Geek Certs Blog

You might be tempted to believe email concepts are unimportant and easy. Don’t fall into that trap!

Email is the lifeblood of every organization and if you don’t understand how it works, you probably won’t be able to install a server-based email system (examples being Netscape Email, Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes), install clients (desktops who use, for example, Outlook or Outlook Express and maintain email on their PCs), or troubleshoot problems that you are sure to face.

As you can see from the above, you need an email server and an email client in order for email to function. Sometimes people simply access email using their web browser. Other times, people have a client installed on their systems and this client allows email to be stored on the local hard drive. When you access email via your browser, you do not store your email on your local PC – it is maintained on the server. This is a client/server relationship and you are unable to work on your email if you are not connected to the email server. Personally, I prefer to work with a desktop client so I can work on email whenever I want to.

Having a client installed on my PC means that I can review previously received email and compose new email even when I’m not connected to the Internet. If I’m using Microsoft Outlook, my email is stored in a file named something like Outlook.pst. The PST file is a special database file that stores all of your email, attachments, contacts, calendar events, notes, tasks, and journal entries. If you’re using Outlook Express (which I view as a home edition of Outlook), your items are all stored in a file named something like Outlook.dbx.

As a side note, when you back up an Outlook user’s PC, don’t forget to back up these files (they will have one or the other on their system). If you don’t back it up, and their PC fails, all of the items I mentioned above may be lost (keep reading for an explanation as to why I used the word “may” instead of “will”).

When you install an email client, you must provide a pair of server addresses (something like smtp.domain_name.com and pop3.domain_name.com), the user’s login name, and the user’s password to the install program. During the setup process, you will be asked for the address of the incoming (POP3) and outgoing (SMTP) server addresses.

The SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) address represents the email server to whom the client will connect so that the client can send email. Keep in mind that this email server also uses SMTP to communicate with other email servers.

Your company’s email server stores your email in something called a “mailbox.” When email is downloaded from the email server to the client email program, mail is taken from the mailbox on the server and transferred to mailbox on your local PC. In each Outlook program, you can modify its options so that only a copy of the email is sent to the local PC, leaving the original email item on the server.

This means that you can have the best of both worlds with one exception! You can have email stored on your local PC and at the same time bask in the sunlight, knowing that the email on the server is being backed up along with other important company data. But, you knew there had to be a catch and there is! Email that you send from your PC might not be backed up since it originated on your system. But then again, it might be. Your email administrator can tell you which applies.

When your email server transfers email to your local PC, another protocol is used. In this case, POP3 (Post Office Protocol, version 3) is the protocol that performs this task.

There are other protocols that help email function properly. One of them is MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions). You see, basic email allows for the transfer of text from one email server to another (and then on to each email server’s clients). MIME allows us to attach non-text objects to an email item and provides the functionality for these to be received and opened by client email software. Cool, huh?

IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol, version 4) can be viewed as a more robust version of POP that allows for advanced use of email server functionality.

If you don’t encrypt your email, it can be captured by any simple packet sniffer. You might recall that a free, personal use, software client – PGP – can encrypt your email.

Don’t worry about memorizing SMTP commands or reply codes. Just know what they are and that they exist!

To better understand how email works, make sure you take the time to install one of the Outlook and one Netscape email clients. Also, play with a free software packet sniffer (like Ethereal).

Have a great week and enjoy this fun study material.

Email has become the lifeblood of business all over the world. As you can see, it has transformed education too! I have taught students all over the world using email in conjunction with Blackboard and other online student tools.

The email program installed on your PC is known as a “client.” Your Internet Service Provider, or ISP (such as Bell South or Qwest) has an email server on its network that receives email from anyone or anywhere and stores it for you. Then, when you open your Internet connection and then launch your client, your client sends a network message to the email server on your ISP that it is ready to receive email. Next, of course, you receive your email in your Inbox.

If you’re using Gmail, Hotmail, or other free online mail, then there is no true client on your PC (right?). When you log into the email site using your username and password, an Internet client is used instead.

When your client talks to your ISP’s email server, they use a special language with its own set of rules. This language is called the Post Office Protocol, version 3 (aka POP3).

When your ISP’s email server talks to other email servers, they also use a special language with its own set of rules. This language is called the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (aka SMTP).

You will see these two terms in your reading this week.

Email Ettiquette:
1. Capitalizing letters is known as shouting. SO BE CAREFUL ABOUT SHOUTING VIA EMAIL OR IN ONLINE FORUMS! LOL.
2. Always use a spell check to validate your typing. If you send email littered with errors, it makes you look foolish and uneducated. Now, casual email is quite different than business email. In casual email, you can do whatever you want. But, in business (which includes email to your instructors), this rule applies!
3. Always use the “subject” line of an email message in a thoughtful manner. Most people use the subject line to “file” their email alphabetically. So, carefully consider your subject line so that it fits your message.
4. Always sign your original email. It’s up to you as to whether or not you sign a reply.
5. It’s a good idea to set up signatures. Check out this functionality within Outlook (look it up!).
6. Use a program like WinZip when you send files to someone. This way, your recipient can download all of your attachments in one step. Also, some email servers will not allow .doc, .xls, or other attachments through their servers (they actually strip them off of the email message at the server). Another plus is that WinZip and WinRar compress files. If you send a picture to someone, it might be 1 MB in size before you put it into WinZip. WinZip might drop its size down to 250 KB (saving about 75% in size). If you’re using a dial-up connection at 56Kbps, this size savings is huge!