EMail Software Setup

Our MailEnable server supports all of the popular email protocols including SMTP, POP, IMAP and WebMail.  To setup your email program, you need to know a few things that are common to all users and a few things that are unique to your account.  First, the name of the MailEnable mail server is mail.yourdomain.  Replace yourdomain with your domain name - that's the part of your email address after the @ symbol.  You will also need to know your username and password. : Your username and initial password were sent to you or the mail administrator for your domain when your account was set up.  You can change your password anytime by logging into WebMail - more on that in a moment. 

Most users use the POP to receive mail and the SMTP protocol to send mail.  This is the best choice for users who use a single computer for email.  To use POP/SMTP, just put the mail server name in for your incoming and outgoing mail server.  You will need to supply your username and password for both the incoming and outgoing server.  Some programs may have a check box that needs to be checked to use the username and password for sending mail.  This feature is called SMTP authentication and it MUST be turned on or you will not be able to send mail.  This feature allows our users to send email through our mail server from any Internet connection while preventing spammers from using it.  Instructions for enabling SMTP authentication are below.

Some users need to use their email from more than one computer.  For those users, IMAP/SMTP may be a better choice, if it is supported by your email program.  Unlike POP/SMTP, IMAP/SMTP does not automatically download messages to your local hard disk although some programs will allow you to copy or move messages from the server to your local mail folders. But as a rule, mail is kept on the server until you delete it or it is more than 30 days old.  If you get a lot of mail, you may need to clean your mailbox on the server periodically to avoid running out of room.  IMAP accounts still use SMTP to send so the requirement for SMTP authentication (see previous paragraph) applies.

And of course, there is WebMail.  WebMail does not require any email program.  Just point your web browser to http://mail.yourdomain/mewebmail and login using your username and password.  Like IMAP, WebMail does not download mail to your local hard disk so keep your mailbox on the server cleaned to avoid running out of space.  WebMail is also the place you can change your email password.  After logging in to WebMail, click the Options button in the toolbar.

We are often asked which email program to use.  While this is largely a matter of personal preference, here are some guidelines.  Outlook Express is included with every copy of Microsoft Windows.  It is easy to use and it supports POP/SMTP and IMAP/SMTP.  Mozilla Thunderbird and Pegasus Mail are also very good and are free.  Microsoft Outlook is a great program but it is not free and it was designed primarily to be a mail client for Microsoft's Exchange Server.  While it will work with POP/SMTP or IMAP/SMTP, it has some limitations.  The biggest drawback is the fact that when it is used without an Exchange Server, it stores all mail in a single .PST file that cannot be bigger than 20GB (2GB on pre 2003 versions).  Also, the .PST file can be damaged easily, potentially causing you to lose all your email.

SMTP Authentication

If you are having trouble sending email, it may be because you failed to enable SMTP authentication.  The new mail server requires you to supply your username and password to send mail as well as to receive mail.  This feature safeguards the mail server from spammers and allows our users to send mail from any Internet connection.  Enabling SMTP authentication is easy but it is a bit different in each mail program.  Here are the steps for some of the most popular email programs.

Outlook Express 6 - Click Tools, Accounts. Highlight your email account and click Properties.  Click the Servrers tab.  Check the box at the bottom, labeled My Server Requires Authentication.  Click OK then click Close.  For more details about setting up Outlook Express, click here.

Outook 2003 - Click Tools, Email Accounts.  Select View Or Change Existing Email Accounts and click Next.  Highlight your account and click Change.  Click the More Settings button, then the Outgoing Server tab.  Check the box at the top, labeled My Outgoing Server Requires Authentication.  For more details about setting up Outlook, click here.

Mozilla Thunderbird - This program defaults to SMTP authentication so you probably don't need to do anything.