Explanation of Mail services

Incoming Mail - POP3 (Post Office protocol 3)

With POP3, mail messages are stored on an 'Internet mail server' known as a 'post office' in a folder called a 'post box'. Normally these messages are downloaded for viewing on a local PC using a local Mail application such as Outlook explorer. After they have been downloaded, they are then automatically deleted from the Post-box. They do not remain on the web after downloading.

Whilst in the post-box on the internet they cannot usually be viewed unless the 'Mail service' provider writes their own program to display the messages. Our POP3 provider ‘Wanadoo’ does in fact have this facility. Using the online facility they can be viewed from anywhere on the web, whilst still in the post-box. However, remember that once they have been downloaded, they will be removed from the post office.

Incoming Mail - IMAP

With IMAP, mail messages are stored in a series of folders on an 'Internet mail server'.

You can then use a local application, such as Outlook Express, to read, store, and organize your messages in folders on the server without downloading the messages to your computer. That way, you can view messages from any computer that can connect to that server. Outlook express and outlook also provide Functions to select certain items from IMAP accounts for downloading locally if you require a copy for security or backup.

Outgoing Mail - SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol)

To send mail, created within a local application, e.g. 'Outlook express', an SMTP server is required. This does not have to be the same server, or even provided by the same service provider, as your incoming mail facility. In fact it often isn't. A user can have many Mail accounts all downloading from different Mail service providers, but they will transmit locally created mail through an SMTP service provided by their ISP. After all they need to be connected to the ISP service to be on the Internet in the first place. Earls Court Mail is in fact set-up in this manner.

Web mail - HTTP (Hypertext Transport Protocol)

With HTTP, mail messages are stored as files on an 'Internet mail Server' in a format that can be accessed by Hypertext Mark-up Language(HTML). As such they can be viewed using a HTML browser such as Internet explorer. No local applications are required. Such mail is sometimes given the Generic name 'Hotmail', although this name is in truth the name given to Microsoft’s HTTP mail offering. Examples are many, including Microsoft Hotmail, yahoo, HP etc. With HTTP mail, the mail is viewed using a browser, and browser scripts are used to manage the mail. A local application is not required. As a result the mail remains on the web until it is deleted, again by using script facilities provided as part of the online package. Because it is only deleted on request, 'Hotmail' can be viewed many times from many different machines. Outgoing mail is also handled through the Online application.

Being an Online Package, local applications are not required so no download takes place. This can mean no local record of mail received, and no ability to backup messages. To overcome this, you can sill use a local application such as Outlook express to force a download if you know the web location of the folder containing the mail. However, when you download, the local application will not remove it from the web. This still has to be done manually using the online web application.

Mail Forwarding

As part of a mail account, most Mail systems provide a service called 'mail forwarding'. This function allows an Internet Mail system to automatically send any mail received onto another mail system. In this way, you can have mail received by any different addresses brought together into a single location, either for use by a web based application or for download by a local application.

Earls Court Set-up

Office Mail

We only use POP3 accounts for mail at Earls Court. For general use we have an account at the YWAM central location called earlscourt@ywamlondon.com. This is automatically re-transmitted to the web domain account Office@eccp-ywam.org.uk 

In addition we have the ability to create out own user accounts in our web domain. These are in the format <mailname>@eccp-ywam.org.uk, e.g. walter@eccp-ywam.org.uk . There is no limit to the number of names we can use, but they need to be defined in the domain at Andrews and Arnold. To request a mailbox, ask Samy or mike.

Incoming and Outgoing mail for Earls Court is managed on walter's machine in the office using outlook, not outlook express. Please do not use this service for personal Mail. 

Because of forwarding, this machine will download mail sent to earlscourt@ywamlondon.com> The Post office server is pop3.aaisp.net.uk and the smtp server is smtp.aaisp.net.

Personal Mail

For incoming personal mail, we would ask all staff and clients to use Hotmail accounts as a default.  If you do not have an account, please ask for details on how to set one up. Permanent staff will also have a mail account at the domain, and if they wish to use this account facility they need have a separate identity on each computer they wish to use that mail account from. Click here to see the instructions on how to set this up.

For Outgoing personal mail, staff can either use their Hotmail applications, or outlook express on any machine apart from the main mail PC. All the PC's have been set-up with SMTP.AAISP.NET as the SMTP service to send mail, but are prevented from downloading mail as the POP3 mail server account is set to a dummy account at Andrews and Arnold.