December, 1997

POST OFFICE PROTOCOL (POP) ELECTRONIC MAIL SERVICE

Electronic mail is provided as a basic free service to University faculty, staff, and students through accounts on the University's IBM mainframe using the MAILBOOK software. Supported e-mail systems on other platforms include Pegasus Mail (WinPMail) for Windows users with accounts on Novell LAN servers, Eudora for Macintosh users, and Sendmail for Unix users. The Computer Center also supports mainframe-based POP (Post Office Protocol) mail. POP mail lets users access their e-mail using a graphical format such as WinPmail (Windows) or Eudora (Macintosh), provided that they are connected to the UConn network. POP mail service can also be provided through Novell, Unix, or Macintosh servers located in various departments on campus.

Two advantages of POP mail are:

  1. Network connection is only for the length of time required to upload/download e-mail files. All other work is done on the PC workstation without using phone lines or being connected to a server.
  2. There is a wide selection of client software that supports POP mail access.

To use the Computer Center's POP mail service, you will need:

  1. a mainframe account (Your mail is maintained on the IBM mainframe, but you may then access it using your own POP mail client.),
  2. POP mail client software installed on your Windows or Macintosh workstation,
  3. an assigned IP address, or PPP/SLIP-type account access.

Please note the following:

  1. Eligibility - Students, faculty, and staff at the University of Connecticut who qualify for an individual mainframe account are eligible to participate. Eligible faculty and staff who do not have a mainframe account may apply for one by filling out and returning the form, University Computer Center Application for Research/Administrative Accounts . Applications will be accepted by mail or in person. Registered Storrs campus students may apply for a mainframe account in person with photo ID at the Computer Center Main Office. Regional campus students should contact their campus coordinators.
  2. Recommended Minimum Computer System Configuration - To use POP mail, users should have a working knowledge of computer hardware, software, and the concepts of e-mail. Users with either a DOS/Windows or Macintosh computer should have:
  3. Supported Client Software - The supported client software for Windows is Pegasus Mail (WinPMail) and for Macintosh is Eudora. Both products are available at no cost to University faculty, staff, and students. However, account holders may install whatever POP client they choose. WinPMail or Eudora client software and instructions for installation and use may be obtained by reading one of the two documents, "Basic Instructions for Obtaining Installation Kit for WinPMail as POP3 Client for Windows" , or "Basic Instructions for Obtaining Installation Kit for Eudora as POP3 Client for Macintosh". These instructions may be obtained in hard copy form at the Computer Center Help Desk. Faculty may bring two diskettes to the Faculty Resource Lab (M036 in the Math/Science Building) for a copy of the files and documentation.
  4. Cautions to Note When Using Any POP mail Client with the UCONNVM Mainframe Server -
    1. The UCONNVM server will only examine the first 600 reader files. Of those, the first 500 mail files will be downloaded. A maximum of 500 mail files may be downloaded at any one time. If you are receiving more than 500 messages, you may need to check your mail again.
    2. To access the mainframe POP mail server, identify yourself to your POP client software as: cmsid@UCONNVM.UCONN.EDU for your POP mail incoming host, and UCONNVM.UCONN.EDU for your outgoing address. The cmsid refers to the name of your mainframe CMS account.
    3. When your mainframe password changes, change your POP mail client password.
    4. mail messages are not held in your mainframe CMS reader indefinitely; normal CMS retention periods apply. For more detailed information, under CMS type: HELP UCONN SPFILES. If you have an Internet browser such as Netscape installed, access the information at: http://vm.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/cmshelp?uconn+spfiles. Alternatively, you may access this source through the Computer Center's Web Home Page (www.ucc.uconn.edu). Select Index, then select Help Files on the Mainframe, then select UConn SPfile CMS Spool File Retention Policy. To assure that no mail messages get lost, you should access your mail regularly, preferably daily. If you plan to be away for some length of time, you may wish to unsubscribe from lists and/or take other measures to stop the flow of in-coming mail.
    5. When configuring your client software, set your mail checking option for Manual checking. Should you choose to enable automatic checking, be sure to set the time between checks to be greater than 12 minutes. This will ensure that everyone is able to access the POP mail server efficiently. Users who automatically access the POP mail server with excessive frequency may have their POP mail privileges terminated.
    6. Configure your client software to assure that files are deleted from the mainframe POP server after being downloaded.
  5. Account Usage - University policies and State and Federal statute on appropriate use of computers and of the Internet are in effect. A copy of the University's Policy on Computer Use and the University's Policies Governing Access to and Appropriate Usage of the University of Connecticut Campus Network are available at the Computer Center Help Desk.
  6. Computer Center Support - Account holders will be responsible for their own hardware and software including installation of the POP mail client software. The Computer Center Help Desk (M001) as well as the consultants located in the general access labs of UCC (M037, M038, M051) will provide assistance downloading the necessary software. The Computer Center Help Desk (486-4357) will also provide limited telephone assistance for POP access. On-site assistance is not provided.
  7. Access through Dial-in - If you wish to access your POP mail account by telephone, you should have an account either with the Computer Center for PPP access or with a commercial provider. For information on UConn's Dial-in PPP Internet service, access the UCC Home Page (www.ucc.uconn.edu), select Services, Networking Services/Network Access/Dial-up Internet Access-PPP.

For additional information, contact the UCC Help Desk at 486-HELP (4357). BASIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR OBTAINING THE INSTALLATION KIT FOR WINPMAIL AS A POP3 CLIENT FOR WINDOWS OR EUDORA AS A POP3 CLIENT FOR THE MACINTOSH - Revised June, 1996 - The installation instructions for WinPMail are available either as hard copy from the UCC Help Desk or through the World Wide Web. If accessing through the World Wide Web, you will need either a PC installed Web browser, such as Netscape, or the World Wide Web client installed on the mainframe. The instructions below offer three ways to get to the documentation site depending on how general or direct a path you wish to follow. Once there, you will find versions of the installation documentation both for Windows and for Macintosh. If selecting Windows, you will find two different versions of the installation documentation; one for Windows 3.xx and one for Windows 95. You will be asked to choose which Windows version you are running. Follow the instructions and the appropriate documentation will then load.

  1. Access the documentation through UCINFO's Husky Web main menu system (www.uconn.edu). From the Husky Web startup menu, select
  2. Access the installation documentation directly through the Computer Center home page (www.ucc.uconn.edu) and by-pass UCINFO's Husky Web menu system. Open a URL to: http://www.ucc.uconn.edu Select:
  3. Access the installation documentation by opening a direct link to the following URL: