Advice on E-mail

(Last page update: June 30, 2000)
 
 

Background

Given the lack of adequate service and support in the IT/IC area at Hunter, I started a number of advice pages some two years ago. Hopefully, the situation will soon improve with Anand Padmanabhan taking the reigns as OICIT director in mid-June 2000. Till this time, this information is offered as a professional courtesy to my colleagues at Hunter and everyone else who may come across this page. As with all my 'advice pages', I express my personal opinion, I do not speak on behalf of Hunter College, and I do not assume any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided. Also, keep in mind that Internet related technology is in constant flux and new products and services become available. I will not always be able to catch up with the very latest though I will make some effort to keep this page current. As to links embedded in these pages, I check their validity when I include them. Unfortunately, many sites constantly rearrange their material, so today's working links may be dead tomorrow. If you come across a "dead link", please let me know. Finally, this page deals with e-mail service only; there is a companion page that deals with the   choice of a particular ISP (Internet Service Provider) or how you get your home computer connected to the Internet in the first place.

Table of Contents

E-mail account providers

As a member of the Hunter community, everyone receives an e-mail account for free and mostly without even asking. At times, there may be some delays in the generation of accounts for new students and part-time faculty, but e-mail accounts are available to anyone. In case, you did not know, find out the details about your Hunter e-mail account. Also, some people have managed to hang on to their old CUNYVM accounts and some faculty have e-mail accounts at the Graduate Center.
In addition, virtually all ISPs provide at least one e-mail account as part of their basic package. Finally, there are many organizations that offer free web based e-mail accounts. These include Hotmail, BigFoot, Juno (they also offer free Internet access), and many more. To make matters somewhat confusing, even Eudora (see below) now offers free lifetime web e-mail accounts as does Netscape. Since you don't pay, these sites make their money with advertisements. So you get a lot of it on the web page that you need to access to get to your e-mail. However, they usually refrain from sending you advertisements as mail messages (junk, "spam"). These free e-mail accounts are worthwhile considering as backup and/or for getting separate accounts for family members. So, we can distinguish three types of e-mail account providers: Bottom line: No problem to get as many e-mail accounts as you want -- for free. But there are important differences how conveniently you can manage your e-mail. A little investment in time can pay great dividends .....
 
 

Type of access

There are three basic types of access and I will describe each type in mostly non technical terms. All three types assume that you have a computer connected to the Internet. This connection to the Internet can be CUNYVM still has a direct dial-in connection that allows you to connect to this specific computer, but this does not give you access to the full range of Internet services. (Not an option for most Hunter folks any more, but still the prevailing mode at some other CUNY colleges.) For the following, it does not matter how you are connected to the Internet, whether from home of from school, whether via Hunter or via an independent ISP.
 

A. Telnet

Telnet is one specific "Internet service". It allows you to log in to a remote computer and to use your computer as a terminal for the remote computer. In this context, the "remote computer" is the "mail server" (like "shiva" or "hejira" at Hunter). There are quite a number of different "telnet" programs and -- again -- it does not matter which one you use, though some offer more convenience than others. Win95 comes with its own (rather primitive) telnet version, and Hunter College has a site license for QVT (current version: 4.1) which includes both a telnet and an ftp program and more. CUNY also has a site license for Hummingbird's "Host Explorer" -- a state-of-the-art communications software package including telnet, tn3270, and much much more.
Of course, you need a user name and a password to actually log in to any remote computer. After that, you can do all sorts of things on this computer (not just checking your mail) and many experts consider telnet service a high security risk, susceptible to attacks and pranks and therefore offering low reliability of service. Of course, you would never do anything bad on shiva or hejira ...
To actually manage your mail on shiva (hejira) -- once connected via telnet -- you need a so-called e-mail client. At Hunter, we use PINE.
 

B. POP

Here you run a program (an "e-mail client") on your own computer and you let this program handle all the uploads and downloads between your computer and the mail server. The most popular e-mail client of this sort is Eudora, but Netscape Mail (in the current version called "Messenger"), MS Outlook, and Pegasus are other alternatives. Eudora used to come in a freeware version (Eudora Light) and in a licensed version (Eudora Pro). Starting with version 4.3 (released in February 2000), Eudora comes in three versions (sponsored, paid, light). Hunter has a site license, and faculty and staff can get the full version without advertisements (the "paid" version) for both home and office use for free.
Using this approach, all your mail resides on your own computer and you can work on your mail even when you are not connected to the Internet. These e-mail clients offer a thousand (million?) times more convenience than the clunky telnet/Pine approach. However, the mail server must offer this specific "POP" service as well. Hunter does, CUNYVM does (though they like to keep it quiet), and most ISPs do -- but not all. The most notorious exception is AOL which forces its subscribers to use their proprietary software instead. More recently, AOL added "netmail" providing its subscribers with a web interface for an additional way to manage their e-mail; but there is still no POP service.

