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Email services

Case Computer Help

Safe Computing
Accounts and Registration
- Network ID
- Leaving Case
Connecting to the Network
Email
- Sending and Receiving
- Spam Filtering
- GoogleApps
- LDAP
- Mailing Lists
- Using Gmail
- Case Daily
Network Services

[edit] Overview

The main Electronic Mail server here at Case is using the Sun Java System Messaging Server (formerly called the "SunONE Messaging Server") running on a Sun Fire V880 to provide access via POP3, IMAP, and the Web. The server stores about 1.2TB of mail on EMC Symmetrix storage area network¹.

[edit] Accessing email

[edit] Retrieving Mail

Viewing and reading your mail can be done by accessing the mail server's POP3 service, IMAP service, or WebMail.

[edit] POP

Configure your client to connect to the host mail.case.edu port 110. Information on configuring specific email clients can be found at http://help.case.edu/email/check/howto/view.

[edit] Web

[edit] Official Webmail Clients

The official WebMail client is at http://mail.case.edu. Alternatively, you can sign up for GoogleApps and use http://webmail.case.edu.

[edit] Alternative Webmail Clients

Other options exist for users who do not like the look, feel, and/or operation of the official Case webmail client.

The CTC hosts two clients for use on email.case.edu:

Roundcube, a AJAX-based system (much like Gmail)
Squirrelmail, a frame-based system (similar to mail.case.edu)

David Wright also hosts a client for use by the EECS department as well as the rest of the Case community:

EECS Webmail (contact help@eecs.cwru.edu for support; works for EECS or campus e-mail)

The unsupported clients are not run by ITS and there is no guarantee of service. They exist as an alternative and offer features that the official web client does not. If they are not working, please do NOT call the Help Desk; instead use the official web client.

[edit] IMAP

Configure your client to connect to the host mail.case.edu port 143. Information on configuring specific email clients can be found at http://help.case.edu/email/check/howto/view.

[edit] SSL IMAP Considerations

Note that SSL IMAP users may need to set their server name to mail.cwru.edu to avoid a certificate mismatch error.

[edit] Google Apps

You can use the case.edu Google Apps to manage your Case email through a GMail-like web interface and have a 7GB+ storage limit. Information on enabling such is available at GoogleApps.

[edit] Sending Mail

To send mail, configure your mail client to use smtp.cwru.edu

[edit] Off-Campus Considerations

If you are off-campus and wish to use our SMTP servers, you will either need to configure your mail client to use Authenticated SMTP or establish a VPN connection prior to sending mail.

[edit] Forwarding e-mail to an external account

It is possible for the Case mail system to forward all of your existing e-mail to an external account, such as GMail. For instructions, see the following:

Using Gmail

[edit] Mailing Lists

[edit] Lists@Case

Lists@Case is the replacement for our older Majordomo-based lists and administrative aliases. It is based on the open-source SYMPA mailing-list manager.

Access Lists@Case
Mailing Lists article

[edit] Spam Control

Spam filtering services are available though our SpamControl system. It provides two mechanisms for identifying spam. One sets a header -- X-Junkmail ; this is useful for persons using POP3. The other method, most useful for those accessing their email via IMAP or WebMail, uses plus addressing (user+JunkMail@case.edu) to deliver spam directly into a folder labelled JunkMail. Instructions for enabling this are located at http://help.case.edu/email/filter/howto/mp-webmail/view.

Access SpamControl

[edit] mailHurdle

The University mail system also uses a Spam control feature called mailHurdle. MailHurdle is a form of greylisting that is designed to disrupt the transmission of most Spam. The way it works is when it sees email from one user to another for the first time it sends a "temporary failure" message back to the sender. The SMTP standards state that on a temporary failure the message should be saved and retried at a later date. Most mail servers do this correctly. Spammers, in order to get as much email out as fast as they can, just try to deliver the email once and then throw it away.

MailHurdle builds triplets of (<server IP>, <To address>, <From address>) for every mail message it sees. If the triplet has never been seen before, a temporary failure (basically saying "try again later") is returned and a timer for that triplet is started. If the triplet is seen again within the time window of 3 minutes - 12 hours, the message is accepted for delivery and every other message with the same triplet is accepted without further delay from that point on. If that triplet arrives at any time outside the time window above, (sooner than 3 minutes, later than 12 hours), the timer is reset and the whole process starts again. This works to stop about 80% of the spam that hits the University since most spammers just send and forget their spam - they couldn't care less about retransmitting a message that fails to make it to a mailbox.

Unfortunatly, not all mail servers follow the SMTP standards and so sometimes legitemate email is not delivered because the remote server does not attempt to resend the message after the temporary failure. Since the remote server is outside the control of the University there is very little that the University can do to resolve these problems.

[edit] Other Tools

[edit] Delegated Administrator

iPlanet Delegated Administrator provides a mechanism to set up vacation messages, mail filters, and mail forwarding. To setup email forwarding, go to "Mail Delivery Options" and check the box labeled "Enable forwarding" then put your email address into the box and click the "Save" button.

Access iPlanet Delegated Administrator

[edit] Leaving the University

What happens to a person's email services once they leave the University depend on how that person was associated (previously and ongoing) with the University. The current policy on network accounts is posted at the ITS Policy Site.

[edit] Student

As a student leaving the University (either through graduation, transferring to another school, or other reasons), to maintain some level of email services, you must complete the form to apply for alumni status located at https://www.case.edu/cgi-bin/cwruser-application-ssl.pl. If you meet the criteria for alumni status, you will receive either forwarding only service for your email address (both your NetworkID@case.edu and your first.last@case.edu), or if you've already signed in to the Case Google Apps, you keep your email account.

[edit] Faculty and Staff

As an employee of the University leaving the University (via a layoff, termination, resignation, etc.), the availability of your email services is at the discretion of the university. The account termination window is brief, so you should plan in advance for transitions and forwarding. If you maintain some other association with the University (such as being an alum), then those benefits will not be suspended.

[edit] Other (Temp Worker, Contractor, Consultant, etc.)

Affiliate accounts are terminated on a 'drop dead' cycle date. When a temporary account is no longer needed, the sponsor is responsible for ensuring the account is terminated.