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Emergency Information
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Accessing IMSS Email
First, an explanation of terms: Your email program is the software you use to read your email, for instance, Outlook, Eudora, or Pine. Sometimes an email program is called a client. Your email program speaks a certain protocol, or language, when it connects to our mail servers, where your mail is processed and stored. Some email programs speak more than one language. For example, you can configure your Eudora software to use either the IMAP protocol or the POP protocol when it connects to our mail servers. If you use Eudora on both your campus and home computers to read your IMSS email, we recommend that you configure both computers' Eudora to use the IMAP protocol rather than POP. Choosing a ProtocolIf you wish to use more than one email program, IMSS recommends that you choose the IMAP protocol rather than POP, in each of your programs' configurations. IMAP was designed to handle multiple client computers interacting with centrally-stored folders, and has a near-zero chance of ever causing duplicated message errors. In addition, the IMAP protocol enables you to access those centrally-stored folders from all IMAP-compatible client programs on any computer. Note that IMSS Webmail is IMAP-based. The POP protocol was originally designed for single client computer access, and forces you to store your mail locally on your computer, which means that only the messages in your inbox itself are viewable from other computers and other programs. Users who select the POP protocol also have a greater chance of having duplicated message errors, even if you are only using a single computer and a single email program. If you use more than one computer or program and the POP protocol, that chance of duplicate message downloads increases. Also, the stored folders on the server which your IMAP-compatible client can access will not be viewable in your POP client, and your locally-stored POP folders will not be viewable via your IMAP client. Here is an example of which stored folders you would see if you configure Outlook and Pine to use the IMAP protocol, and check your email with Webmail while on travel, via Outlook while on campus, and via Pine while at home. Note that you would have access to the stored folders on the mail server while using Outlook, Webmail, and Pine, but that the stored folders on your local computer would only be accessible via Outlook. Those locally-stored folders are a good solution for longer-term archiving of mail in large quantities.
Here is an example of which stored folders you would see if you configure Outlook to use the POP protocol, and check your email via Outlook while on campus, and via Webmail while on travel and at home. Note that you would not have access to the stored folders on the mail server while using Outlook, and not have access to the local computer's stored folders while using Webmail.
Note that the IMSS Helpdesk can assist you with both IMAP and POP configuration issues.
Choosing a ProgramSome departments on campus have chosen to standardize, so that everyone in a particular office is using the same software. Other departments have not standardized. First, consider what email programs you yourself are most familiar with. Second, check with other people in the group that you work with to see if there is a strong preference. Sometimes the quickest help available may be your peers, and if they're all using Pine and you are not, it may be more time-consuming for you to get assistance should you need help. IMSS recommends the following email programs, listed in alphabetical rather than preferential order. We have online configuration guides and professional expertise with them; however, we will do our best to assist you with other email programs should you choose to use them instead. Configuration Guides
Outlook Outlook Express Apple Mail Entourage Eudora Netscape Mail Thunderbird Eudora for MAC Mutt Pine If you only want check your IMSS email from one computer, using only one program, any one of these programs will be satisfactory. Some notes about IMSS Webmail used in conjunction with other email programs and protocolsIf you use both IMSS Webmail and a desktop POP protocol program like Eudora, Outlook, or Netscape Mail to read your IMSS email, you will get consistent duplicate downloads of your inbox in your POP program. After October 12, 2003, this issue will be resolved, and you will be able to use POP mail clients and IMSS Webmail without problem. Please note that your POP client will not be able to see folders you create with IMSS Webmail, nor will IMSS Webmail see folders stored locally on your own computer. If you use both IMSS Webmail and a desktop IMAP protocol program like Eudora, Outlook, or Netscape Mail to read your IMSS email, you may use IMSS Webmail without problem both now and after October 12. Mail folders stored on our IMAP server will be visible both with your IMAP client and with the Webmail system. If you use both IMSS Webmail and an IMAP-compatible Unix mail program like pine or mutt, you may use IMSS Webmail without problem now. After October 12, 2003, you will be able to easily copy your stored mail folders on the IMSS Unix cluster to the upgraded mail system. You will then be able to access those stored folders both via your Unix mail reader and via IMSS Webmail. If you use an older Unix mail program which is not IMAP-compatible, we encourage you to use mutt or pine. You will be unable to take advantage of the IMSS Webmail service if you want to continue to use non-IMAP-compatible Unix mail programs.
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Email Services
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