Some people who travel a lot and who split their working time fairly evenly between school and home are reluctant to use a POP mailer, as they prefer to have all their mail in one central place (the mail server). Now, there are good ways to deal with this situation using Eudora (see below), but the future may belong to IMAP -- kind of the best of both worlds. Here you can keep your mail in several places and what you do in one place gets automatically synchronized in the other. Eudora also supports the IMAP protocol, so getting an IMAP client is no problem, but Hunter is still thinking about whether or not to install an IMAP server. The server is free from the University of Washington, but as a new product there are bugs and glitches, so fairly active maintenance would be necessary. Also keeping the e-mail files for everyone in a central location requires either a huge amount of storage space or relatively narrow limits of what an individual user is allowed to keep.
 

C. Web

All management of your e-mail is done via forms starting from a specific web page (URL) designated by the e-mail provider. That's where you get tortured with advertisements. The big advantage is that you have access from almost anywhere and that you don't have to worry about appropriate telnet programs or a copy of Eudora. A colleague of mine (who should remain unnamed) was deeply impressed that he could do his e-mail from some bar at the Copacabana beach in Brazil. But be aware of  security holes.
Also, while the better free services (like Hotmail) allow relatively easy handling (download/upload) of e-mail attachments, saving the actual messages on your home computer is cumbersome. After all, they want you to spend time on their advertisement laden pages, so offering POP service in addition would be counterproductive. However, some of these providers (like hotmail) offer you a choice to retrieve messages from other e-mail accounts you may have via POP. So rather than using a POP client directly, they offer a web interface to one. This can be rather convenient when traveling and having easy access to a regular web browser only.
 

Bottom Line:
Your best bet for serious e-mail (including easy handling of attachments in any format like your paper in WP) is a POP client (Eudora, Netscape). When you pick an ISP, make sure that they offer POP service and that they allow access to the "sendmail port" even when you are connected to the Internet in other ways (e.g., from school via the Hunter backbone). However, while POP service is fairly standard, more and more ISPs do not allow such "sendmail" access in an effort to fight spam. To be able to send mail from anywhere, it is useful to have a (free) web mail account in addition.
If an ISP does not offer POP service at all (like AOL), you can be in serious trouble if Hunter changes its rather lax e-mail policies (following the example of CUNY/CIS to fight spamming) and disallows "relaying". Probably some time in late September or early October 1999 but without any announcement, OICIT did change the "sendmail" configuration, allowing "relaying" only after previously checking a Hunter e-mail account for new mail (and providing a password in the process) -- see separate note.

Multiple e-mail accounts -- Forwarding e-mail

So, once you have an ISP (other than Hunter), you will have more than one e-mail account. Of course, you can decide to use just one. On the other hand, it is always good to have backup. With Eudora (version 4) you can easily set up different "personalities" -- one for each e-mail account you have -- and let Eudora check all accounts automatically for you.

The other options is to focus on one account. Either don't tell anyone about your new ISP account or use your ISP e-mail account and have all mail still arriving at your Hunter account automatically forwarded to your private e-mail account. Here is how you do this (even more detail):
Telnet to shiva or hejira (or wherever her Hunter account is located), login with your user name (say, mkuechle) and password, then create a file named ".forward" in the subdir /home/mkuechle (that's where you are after the login) using any unix editor (like "vi" but there are others) and put a single line which contains the forwarding address (e.g., obelix@aol.com or kathman@asan.com) into this file. Save the file. Use the
ls -al
command to verify that the file has been created and saved. The leading period (.forward) is important, it makes the file a "hidden" file that is not displayed by a "ls -l" or "dir" command.
That's all. Whenever a message for the mkuechle account arrives the mail spooler checks for the existence of a .forward file. If present, the message is redirected to the address found in the .forward file, if there is no such file the message gets put in the inbox. So, creating a .forward file only affects messages arriving *after* the file is created/modified. It will not forward any existing messages.
In order to "unforward" the messages, all you have to do is to delete the .forward file. However, at times, you may just want to suspend forwarding temporarily. In that case simply rename the file, e.g.
mv .forward .for
If you want the forwarding reinstated, you simply rename again:
mv .for .forward
Of course, you can rename it to anything you want (".for" is just an example).

These instructions work with the way "sendmail" (the software that runs the mail on the shiva/hejira servers) is configured right now. It is possible to change the sendmail configuration so that this will not work. Some system administrators do not like you to use this feature ... out of security concerns. But so far, so good.
 

