Copyright: Copyright 1998-2003 Ipswitch, Inc.
Citation: 1998-2003 Ipswitch, Inc.


Monitoring Services

The Monitor service provides several tools for monitoring the SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 mail servers as well as other services on your IMail Server system. It lets you:

•	Monitor IMail services (such as SMTP, POP3, IMAP4, LDAP, PServe, Whois, Finger, Syslog) and disk space on the IMail Server system, and display the status of services. You can set up any monitored service to be automatically restarted.

•	Configure a Web server to provide remote access via a Web browser to IMail Server functions (such as viewing service status, adding or deleting users, or changing a password).

•	Define a Notification for the monitored services and have the monitor program send e-mail to a user, or send notification to a pager, or beeper when a service is down.

•	Monitor DNS, NNTP, WWW, and FTP services on either the local or a remote system. You can set up any monitored service to be automatically restarted.

After making any changes in the Monitor service, stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds, and restart the service. Any changes that you make are saved automatically as soon as you press the Stop/Start button.

Related Topics

Viewing Service Status from a Web Browser


Services Folder

Getting to the Services Folder

IMail Server is comprised of a number of system services. The Services folder lets you get a quick overview of these services. You can also use this folder to stop and start all services.

The list shows which services are installed.  Select the service and the version number of the service, and the current status of each service is displayed.  You can also use these tabs to stop and start the individual service.

•	The basic service that enables the system to receive mail is the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

•	The services that allow access to mail by client systems are Post Office Protocol Version 3 (POP3) and the Internet Message Access Protocol Version 4 (IMAP4).

•	In addition to the above servers, IMail also provides LDAP, List, Monitor, Finger, Whois, Password, Web Messaging, and Web Calendaring servers.

Related Topics

Viewing Service Status from a Web Browser


Monitor Configuration dialog box

Getting to the Monitor Configuration Dialog

Before you use this dialog box, you should have already defined at least one notification.

1	Make sure the Monitor this service option is selected.

2	If you want the service to automatically restart after going down, select the Auto Restart this Service option.

3	Turn on Notify if Down to receive a notification when this service goes down.

4	Turn on Notify when Up after Down to receive a notification when this service comes back up after being down.

5	Enter a Service name only for a service that is not part of IMail Server, such as WWW, FTP, Telnet, DNS, or NNTP. (The service does not have to be on the IMail Server system.)

Note: You do not need to enter the Service Name or IP address for the services that are part of IMail Server (SMTP, POP3, IMAP4, LDAP, Password, Whois, Finger, and System logger).

6	Enter an IP address only for a service that is not part of IMail Server. (See Note above.)

7	Enter a Port number only for a service that is not part of IMail Server. (See Note above.)


Monitor disk space
Monitor disk space (dialog box)

If you are not already in the "Monitor Configuration" dialog box, select the localhost folder, select the Services folder, select the Monitor service entry, and click the Monitor tab.

Click the arrow to the right of Monitor disk space (the last service in the list).  Observe that the Monitor configuration dialog box appears.

Select the Generate error if below check box.

Enter the amount of disk space (in megabytes) below which you want to be notified in the MB of free space text box.


Configure Monitor
Setting up Service Monitoring: Monitor Tab

Getting to the Monitor tab

You can monitor services on the IMail Server or on a remote system. All services can be automatically restarted. You can view the status of monitored services by using a Web browser (the IMail Web server must be configured and running

1	Select the services that you want to monitor. Select the check box next to a service to monitor the service. For each service that you select, you can click the associated arrow to access configuration options.

2	(Optional) Select Monitor default gateway, click the arrow to display configuration options and then enter an IP address.

3	(Optional) Select Monitor disk space, click the arrow to display configuration options and then enter the amount of free disk space (in megabytes) below which you want to be notified.

4	In the Check Every text box, specify how often (in seconds) the monitor program should poll the services.

5	In the Timeout after box, enter the number of seconds to wait for a response.

6	Click Apply.

Related Topics

Viewing Service Status from a Web Browser


View Services
Viewing Service Status from a Web Browser

You can use Web Administration to view the status of the monitored services, and manage IMail Server functions from any web browser. To set up this capability, you need to:

1	Configure the IMail Server Web server.
Note: You should use a Web browser that supports frames as the IMail Server Web server uses frames to display service status. The most recent Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers support frames.

