Colab

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Colab

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Basic data

Maintainer Kolab Systems AG
Publishing year July 17, 2003
Current  version 16.1
( January 2016 )
operating system Unix derivatives
programming language C ++ , Python
category server
License GNU GPL and other free software licenses
German speaking Yes
www.kolab.org

Kolab is a free groupware . It consists of the Kolab server and the associated interface implementations in a number of available Kolab clients.

In doing so, Kolab builds on the software and the concepts defined by the Kroupware Contract and the Kolab format .

Kolab was created by an order from the Federal Office for Information Security as a consortium of the three companies Erfrakon, Intevation and Klarälvdalens Datakonsult to develop a groupware based on open source and also integrating Linux with KDE . In February 2010 Kolab Systems AG took over the coordination of support and development. This AG in Switzerland was co-founded by the Swedish Klarälvdalens Datakonsult AB .

Basic concepts

The special idea underlying Kolab is to use an IMAP server not only for e-mail, but also for address book entries (contacts) and calendar entries (appointments). These entries are stored in special IMAP directories; the IMAP server manages access rights ( ACLs ) as well as client synchronization, also for IMAP directories used jointly and simultaneously by several clients and users. The configuration and management of a Kolab server is largely done using LDAP .

Kolab clients and servers use well established standards: u. a. vCard , iCal , XML , IMAP and LDAP . This set of standards for protocols and formats, which is specified in the open Kolab format , allows (fully or partially implemented) various PIM applications to be used for the exchange of groupware / PIM data.

The concepts on which Kolab is based are laid down for Kolab 2 in the Kolab Format Specification and the Architecture Paper , and for Kolab 1 in the Kroupware Contract , Architecture Paper and the Technical Description .

Major versions and development model

In January 2013 the main version Kolab 3.0 was released, replacing Horde and using Roundcube as the standard web interface. Via this web interface, users can manage their emails, appointments, tasks and contacts.

In December 2013, Kolabsys then changed the development model and released the "Enterprise 13" version of the Kolab groupware suite. Version 13 was based on Kolab.org 3.1 released in November 2013, so there were no major versions with the numbers 4 to 12. From 2013 onwards, the development should continue as an open source project with the groupware suite Kolab.org as a community edition. The "Kolab Enterprise" aimed at corporate customers should then be built on the Community Edition.

Version 16.1 of Kolab was released in January 2016. The release of version Kolab Enterprise 17 was planned for the first quarter of 2017, but was discontinued in favor of a preliminary version called "Winterfell". The same fate also met the main version planned for the first quarter of 2018 with version number 18. In April 2020, version 16.1 was still the current version.

Main features

Screenshot of Horde webmail and Kontact
  • 389 Directory server as LDAP server for user administration
  • Cyrus as a server for IMAP and POP
  • SASL for authentication
  • Postfix as a mail transfer agent
  • OpenSSL for Transport Layer Security
  • Apache et al. a. for web-based server administration
  • Due to the open Kolab format, every PIM client ("Personal Information Management" application program, for example Microsoft Outlook or Kontact ) can be expanded to a fully-fledged Kolab client
  • Full offline capability, therefore good usability without a permanent connection to the Kolab server (e.g. with mobile clients) and failure safety of the clients in the event of network problems or server failure
  • Simultaneous access with different platforms, e.g. B. Outlook ( Windows ), Kontact ( Linux ), web browser (any platform)
  • Support of client-side OpenPGP and S / MIME e-mail encryption
  • Integrated spam and virus filter using Amavis-new; SpamAssassin and ClamAV are included, others can be easily integrated
  • Standard backup methods (file-based; no database backup) for user and group data, since every e-mail, task, note as well as every appointment and contact is a single file
  • Configuration data are located in an LDAP directory
  • Global address book via LDAP
  • Group contact folder with IMAP ACL
  • Personal contacts / addresses with the option of sharing
  • Group calendar with IMAP ACL
  • Personal calendar with sharing option
  • Server-side resource management (meeting rooms, cars, etc.)
  • Support of substitute rules and absence notifications
  • Free / occupied lists and extended free / occupied lists
  • Multiple locations (slave server) with narrowband connection possible
  • Cluster-compatible with OpenLDAP proxy and distributed mailboxes