Sending automatic responses (like "I am on vacation" notes)

Especially when you are away and not able (or willing) to check your e-mail on the road, you may want to let people know that their message was received and when they can expect a specific response. Sending automatic responses, then, is a very useful feature. There are two basically two possibilities:

1. Handle this on the level of your e-mail client (Eudora), i.e., on your own work station. This is not too difficult to do, but requires a bit more than just basic familiarity with Eudora. You would need to define a "stationary" (a pre-set message), then a filter (from 'Tools' menu) and choose "reply with" (the defined stationary) as the "action" for the filtered messages. The main advantage is that you can be very selective in determining which messages should get an automatic note about your vacation and which not -- and you could even have different reply notes for different kind of messages sent to you. The main drawback is that you would have to leave your station running and permanently connected to the Internet (possible with your office station, but an option for a home station only if you have a DSL or cable connection).

2. Handle this on the level of the e-mail server, e.g., on shiva (or hejira) for your Hunter e-mail account. To do this, you can use some basic operating system (unix) functionality (not Pine which you use normally to handle your mail directly on shiva/hejira). Simply connect to shiva/hejira via telnet and enter at the [shiva] or [hejira] prompt:
vacation
This sets up a file containing your vacation message (you will want to edit the canned message according to your specifics) and a file called ".forward". (If you already use a .forward file as described in the preceding section, this may create a conflict.) As long as this file is present, all eligible incoming messages get an automatic reply with your vacation note. By default, only e-mail messages in which your shiva/hejira user name (like "mkuechle@hunter.cuny.edu") appears in the to: or in the cc: field of the incoming message are eligible for automatic response. So, messages from e-mail lists are excluded (for good reason). Unfortunately, incoming messages that use your alias (like "Manfred.Kuechler@hunter.cuny.edu") don't get the automatic response (vacation note) automatically either. However, you can set an option (as part of the specification in the .forward file) to include aliases, so your .forward file would like this (just one line):
\mkuechle, "|/usr/bin/vacation -a Manfred.Kuechler mkuechle"
In addition, you can set a "-t" option. This determines after which period the same sender will receive the vacation note. The default is one week; so somebody sending you 50 messages in one week only gets one vacation notice. I think the default setting is just fine, but if you want to let someone know every day that you are still on vacation, modify your .forward file to look this:
\mkuechle, "|/usr/bin/vacation -a Manfred.Kuechler -t1d mkuechle"
Keep this default in mind when testing your setting from another e-mail you have; you will get only one note -- unless you use the -t option or you re-initialize the vacation program by typing at any shiva prompt:
vacation -I
(that's a capital I for initialization, not a lower case L)

To end vacation note sending simply rename or remove the file named ".forward". Of course, files whose names start with a period (".") are displayed only when using the ls -al command at the prompt. These are the basics. You can get full detail by typing at any shiva/hejira prompt:
man vacation
This displays the manual page for this command. However, many people find this online manual somewhat hard to digest -- and the "vacation" entry is no exception. Recommended for unix fans only.

This worked as of May 22, 2000.  The OICIT folks may decide to disable this feature -- as it happened before in the old ACS days (not everything was perfect then). The argument then was that this feature created unnecessary traffic and was taxing the system.

If you use an independent ISP for your e-mail (using an address like "kathman@asan.com" or "kathman@bellatlantic.net" -- at my previous and my current ISP) you need to check with them whether they offer an "automatic response (vacation note)" feature. Chances are that they do and -- most likely -- they also offer a convenient web form to start and stop a vacation note. However, it may be a bit tricky to find the right place. Check the "member services" or "support" page at the web site of your ISP. You will be prompted to enter your user name and your password.

E-mail dangers

Many people are scared of computer viruses -- and rightly so. It makes good sense to install anti-virus software and to update it regularly. Hunter has a site license for the leading anti-virus software (McAfee, also branded as NAI) but regular updates are considered a low priority. Don't let OICIT's nonchalance fool you, keep your anti-virus software current by downloading and installing the now  weekly "data file" updates yourself (more details on a separate anti-virus advice page). On the other hand, there are a good number of virus hoaxes, mostly dealing with e-mail, and a lot of people are scared about what e-mail may do to them.

(Old) Basic Rule: The e-mail message itself is not dangerous, viruses can only be hidden in an attachment. As long as you don't open the attachment, your are safe.

This used to be the conventional wisdom. However, this rule needs to be modified in view of  a number of security holes which -- from time to time -- get widespread coverage in the general press. But, there is no need for panic!  Just make sure to always run the current version of your software and look out for "security updates" (MS Outlook, Eudora, Netscape). Many glitches get fixed quietly -- without anybody but the experts taking note.