2	Set the appropriate access options (Allow Web Access, Host Administrator, IMail System Administrator) for the user ID you will use to log in. This determines which Remote Administration functions will be available to you. You must enable the Allow Web Access option.

3	Start a web browser and open the URL address for Web Administration. The address is: http://your_imail_server:8181 where your_imail_server is the host name of the Windows NT system on which you installed IMail Server and 8181 is the port number for the web server.
Note: Port 80 is usually used for web access via the HTTP protocol.

4	Enter your IMail user ID and password. The web page appears.

5	The Monitor application (in the left side frame) shows the status of services that you selected to monitor. Monitored services that are running appear in green. Monitored services that are down appear in red. A status message (such as "Service running") appears next to the service name.

Your login user ID determines the Remote Administration functions available to you. If your user ID has System Administrator or Host Administrator enabled, you can perform many of the functions that are available in IMail Administrator.
You can configure service monitoring from the Web Remote Administration Utility.


SMTP Server (Definition)

The SMTP server sends and receives mail from other Internet hosts using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). The SMTP server processes all incoming and outgoing mail. Outgoing mail is spooled until the SMTP server can confirm it has arrived at its destination; incoming mail is spooled until users access it by using a POP3 or IMAP4 mail client. Spooling allows the transfer from client and server to occur in the background.

Related Topics

Supported SMTP RFCs

SMTP Deliver

SMTP Processes

Security Strategies


Supported SMTP RFCs

You can set properties to secure your SMTP server from unwanted use.

The SMTP Server supports the following Request for Comments (RFCs):

•	RFC 821 and 822 SMTP

•	RFC 1869 SMTP Service Extensions

•	RFC 1870 SMTP Service Extensions for Message Size Declaration

•	RFC 1891,1892,1893,1894 SMTP Service Extension for Delivery Status Notifications

•	RFC 1985 SMTP Service Extension for Remote Message Queue Starting. Currently, IMail provides support for "ETRN host.name" and "ETRN @domain.name."  For more information, see "Using ETRN to Retrieve Mail From another Mail Server" on page 38.

•	RFC 2222 SMTP Service Extension for Authentication. IMail supports PLAIN, LOGIN, and CRAM-MD5.

Related Topics

SMTP Server (Definition)

SMTP Deliver

SMTP Processes

Security Strategies


SMTP Processes

The default number of SMTP processes that IMail Server can spawn is 30 processes. If you are seeing heavy mail traffic or running a number of large mailing lists, you may want to increase this number.  To change this setting, edit the Delivery Threads option on the Queue Manager tab.


SMTP Deliver
SMTP Deliver Program

The smtp32.exe program is the 32-bit SMTP send program for use with SMTPD32 SMTP Service. This program contains the DNS Mail Exchanger (MX) support as well as the support for list servers, etc. This program is called by smtpd32 to do the final delivery of any received messages and to perform queue runs to clear the outbound mail queues.

Smtp32.exe processes messages left in the spool directory by other processes, attempting final delivery both to local addresses and remote addresses (by way of SMTP).

SMTP32 delivers mail only to addresses found in the user.sys and aliases.sys files. Aliases are expanded, although aliases that resolve to file names are considered invalid and are the responsibility of the program that placed the message in the spool directory. (Smtp32.exe will expand group aliases on receipt of the message and imail1 will expand groups on creation of a new message. Thus, it is not possible to dump a message into the queue that references a group without doing the expansion yourself.)

Smtp32 (and imail1) has a probable limitation of 100 recipients in a message but is determined by length of the recipient addresses, number of duplicates, etc. This is in accordance with RFC 821 section 4.5.3.

Smtp32.exe does not parse any headers that are contained in the message itself and expects to find properly formatted information in the queue control file, thus there are no size restrictions on line lengths. Whatever is passed to smtp32  is passed along to the final system with no input checking.

smtp32.exe supports the following command line options:


Setting Access to the Mail (SMTP) Server

You can specify an IP address or set of IP addresses that are either granted access to the SMTP server or denied access. Use the Control Access button on the SMTP Security tab to do this.

Systems that do not have access to the SMTP server system will not be allowed to create a connection. This is useful when you know the IP address(es) of a mail sender that is making unauthorized use of your mail server.

Note that, in most cases, you should not use this option to specify the addresses that you want to grant access because you could not know every host on the Internet that wants to send mail to your users.

Related Topics

SMTP Server (Definition)

SMTP Deliver

SMTP Processes

Security Strategies


Access Control Dialog Box
Controlling Access: Access Control Dialog Box

You can control access to the IMail server by either:

•	Allowing access to everyone except specific computers

•	Denying access to everyone except specific computers

1	Do one of the following:

•	To grant access to specific computers, select Denied Access. Then click Add to enter the IP addresses that will have access.

•	To deny access to specific computers, select Granted Access. Then click Add to enter the IP addresses that will not have access.

2	Click the OK button.

Note: You must stop and restart the server for the changes to take effect.

Related Topics

Granting /Denying Access


Grant/Deny Access On
Granting and Denying Access: Grant\Deny Access On Dialog Box

To Grant Access to Specific Computers

If you selected Granted Access, the title bar says "Deny Access On." Access will be denied to all computers except those specified here.

1	Click Single Computer or Group of Computers.

2	In the IP Address and Subnet Mask text boxes, enter the IP address and subnet mask for the computer or group of computers to be denied access. Example

3	Click OK to add the IP address(es) to the list in the "Access Control" dialog box. IMail Server will relay mail for all the computers listed.

4	Click OK on the "Access Control" dialog box to save the changes.

A "non-local" system that attempts to send mail through the IMail Server system will receive the following message:

550 unknown local host %s, not a gateway

To Deny Access to Specific Computers

If you selected Denied Access, the title bar says "Grant Access On." Access will be granted to all computers except those specified here.

1	Click Single Computer or Group of Computers.

2	In the IP Address and Subnet Mask text boxes, enter the IP address and subnet mask for the computer or group of computers to be granted access. Example

3	Click OK to add the IP address(es) to the list in the "Access Control" dialog box.

4	Click OK on the "Access Control" dialog box to save the changes.

Note: You must stop and restart the service for the changes to take effect.


SMTP Tab
Configuring the SMTP Server: SMTP Tab

Getting to the SMTP tab

You use the SMTP tab to configure the SMTP server and SMTP deliver programs. After making changes, click Apply to save them, then stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds and restart the service.

Basic SMTP Setup

1	Setup Logging options:

In the Log To box, select one of the following:

•	No Log. Select this to turn off the logging of events.

•	sysMMDD.TXT. This sends event information to a file of this name where MM is the month and DD is the day the log was written. This file is stored in the Spool directory.

•	App Log. This sends event information to the Windows NT Application Log (viewed with the Windows NT Event Viewer.)

•	Log Server. This sends event information to the Log Server file indicated on the Log Files tab.

Debug Messages. Select this option to write log file messages that you can use for debugging SMTP problems.

Verbose Logging. This option records more information than standard logging. It can create a very large file and may be resource intensive, however, it is helpful in troubleshooting issues.

2	Enter the number of times to try delivery:

Tries before returning to sender. This is the number of times that delivery will be attempted before giving up and returning the mail to the sender. Each time the Retry Time (on the Queue Manager tab) reaches 0, a delivery attempt is made. Example

Null sender maximum tries. Enter the maximum number of times that IMail will attempt to deliver a message that has no sender (including postmaster messages).  This value must be less than the value entered for "Tries before returning to sender". If the "Tries before returning to sender" value is less than the value entered here, the "Null sender maximum tries" option is not enforced.

Delete after maximum tries. Select this option to delete a mail message that has no sender if it fails to be delivered after the maximum number of tries.

3	Enter the name of the Default Mail Host to send mail to if only a user ID is specified and that user ID is not found on the local system. (This is for cases where multiple systems are required to work as one. Normally, this should be blank.)

4	Enter the Domain Name Server address. This is the IP address of the system that provides domain name service for your network.

5	Click Apply to update your changes.

See also Gateway Options on SMTP tab.

Related Topics

SMTP Server (Definition)

SMTP Deliver

SMTP Processes

Security Strategies


Queue Timer and "Number of Tries" Examples
Retry Time and "Number of Tries" Example

If the Retry Time is set to 30 and the "number of tries" is set to the default value of 20, the message will be returned at about 10 hours.