Kolab clients

  • The reference client is Kontact , a personal information manager developed by KDE . Kontact is also available for the Windows operating system in the Kolab Kontact Enterprise 14 version (as of February 2017) from Kolab Systems (the version of KDE Kontact included is 4.13).
  • Support for Microsoft Outlook with open source plugin:
    • Kolab Sync for Outlook: kolab-outlook
  • Support for Mozilla Thunderbird / SeaMonkey and Mozilla Lightning with SyncKolab
  • evolution-kolab extends Gnomes Evolution and EDS (Evolution-Data-Server) to a full-fledged Kolab client (integrated in GNOME / Evolution from 3.4)
  • Web frontend based on Roundcube (integrated in Kolab 3.0.0 and higher)
    • ( Horde as web frontend was part of Kolab 2.2.x and 2.3.x)
  • Support of SyncML- enabled devices (e.g. cell phones):
    • The horde integrated in Kolab 2.2.x and 2.3.x also provided a SyncML interface for the exchange of PIM data.
    • Syncphony (originally "kolab-sync") works as a connector between Kolab and a Funambol sync server, and allows all devices supported by Funambol to exchange PIM data with a Kolab server.
  • Kolab-WS offers the Kolab functionality as a web service . Kolab-WS was originally part of Syncphony, which uses this web service.
  • Z-Push allows ActiveSync- enabled devices to synchronize e-mail and PIM data with a Kolab server (integrated in Kolab 2.3.x).
  • Syncroton replaces Z-Push since Kolab 3.x and synchronizes with devices that support the ActiveSync protocol.
  • Kolab-Android is another way of synchronizing calendars and contacts from Android -based devices (e.g. smartphones , tablets ) with a Kolab server.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ kolab.org .
  2. ↑ Bernd Behr: Kolab open source groupware is ready . heise online . July 26, 2003.
  3. ^ Kolab Systems . Kolab Consortium.
  4. ↑ Kolab . Kolab Systems AG.
  5. ↑ About KDAB, the Qt, OpenGL and C ++ Experts . Klarälvdalens Datakonsult AB.
  6. ↑ heise online: Groupware Kolab 3 with a new web interface. Retrieved February 15, 2017 .
  7. ↑ heise online: Kolab Groupware: New version and new development model. Retrieved February 15, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Kolab 16 at FOSDEM'16 . In: Kolab News . January 31, 2016 ( kolab.org [accessed February 15, 2017]).
  9. ↑ Installation Guide - Kolab Groupware documentation. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on February 16, 2017 ; accessed on February 15, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / kolabsys.com
  10. ↑ Kolab 17 Gone? Replaced by Winterfell and Kolab 18 on the way? In: Kolab Community Hub . June 16, 2017 ( kolab.org [accessed June 28, 2017]).
  11. ^ Instead, There Will Be No Kolab 18. Retrieved September 23, 2018 .
  12. ↑ Installation Guide - Kolab Groupware documentation. Retrieved April 15, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Installation on Windows - Kolab Groupware documentation. Retrieved February 15, 2017 .
  14. ↑ http://code.google.com/p/kolab-outlook/
  15. ↑ http://addons.mozilla.org/addon/519
  16. ↑ http://synckolab.mozdev.org/
  17. ↑ http://www.gargan.org/en/Mozilla_Extensions/SyncKolab
  18. ↑ http://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Evolution/Kolab
  19. ↑ http://projects.gnome.org/evolution/features.shtml
  20. ↑ http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/evolution-kolab/
  21. ↑ a b Kolab Clients. (No longer available online.) In: kolab.org. Formerly in the original ; accessed on September 18, 2012 (English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / wwww.kolab.org  
  22. ↑ http://wiki.horde.org/SyncML
  23. ↑ http://evolvis.org/projects/syncphony/
  24. ↑ http://evolvis.org/projects/kolab-ws/
  25. ↑ http://z-push.sourceforge.net/
  26. ↑ http://www.syncroton.org/
  27. ↑ http://code.google.com/p/kolab-android/
  28. ↑ http://gitorious.org/kolab-android