Email Servers

This week we will be talking about email servers and how they configured to work so you can receive emails.   We use email every day for work and personal use.  When problems occur we get frustrated.  There are configurations terms that are used to setup and configure email and by understanding this terminology, you will have a deeper knowledge of what is happening.  Let’s look at some of the terms.

POP (Post Office Protocol) – This protocol delivers your mail from a server at once.  POP is a one-way ticket.  By default, POP deletes mail from a server once it has been retrieved enabling you to have a local copy of your email.  Traditionally, this is how most email accounts are configured.  On line storage can be expensive, so it makes sense to clear mail off the server once it has been downloaded.  However, a remote copy is not saved if emails are deleted from the server as they are retrieved. Plus, all mail is stored on one place.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) – This protocol is a two-way mail management.  Any changes you make will be synchronized with the server.  IMAP also supports offline use so any changes made without an Internet connection will be updated when you connect to the server again.  All messages are permanently on a server until purposely deleted.  Using IMAP gives you the assurance of knowing that a copy of an email is stored on a mail server and only email headers are downloaded. This makes it faster to receive email.  The full message is only downloaded when you request to read it.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) – A standard protocol for email services on a network providing the ability to send and receive messages.  SMTP is one of the most common and popular protocols for email communications over the Internet.  It provides intermediary network services between the remote email provider or organizational email server and the local user accessing it.

Email Port Numbers – A port number is part of the addressing information used to identify the senders and receivers messages.  Port numbers work like telephone extensions.  Just as a business telephone switchboard can use a main phone number with extensions to each employee.

POP Port Numbers

• 110 – Default non-encrypted port.
• 995 – Used connect using POP securely.

IMAP Port Numbers

• 143 – Default non-encrypted port.
• 993 – Used to connect with IMAP securely.

SMTP

• 25 – Default non-encrypted port.
• 465 – Used to send messages with SMTP securely.
• 587 – Used to send messages with improved securely.

I hope you found this information helpful.  Please feel free to forward it to others.  If you would like to learn more about this topic or would like to request a topic, please contact me. If you missed any past newsletters or would like a printed copy, please visit my website www.mdsystemsolutions.com.

Until next time…Happy Computing!!!