If the Retry Time is set to 30 (minutes), and you want to attempt delivery for up to 3 days, the "number of tries" box should contain 144.


Gateway Options on SMTP tab

Getting to the SMTP tab

1	Turn on Send all remote mail through gateway to cause IMail to send all mail to the Remote Mail Gateway Host. If this is turned off, IMail will send mail directly to the remote host.

2	In the Tries before sending to gateway box, enter the number of times that delivery directly to a remote host should be attempted before giving up and delivering to the gateway host. Proper function of this value is dependent on the validity of the Remote Mail Gateway Host name and the Send all remote mail through gateway option.

3	In the Remote Mail Gateway Host box, enter the name of another host to send mail to for further delivery when that mail cannot be delivered directly to the destination host. This can also be used in conjunction with the Send all remote mail through gateway option to force delivery of mail through the gateway host. Since IMail Server should be able to reach all hosts directly, this field should normally be left blank.


SMTP Security Tab
SMTP Security: SMTP Security Tab

Getting to the SMTP Security tab

IMail Server offers a number of options for protecting your users from unwanted e-mail.

1	Select one of the following Mail Relay Options:

Relay mail for anyone

Relay Mail For (Specific) Addresses

No Mail Relay

Relay for Local Users Only

Relay for Local Hosts Only

2	Set the following checkbox options:

Allow remote mail to local groups

Allow remote view of local groups

Check valid sender

Auto-deny possible hack attempts

Disable SMTP "VRFY" command

3	In the Copy All Mail section, turn on Enable to copy all mail to a particular address and enter a full Mail address where you want to send a copy of each message.

4	To specify a mail address or host in the kill file, click the Edit kill file button.

5	Click Apply to save your changes.

After making changes to the SMTP Security tab, stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds and restart the service. Any changes are saved automatically as soon as you press the Stop/Start button.

Related Topics

SMTP Advanced Tab

SMTP Server (Definition)

SMTP Deliver

SMTP Processes

Security Strategies


About Mail Relay Options

You can use the Mail Relay Options to prevent unauthorized mailings, such as mass promotional mailings (known on the Internet as spam mail) from passing through the IMail Server as a relay or gateway. The Relay mail for option lets you configure IMail Server to only accept mail that originates from local users or that is destined for local users. You can define the systems or address blocks that you want to consider local.

Some Considerations When Setting Relay Options

You should consider the following issues when using the "Relay for" options.

•	Note that when one of your mail users sends a mail message, the message is relayed through the IMail Server. So, you must enter the IP addresses or IP address range of all of your mail user’s systems.

•	If a user needs to send mail from an unknown IP address, you can have the user select the "user authorization" option in their mail client. When this option is selected, the IMail Server uses the SMTP AUTH command to validate the user’s logon user ID and password.

•	If you have IMail Server set up to be a backup server for a remote mail server and you want to restrict relay access to your server, use the Relay for Address option and specify the address of the host for which IMail Server is a backup server.

Related Topics

Security Strategies

Relay mail for anyone

Relay Mail For (Specific) Addresses

No Mail Relay

Relay for Local Users Only

Relay for Local Hosts Only


Security Strategies

Due to the openness of the SMTP and Internet protocols, it is very difficult to block all spam mail and at the same time keep your mail server available to your users. IMail Server offers options for securing your SMTP server. You will find these options on the SMTP Security tab.

Relaying Mail

IMail Server (or any SMTP server) accepts mail destined for another host and redelivers it to that host — this is called the mail relay function. If your mail users use a POP3 or IMAP mail client to send mail, then IMail Server needs to relay mail for them.

Local mail is processed without requiring relay. That is, a message destined for the IMail Server host or a message originating from the IMail Server host does not use the relay function. Thus, if all of your mail users send and receive mail from the same host that IMail Server is on, or if they all use Web Messaging to access mail, you can select the No Mail Relay option.

 However, "No Mail Relay" setting is ignored when SMTP client uses AUTH and mail Is         relayed anyway. If AUTH is not enabled within the client, it will not relay the message.

If you are concerned about bulk mailers using the relay function to send mail through your server, you can restrict the addresses for which IMail Server relays mail by using the following options.

•	Use the Relay mail for Addresses option and specify the IP addresses that you want to give access to your mail server. You need to include the IP addresses for all of your users, because when they send a mail message, the message is relayed through the SMTP server to its destination.

