Microsoft is set to release an early build of a key enabler of its promised push e-mail solution by the end of this week.

On August 19, Microsoft is set to post for download a first Community Technology Preview (CTP) build of Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack (SP) 2, according to a blog posting from Microsoft senior Technology Specialist Harold Wong.

The Exchange team "has opted to release a CTP to provide the Exchange community with an early look at a product that has yet to be released (SP2)," a Microsoft spokeswoman verified. "The idea is for Exchange customers to get early access to SP2 so customers/partners can plan their own technology roadmap."

Microsoft is issuing CTPs in lieu of beta releases for SP2, the spokeswoman added.

"With regards to a beta for SP2, Microsoft elected for a CTP focusing on the Exchange community that could better evaluate the technology. For questions about this technical preview, customers will be directed to the Exchange Server Newsgroups or the Exchange Team Blog. Customers of the CTP can submit questions via the Exchange Server Newsgroups for community support," she said.

CTPs are releases of code that Microsoft typically makes available in between full-fledged beta builds. CTPs are typically not supported directly by Microsoft, but are aimed at developers and customers who want to be on the bleeding edge.

Microsoft executives have said that Exchange Server 2003 SP2, when coupled with the Windows Mobile 5.0 Messaging and Security Feature Pack, will provide a push e-mail solution that will trump the one delivered by Research In Motion (RIM) for its Blackberry devices.

Microsoft is calling this push e-mail support "Direct Push." Microsoft is playing up Direct Push as an alternative to short-message service (SMS) technology for automatical e-mail detection and retrieval. "SP2 will use an HTTP connection, maintained by the device, to push new e-mail, calendar, contact, and task notifications to the device," according to the Microsoft Web site. Direct Push also will work over Wi-Fi networks, Microsoft officials have said, and will make use of additional data compression to speed up message sending, retrieval and synchronization.

Microsoft officials have said to expect the final versions of Exchange Server SP2 and the Mobile 5.0 Feature Pack are due to ship before the end of calendar 2005, according to the most recent information made public by Microsoft.

At this year's Microsoft Financial Analyst Meeting (FAM) in late July, Peter Knook, Senior Vice President of Mobile and Embedded Devices Division and Communications Sector, reiterated how Microsoft plans to position its push e-mail solution.

"Our solution architecture at least is clearly simpler (than RIM's)," Knook told FAM attendees. "It also has some big impacts when you look at the cost structure" when scaled up to tens of thousands of simultaneous users, he said.

"If you're going to do that (scale up to enterprise-level deployments), then you're going to incur some additional costs if you do it with a BlackBerry solution," Knook said.

"First of all, you are going to incur the cost of additional servers that you need for Exchange to take the load of all those BlackBerry enterprise servers," he said. "So, in addition, you need a whole bunch of BlackBerry servers that are going to manage all these mobile users. And then of course you need to pay for the CALs (client-access licenses) associated with that. So in total that represents a pretty expensive software licensing solution for that enterprise IT department.

"The equivalent with a Microsoft solution is all included within the Exchange license. So there's a pretty dramatic difference for a 20,000 user population when you take into consideration that difference in cost structure," he added.

Microsoft's Wong attempted to set expectations about the limits of the CTP build due out this Friday.

In addition to warning about the potential stability of the CTP release, Wong also spelled out that Please be aware "some of the mobility features contained in this CTP download are not yet available for testing, pending availability of Windows Mobile 5.0 devices that have the Messaging & Security Feature Pack installed. Those devices will be available later in 2005 and 2006. Also some of the security features in SP2 are only available when used with Outlook 2003 SP2 which will not release until later in 2005."

Push e-mail support isn't the only enhancement slated for inclusion in Exchange Server 2003 SP2. Microsoft officials have promised SP2 also will deliver better protection against spam through integrated support for the Sender ID framework and updated Exchange Intelligent Message Filtering technology; advanced mailbox improvements, better support for mobile e-mail; enhanced video viewing and other features.

Microsoft watchers have given Microsoft's plans for enhanced mobile e-mail support mixed reviews.

Gartner Group analysts warned in June that Microsoft's pending Windows Mobile 5.0 Feature Pack "does not go far enough with security for enterprisewide deployment."

And there could be some unexpected hardware costs accrued by users interested in upgrading to the Microsoft's new push e-mail platform, added Peter Pawlak, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft

The first new devices supporting Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 platform should start appearing in the September-October time frame, said Pawlak. But "the device manufacturers and cellular carriers will not offer Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrades for current phone hardware that is otherwise physically capable of running Windows Mobile 5.0," Pawlak said. He attributed that lack to the fact that both OEMs and carriers want to sell new hardware, plus potential difficulties for carriers in supporting the operating-system upgrade.