One the first glitches associated with Eudora, pointed to a more general problem, namely getting too fancy with your e-mail. Eudora and other e-mail clients (like Netscape Messenger or MS Outlook) support mail messages in html format so that an e-mail message can look like a web page (complete with images and graphics -- if you so desire). But web pages (html code) can also contain small programs (written in javascript or VBScript) and these are executed as the message (page) is displayed. So, a virus can be written in javascript or VBScript and be activated simply by viewing your e-mail message -- viewing it with with too many options activated. I had never turned on this option, and my advice is to stay on the conservative side here. You don't have to use all the bell and whistles of an e-mail program.

New Basic Rule: E-mail messages can carry viruses in either an attachment or in embedded html code. As long as you set the viewing options conservatively (javascript disabled, no automatic launching of programs from a message -- details depend on specific e-mail client) and use caution with opening attachments (details on how to handle .doc [MS Word],  .rtf, and other kinds of attachments), you are safe.

So, always be suspicious of attachments to messages from unknown senders. When in doubt, do not open an attachment. While the basic html e-mail display is safe, don't turn on all available options (in Eudora 4.3, do not go beyond the default settings in this respect and do not use the Microsoft viewer for messages). Other than that, don't let anyone scare you into staying in the dark ages of telnet/pine. Note that -- following the "Lovebug" attack of May 2000 -- Microsoft has issued a far reaching security update for MS Outlook which does limits its (non-essential) functionality but also provides a much higher level of security. Independent from the "Lovebug" attack addressing a different security glitch, Eudora also issued an important security advisory in late May 2000.

And, of course, always keep your anti-virus software current. A weekly update is necessary, but it can be automated. All the details on a companion page.
 

Details on Eudora

In early 2000, Eudora 4.3 was released; as of June 2000, the current version is 4.3.2 (make sure to install the latest patch which converts 4.3.x to 4.3.2). With it, comes some confusion as Eudora can now be run in 3 different modes: The first two modes give you full functionality, the "light" mode somewhat restricted functionality, but much more than the old "Eudora Light". You can easily switch back and forth between "sponsored" (advertisement banners on your screen) and "light" mode. "Paid" mode gives you full functionality without ads (more details).

Currently, Hunter has a site license for Eudora Pro (version 4.x, latest previous release 4.2.2), and version 4.3 is considered an upgrade to this paid version. If you have installed Eudora Pro version 4.x, make sure to get the "upgrade" not the full version 4.3.

The improvements over version 4.2.2 seem to be marginal (like the capability to do multiple column sorts of your mailboxes), but there are always some bug/glitches fixes that are not particularly advertised. So, keeping your version current is always a good idea, even if it does not give you some spectacular new functionality.

In addition to good online documentation and help, there are several great sources for help and advise on Eudora:

The latter contains links to routines with which you can convert "mailboxes" and "address books" from other formats (even from Pine) to Eudora, making a transition really easy. Thanks to Devra Golbe (Econ) for this hint.

And here is my personal hit list of great Eudora features:

More features at the official site. The only complaint that I have is that I still have to type (and I am lousy at it -- still using two fingers only). I tried dictation software (IBM ViaVoice Gold), but that did not work for me.
 

Eudora and restrictions imposed by your ISP

Increasingly, ISPs impose restrictions on the use of Eudora (and other POP mail clients). Restrictions include Eudora may not work with all ISPs requiring SMTP authentication, especially with versions lower than 4.3.1.  In previous versions, at least a change directly in the "eudora.ini" file is needed that cannot be affected via the "tools"/"options" menus. Details about both restrictions and remedies are described in document # 1593HQ  and document # 1637HQ on the Eudora web site. However, if your ISP uses a different "user name" for sending mail (SMTP), then Eudora will not work -- as currently there is no provision to enter a separate user name for the outgoing server. In contrast, Netscape Messenger allows you to do this.

See also a related note about restrictions now in effect for the Hunter mail servers.

Transition help

Are you ready to leave Pine behind you now? Well, maybe. But how can you transport your mail folders and your address book from Pine to Eudora or another POP client. Fortunately, transporting mailboxes from Pine to Eudora is very easy and there are plenty of (free) conversion routines available from a number of web sites including the one already mentioned above. If you are specifically interesting in converting a Pine address book to a Eudora address book (called a nickname file in earlier versions of Eudora), there is a particularly helpful site that you can find via the web site above, and here is a direct link to InterGuru's Pine to Eudora address book conversion page. I have tested it myself, works like a charm, but you need to follow the instructions step-by-step (and be familiar with ftp). Also, make sure that you have upgraded to the current version of Eudora first. Older Eudora versions seem to work as well, but version 4.0 apparently had a problem with InterGuru's conversion.

Manfred Kuechler
Hunter College