•	You can use the Relay mail for local hosts only option to limit relay access to mail hosts on your IMail Server and the Relay mail for local users only  option to limit relay access to users on those hosts.

•	When you use one of the "relay for" options, you may have users who need to send mail from an IP address not listed. You can do this using IMail Server’s support for the SMTP AUTH command. Make sure the remote user selects the "user authorization" option in their mail client (note that this feature will be named differently on different clients), so that they can still send mail through the IMail server to its destination (in other words, relay the mail).

•	If there is a known IP address for which you want to block all mail, use the Control Access feature to deny access to your server for that address.

Validating Incoming Mail

There are a number of ways that you can try to validate incoming mail:

•	Use delivery rules to check the header and body information of incoming mail to filter out unwanted messages.

•	Select the one of the options on the SMTP Security tab to check that incoming mail was sent from a valid user mail account:

Auto deny possible hack attempts

Refuse NULL <> Senders

Check valid sender

•	Disable SMTP commands that provide information. (These can be used by others to compromise your system’s security.)

Disable SMTP "VRFY" command

Disable SMTP "AUTH" command

•	Enter known spam mail addresses in the Kill file to deny access to specified mail addresses.

Related Topics

SMTP Server (Definition)

SMTP Deliver

SMTP Processes

Security Strategies


Relay Mail for Anyone

Allows the SMTP server to accept mail from any host that is destined for any other host, and redeliver that mail (i.e. become a mail gateway). This option is the least secure because it allows your server to be used by anyone to send mail to anyone. Some bulk mailers may take advantage of this capability to not only relay mail through your server, but to make it appear as if mail is originating from your server.

Note: If you select this option for mail relay, your server may be blacklisted for running an open relay. To remedy this, you should choose to "Relay for (Addresses)".


Relay Mail for Specific Addresses
Relay Mail for (Addresses)

Allows the SMTP server to accept mail destined for other hosts only if the mail is received from the specified IP addresses (which the mail server will consider to be local addresses). The SMTP server will also accept mail from other hosts that is destined for the specified IP addresses.

When one of your users sends a mail message, the message is relayed through the IMail Server. So, you must enter the IP addresses or IP address range of all of your mail user’s systems. However, if a user needs to send mail from an unknown IP address, you can have the user select the "user authorization" option in their mail client. When this option is selected, the IMail Server uses the SMTP AUTH command to validate the user’s logon user ID and password.

The mail server will consider only the addresses which you have granted access (or not denied access) to be "local" addresses. A "non-local" system that attempts to send mail through the IMail Server system will receive the following message:

550 unknown local host %s, not a gateway

To specify the valid IP addresses, click the Addresses button located on the SMTP Security tab. The Access Control dialog box appears.

Example

If you have a network of five machines, one of which is the IMail server. You would enter the IP addresses of the four machines, not the IMail server, into the "Access Control" dialog box so that the IMail server will allow them to send mail to non-local hosts. The SMTP server will also accept mail from other hosts that is destined for those addresses.


No Mail Relay

This option causes the SMTP server to refuse to accept mail destined for other hosts(any host not on the IMail server) unless the user authenticates. If all of your users send and receive mail from the same host that IMail Server is on, or if they all use Web Messaging to access mail, you can select this option.

You will still receive mail destined for local users, because a message destined for the IMail Server host or a message originating from the IMail Server host does not use the relay function.

You can also use this setting to force your users to authenticate, by selecting the "No Mail Relay" option and clearing the Disable SMTP AUTH Reporting check box. The "No Mail Relay" setting is ignored when the SMTP client uses AUTH and mail is relayed anyway. If SMTP AUTH is not enabled within the client, it will not relay the message

"No Mail Relay is the best option if you cannot "Relay for (Addresses)" because your users dial up using dynamic IP addresses.


Relay for Local Hosts Only

Checks the "From" address of incoming mail and determines that it contains a valid IMail Server host name. This must be the name of a host or virtual host on the IMail Server system. If it is not, the server does not relay the mail. If a host has an alias, you must enter the alias in the accept.txt file.

You can use the accept.txt file in conjunction with this option to make the IMail Server accept the named remote hosts as "local" hosts.

You cannot use this option if you are using a  "store and forward" setup to relay mail for another server.


