Managing the mail administrator's account

    When you install the Mail Server, it automatically creates a registered user named Mail Administrator with the Internet alias "postmaster," for whom mail service is enabled but whose account is disabled and lacking a password. You need to enable the administrator's account and, in order for your mail services to work over the Internet, assign it a password. You can also forward mail sent to the adminstrator's account to another user.

    For the greatest control over the contents of the mail server database, you may also want to enable the IMAP Administrator Access protocol. When this is enabled, you can view, delete, or make any other changes to the e-mail messages stored on the Mail Server.

    This section tells you:
      How to enable & disable mail for the Mail Administrator
    How to enable & disable IMAP Administrator Access
    How to forward the mail administrator's mail
    About the postmaster


Enabling and disabling mail for the mail administrator


  To enable or disable the mail administrator's account, follow these steps:
1 Open the Mail Admin program, if it's not already open.
2 Choose Show Users & Groups List from the Server menu.
The Users & Groups List window appears.
3 Double-click the mail administrator's account.
The mail administrator's User window appears.
4 If you like, enter a new name for the mail administrator account.
Type the name you want to see in the Users & Groups list window for the mail admnistrator.
IMPORTANT: Do not change the mail administrator's Internet Alias. "Postmaster" is the Internet convention for the mail administrator's account, making it easier for other mail servers to contact your server when there are problems with your mail service or theirs. If you change or delete this alias, the Mail Server will automatically create a new account with this alias.
5 Make sure the "User may logon" checkbox has an X in it.
When this box is checked, the mail administrator can type his or her name and password into a client mail application and log on to the mail server to pick up messages. If it is not checked, the mail administrator cannot send or receive messages.
6 If you want to change any other settings for the mail administrator, choose Mail Settings from the pop-up menu and make your selections. You may want to refer to the instructions in Enabling and disabling mail services, starting at step 6.
7 Click Save.
Your changes are saved and take effect immediately.
8 Be sure to tell the user assigned to be the mail administrator to retrieve mail from this account regularly.

Enabling and disabling IMAP Administrator Access


    IMAP Administrator Access is an IMAP protocol that provides complete control over the contents of the Mail Server using most standard IMAP clients, such as Microsoft Outlook Express or Netscape Navigator 4.0. When IMAP Administrator Access is enabled, the mail administrator can view or edit the contents of any mail message in the Mail Server database from any machine connected to the network.

    For more information, see the protocol information in Single server mail service.

  To enable or disable the IMAP Administrator Access protocol, follow these steps:
1 Open the Mail Admin program, if it's not already open.
2 Choose Advanced Mail Server Settings from the Server menu.
The Advanced Mail Server Settings window appears.
3 Click the Protocol tab.
The mail protocol settings appear.
4 Click the IMAP Administrator Access checkbox so that a checkmark appears. (To disable it, click the checkbox so that the checkmark disappears.)
When this protocol is enabled, the mail administrator can completely control the contents of the mail server database using any standard IMAP client. For example, the administrator could delete mail, forward mail to a new user, or view any user's e-mail message.
5 Click Save.
Your changes are saved and take effect immediately.
6 Configure your IMAP client software (on all machines from which you plan to remotely administer the Mail Server) to connect to the Mail Server over port 626.
The industry standard port for IMAP connections is 143. Setting the port number to 626 enables your IMAP client to connect to the AppleShare IP Mail Server and view and edit the entire contents of the Mail Server database.
Only registered users with the "Enable user to administer the server" checkbox selected in their User window can log onto the IMAP Administrator Access port. Users who do not have this checkbox checked are denied access if they try to log on using this port.
IMPORTANT: Your client e-mail application must support nested folders and the changing of the port used to establish a connection with a Mail Server.
7 If you want to use a separate account when logging on using the IMAP Administrator Access protocol, create a new IMAP Administrator user account and password in the Users & Groups List window.
For instructions on creating new user accounts, see Creating a New User.


Enabling mail forwarding for the mail administrator


    You can forward mail sent to the Administrator's account to another user if, for example, you want that person to handle the mail server issues and still have a separate user mail account. For instructions, see Enabling anddisabling local user mail forwarding.


About the "Postmaster"


    For compatibility with Internet conventions, the Internet alias for the Mail Administrator account is "postmaster." Administrators of SMTP-based mail servers typically notify the administrator of a mail server of mail-related problems by sending mail to "postmaster."

    You should encourage users to send mail-related problems, such as non-delivery reports that other mail servers may send, to "postmaster." That way, all mail about mail-related problems is centralized in one account.

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