into the GUI.

Bragging Rights

Federation is a means of integrating two or more systems for secure communication, and Antepo brags of its ability to federate with AIM. This feature lets a user communicate securely on both the OPN and AIM networks, and it's configurable--you control which users can use AIM and who can talk to you from AOL.

To test federation, I had to provision my environment, specifying which IP addresses my client would use and the domain name of my environment, and then set a certificate from my OPN server. Antepo sent this information to AOL--a process that can take up to five days. I specified users and groups in AD that were allowed to talk to AIM users. I also imported my AIM buddy list to the OPN client.

Similar functionality for integrating with Live Communication Server is accomplished through the use of the IETF's SIMPLE. Once federated, LCS users can message Antepo users and vice versa.

OPN provides a decent midtier IM environment. Although it doesn't have the rich features of competitors, such as Microsoft LCS, it also doesn't carry their price tag. The benefits of simple installation, integration with AIM and the low price make it attractive for small enterprises.

Michael J. DeMaria is a technology editor based at Network Computing's Syracuse University's Real-World Labs®. Write to him at [email protected].