Setting up VPOP 3 mail server

This guide covers the configuration for the VPOP3 mail server program, which can run on Windows NT, 95, 98 and ME systems, for low cost central e-mail management, even on peer to peer networks.

Rather than using a series of seperate mailboxes on the Server, VPOP3 allows a seperate catchall mailbox or SMTP mail queue to be downloaded, then distributed to the relevant users.

Step One- Connection

Notes

• This FAQ assumes that a Swiftserve dial up account is being used, and that the account is already installed and running.
• VPOP3 uses existing dial up connections only, it cannot make a dial up account. If you have not configured one, please consult the Dial up Connection guides.
• If you are not using Swiftserve, simply substitute the settings shown with those of your ISP dial up connection.

Setting up the connection

1. Give the Connection a name- something user friendly.
2. Choose the Connection method- RAS or LAN

RAS Details

1. Choose a RAS Connection from the list of connections available
2. The username and password details should automatically appear.
3. Active connections are shown at the bottom of the screen, the one that is selected should be marked. Other connections can be marked, as they provide a backup link.
4. Retries and timeouts can be set at the users preference, depending on the quality of the connection they are using.
5. At the bottom of the screen, you can set the system to use Simple Schedule. This puts the dialing control to the VPOP3 scheduler (later in this guide).
6. Click APPLY

    

Step Two - IN Mail settings

VPOP3 can support POP mailbox delivery, or can use SMTP mail queues (used for Swift Network Hosting Packages). Normally you would be using POP as the delivery protocol, unless specified. Note that mail size controls are not available for SMTP queue.

Option A: POP3 incoming mail (Standard Hosting Packages)

1. Add in mail setting
2. Gave the In mail Setting a name (in this example- Swift)
3. Specify the incoming mail server address (Either mail.swiftinter.net or mail2.swiftinter.net or mail3.swiftinter.net- check your paperwork for your Swift server). Leave the port at 110.
4. Enter the mailbox username
5. Enter the mailbox password.
6. Leave auth: set to plain text
7. Enter a maximum message size limit if required. This prevents download of oversized messages. Deselecting this allows download of all messages.
8. Specify the days to leave messages on the server. Deselecting this removes mail from the server as soon as it is downloaded. This prevents mail from blocking the server mailbox.
9. Enter the Accepted Domain name. This is your domain name.
10. Ensure that your chosen connection is selected at the bottom of the page.
11. Make sure the ENABLE box is ticked, then APPLY the settings.

    

OR Option B: SMTP incoming mail (used for Swift Network Hosting Packages)

1. Add in mail setting
2. Gave the In mail Setting a name (in this example- Swift)
3. Activate the ETRN option shown below
4. Enter your domain name in the for domain box
5. Enter the IP address of your SMTP mail queue. This address will be given to you by Swift Internet, if you are subscribed to the Network Package
6. Ensure your chosen connection is selected at the bottom of the page.
7. Ensure the ENABLE box is ticked, then click APPLY.

 

Step Three- Outbound mail Configuration

1. VPOP3 can be configured to send mail out via three methods. This guide focuses on the SMTP relay method.
2. Choose the Mail setting from the list on the left (in this example- Swift)
3. Select SMTP Relay
4. Enter the address of your outbound mail server. This depends on the ISP connection you are using. In the case of Swiftserve, this would be smtp.swiftserve.net
   If you are using another ISP, you will need their outbound server address.
5. Click APPLY

   

Step four - Schedules
VPOP3 can use manual, Simple Schedule or Complex schedule (which requires you to make a .DAT file). Swift advises use of the simple schedule for preset download times and dates, with manual control as a backup measure. If the connection was set to Use Simple Schedule, VPOP3 will be able to invoke dial up automatically.

Step five - Setting your domain name (mail routes)
Finally, the domain name needs to be entered. This will allow the system to assign user email accounts later on. Also the system can be set to route internal e-mail direct to the recipient, rather than routing it out to the ISP server and back. It is advised to activate the option to route unknown users out to the ISP, ONLY if you expect a lot of internal to external traffic.

This concludes the configuration of the server to accept internet email. The next step is to add users for your company.

USERS

To allow users to get mail via VPOP3, you will need the IP address of the machine that VPOP3 is installed on. This can be found under the Local Servers Tab. Write it down, you will need it later. (see configuring client at the end of this guide)

Users are added Via the USER tab. It is good practice for the administrator to keep records of the users added to the system.

• Assign a user ID for each new user (i.e. First name, or other identifier)
• Assign a password
• If desired, give the user membership to a group (this is not mandatory, but is good if you need to email whole groups of users)
• Auto responders- these can be used to produce receipts when the message is received by the user
• Then click on the Edit Address Book Entry button

  

In the address book entry properties, you can add information to the record for each member of staff you add. You may also edit the email address, if you wish. You cannot alter the display name, however - that is fixed by the ID you gave the user.

When finished with the User properties click OK. VPOP3 adds the user to its map list, and will create the mailbox for that user.
Repeat the process to add all the users you need

Configuring the e-mail client for use with VPOP3

Setting up the mail clients for VPOP3 is the same as setting them up for normal internet mailboxes, except the details entered are supplied by the VPOP administrator, not the ISP.

For instance, when setting up Outlook Express, the following details would be entered

1. Email address - the address created on the VPOP user table
2. Incoming mail server address- the IP address of the machine that VPOP3 is installed on (you should have this written down)
3. Outgoing mail server address - the IP address of the machine that VPOP3 is installed on (same as above)
4. Account Name - the VPOP user ID assigned to that user
5. Password - the VPOP password assigned to that user.

The client is therefore fooled into thinking it deals directly to the internet, whereas the mail really goes to to central VPOP3 server, before going out onto the internet. Incoming mail arrives at the central point and is distributed to the clients, depending on the user involved

For assistance on other email clients, please consult the email FAQs on this site.