Configuring your mail reader
Programs such as
Thunderbird offer mail
functions controlled by a GUI ("Graphical User Interface"). They have
many options that simply can't be offered by a text-based program
(such as drag-and-drop manipulation of files). Depending on the level
of IMAP support they offer, they not only have folder organization of
messages, but allow
folders within folders for a full hierarchical
structure of your mail.
Although we support using Outlook, Entourage, and other
Microsoft-authored mail readers at Nevis, I don't encourage their
use. Unfortunately, for technical and social reasons, the Microsoft
mail readers are prone to security problems. Please consider using
Thunderbird or some other
non-Microsoft program instead.
f you use a graphical mail program, here are some items to check in your configuration:
- You have to decide whether to use POP or IMAP to read your mail.
The difference between the two is described in a separate
web page.
- If you want your mail files to be stored in some place other than the default location (
/a/mail/folders/$user
),
this web page tells you how to do it. Note that this is not recommended.
- The name of the account can be anything. I use "Nevis". The name
of the account has nothing to do with how your mail reader connects to
the mail server.
- Make sure your mail identity is
<youraccount>@nevis.columbia.edu.
Alternate: your mail
identity is <youraccount>, and your mail domain is
nevis.columbia.edu.
- Your IMAP, POP, and SMTP server names are all
mail.nevis.columbia.edu.
Alternate: If you wish, you may use any of the following aliases for
clarity:
imap.nevis.columbia.edu
pop3.nevis.columbia.edu
smtp.nevis.columbia.edu
- Turn on all the authentication options. You need authentication
to both send your mail (SMTP authentication) and to read your mail
(IMAP or POP authentication).
Do not use "SPA" or "secure
password authentication", which is a different protocol not supported
by the Nevis mail server.
- Some reminders:
- POP and IMAP are two different ways to read your mail; you can use either one as you choose.
- SMTP is the way your mail
program sends the mail.
- In general, you must use SMTP to send
your mail (there are no other popular e-mail methods).
- If your
e-mail address ends in
nevis.columbia.edu
you must use the
Nevis mail server mail.nevis.columbia.edu
to send mail.
- Do not use the Nevis mail server if you want your e-mail address
to end in anything except
nevis.columbia.edu
.
- In particular,
if you'd prefer to use your Columbia University UNI account to manage
your mail, do not use set your identity to
<account>@columbia.edu
and try to use
mail.nevis.columbia.edu
as your SMTP server; use Columbia's
SMTP server: send.cc.columbia.edu
.
Ports
If your mail reader supports it, I highly recommend that you use
SSL
encryption. This assures that your password is not sent over
the network in plain text. Most mail readers (though not all) support
this, even Alpine (note the
ssl
tag in
configuring alpine.
Aside from selecting the option in your mail reader, you'll have to
set or confirm that your mail reader is using the correct ports to
access the mail server:
- If your mail reader does not support SSL, use port 110 for POP3, port 143 for IMAP, and port 25 for SMTP. Some sites block off port 25 with their firewall; the goal is to force you to use their mail server. As an alternative, you can try accessing the Nevis mail server via port 587.
- If your mail reader supports TLS or SSL, use port 995 for POP3 and port 993 for IMAP. You can use the same ports for SMTP with or without SSL: 25 normally, 587 if a site has blocked port 25; the mail server can recognize when your mail program wants to use SSL and make the switch. You can also use port 465 for SMTP+SSL. Try this if neither ports 25 nor 587 seem to work when sending mail via SSL (Outlook Express is an example). No matter which ports you use with SSL, you have to bypass certificate validation. If you don't, you may get warning messages about how the Nevis certificate cannot be validated or trusted.