Relay for Local Users Only

Checks the "From" address of incoming mail and first determines that it contains a valid IMail Server host name, then checks that host for the user ID. It does not check user aliases. If the host name or User ID is not valid, the server does not relay mail.

You can use the accept.txt file in conjunction with this option to make the IMail Server accept the named remote hosts and users as "local" hosts and users. If a user needs to use an alias for their e-mail address, the alias needs to be in the accept.txt file.

You cannot use this option if you are using a  "store and forward" setup to relay mail for another server.


Using the accept.txt file

The accept.txt file lets you name remote hosts and users that you want the IMail Server to accept as "local" hosts and users. This file can be used with the Relay for Local Hosts Only  and Relay for Local Users Only options.

To create an accept.txt file:

1	Using Windows Notepad or another editor, create a file and name it accept.txt.

2	Enter one IP address or host name per line. Do not use spaces or punctuation.

For example, to enter hosts:

    mail1.acme.com

    mail5.foo.com

For example, to enter users:

   fred@mail1.acme.com

   bob@mail5.foo.com

The accept.txt file must have an exact match for the respective host or e-mail address. It does not accept wild cards or partial matches.

3	Save the accept.txt file in the location: [IMail Top Directory]\accept.txt


Allow remote mail to local groups

When selected, the SMTP server will accept mail addressed to private group aliases created only with the IMail Client application.

Note: List-server mailing lists are not affected by this setting.  Aliases of type Group are affected.  You must have "Allow remote mail to local groups" option enabled for a Group alias to work.


Allow remote view of local groups

When selected, the SMTP server will respond to an EXPN SMTP command with the members of a private group created only with the IMail Client application.

Note: Group aliases and list-server mailing lists are not affected by this setting.


Refuse NULL Senders

Allowing no address in the MAIL FROM line makes it easier for spam mailers to send bulk mail to your users. However, note that RFC 822 requires that mail servers accept mail that has no address in the FROM line.

Note: Microsoft Exchange uses the null address for messages from the postmaster, so selecting this command disables the ability of IMail users to receive mail from Exchange postmasters.


Check valid sender

If selected, requires that the user mail address (user@host) is specified in the MAIL FROM or REPLY-TO lines of an incoming mail message. Note that a null address (< >) in the MAIL FROM line is handled separately by enabling or disabling the Refuse NULL < > Senders option.


Auto-deny possible hack attempts

If more than 512 characters are sent in an SMTP command other than the SMTP DATA command, the remote IP address is temporarily put in the "deny access" (Control Access) file until you stop and restart the service. Sending more than 512 characters in a command other than the SMTP DATA command would look like an attempt to "hack" in to your server. You will not see the address in the "deny access" list, but it is reported in the log file.


Disable SMTP 'VRFY' command

The SMTP VRFY command is used to verify a user ID on a host. It can be used to test for valid user IDs. Disabling the command helps prevent "spoofing" by not allowing someone outside your network to check if a user ID is valid.

If you disable the SMTP VRFY command, when IMail Server receives an SMTP VRFY request, it will return the message: 252 Cannot VRFY user

Note: Do not select the Disable SMTP ‘VRFY’ command option when using "peer" IMail Servers. A peer server needs to use this command to verify a user that is on the other peer.


Disable SMTP 'AUTH' command

SMTP AUTH provides a means of authenticating the user ID and password of a user sending mail. This is handled transparently by the mail server and client. When the mail client connects to the mail server, the server tells the client the authorization methods it can use. The client then sends the user ID and password to the server, and the server verifies it.


Creating and Editing the SMTP Kill file

The kill.lst file is used by the SMTP server to deny access to the mail server.  It allows you to specify mail addresses or mail hosts that you do not want to accept mail from. The kill.lst file is located in the IMail top directory and applies to the primary host and all virtual hosts. To create or edit the kill file, click the Edit kill file button. The kill.lst file appears in Windows Notepad, or if no kill.lst file exists, one will be created.

Adding Entries

In the KILL.LST file, enter one entry per line in either of the following formats:

•	userid@host

For example, to deny access from a user mail account, enter: fred@widget.com

•	@host

For example, to deny access to all users from the mail host widget.com, enter: @widget.com

•	@*partialhost

For example, to deny mail from any mail host ending in widget.com, enter: @*widget.com. This will reject all mail from widget.com, bluewidget.com, nifty.widget.com, etc.

IMail Server checks the incoming message's "Mail From" <user@host> line in the SMTP envelope. When it receives mail from an address listed in the kill file, IMail Server returns the message: 501 unacceptable mail address

Note: The SMTP kill file is separate from the kill files for lists.


POP3
Configuring the POP3 Server: POP3 Tab

Getting to the POP3 tab

You can use the POP3 tab to configure the POP3 server. After making changes, click Apply to save them, then Stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds and restart the service.

1	In the Log To box, select the file that you want to use for logging POP3 events.

•	sysMMDD.TXT. This sends event information to a file of this name where MM is the month and DD is the day the log was written. This file is stored in the Spool directory.

•	No Log. Select this to turn off the logging of events.

•	App Log. This sends event information to the Windows NT Application Log (viewed with the Windows NT Event Viewer.)

•	Log Server. This sends event information to the Log Server file indicated on the Log Files tab. Turn on Debug Messages to write messages to the log file that you can use for debugging POP3 problems.

2	Turn on Use APOP for secure user authorization (password encryption). For more information, see RFC 1939. Note: APOP works with the IMail user database or an external user database; it does not work with the NT user database.

3	Turn on Enable XTND XMIT command to cause the server to accept outbound mail sent via XTND XMIT. Clients such as WinQVT/Net require this functionality.

4	Turn on Allow remote password changes to enable the use of internal commands that allow the remote changing of passwords via:

•	IMail remote administration utility (iradmin.exe). For more information, see Appendix D in the User’s Guide.

•	IMUTIL. For more information, see Appendix D in the User’s Guide.

•	An older Eudora client (if IMail Server password server is running)

5	Auto-deny possible hack attempts. When selected, if more than 512 characters are sent in an SMTP command other than the SMTP DATA command, the remote IP address is temporarily put in the "deny access" file until you stop and restart the service and then disconnects. Sending more than 512 characters in a command other than the SMTP DATA command would look like an attempt to "hack" in to your server. You will not see the address in the Control Access list, but it is reported in the log file.

6	Click the Control access button to can specify an IP address or set of IP addresses that are either granted access to the POP3 server or denied access. Systems that do not have access to the POP3 server system will not be allowed to create a connection. This is useful when you know the IP address(es) of a mail sender that is making unauthorized use of your mail server.

7	Click Stop/Start to stop or start the POP3 service.


POP3 Server (definition)

The POP3 Server lets any POP3 (Post Office Protocol, Version 3) mail client communicate with IMail Server. Supported POP3 clients include Internet Explorer, Netscape Messenger or Communicator, Eudora, Pegasus, NuPOP, Z-Mail, and UNIX mail.

POP3 clients use the "offline" method of accessing the mail server. Mail messages are delivered to the IMail Server system and the mail client periodically connects to the server and downloads the user's mail to the client system. Mail messages are automatically deleted from the server system. Thus, mail messages are stored only temporarily on the mail server. This method of access is best suited to users who always read their mail from the same client system.

See Request for Comments (RFC) 1725 for a description of the POP3 protocol.


Whois Tab
Configuring the Whois Server: Whois Tab

Getting to the Whois tab

IMail lets you configure the Whois server. After making changes, click Apply to save them, then Stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds and restart the service.

1	In the Log To box, select the file that you want to use for logging Whois events.

•	sysMMDD.TXT. This sends event information to a file of this name where MM is the month and DD is the day the log was written. This file is stored in the Spool directory.

•	No Log. Select this to turn off the logging of events.

•	App Log. This sends event information to the Windows NT Application Log (viewed with the Windows NT Event Viewer.)

•	Log Server. This sends event information to the Log Server file indicated on the Log Files tab.

2	In the Database box, enter the full pathname of the database file.

3	Click Stop/Start to stop or start the Whois service.


Whois Server (definition)

The Whois server lets a Whois client look up information about IMail Server users. Whois information can include the user's full name, mailing address, telephone number, and a network mailbox. When the Whois server receives a lookup request about a particular user, it will send the information about the user that it finds in the IMail database.


Finger Tab
Configuring the Finger Server: Finger Tab

Getting to the Finger tab

You can configure the IMail Finger server. After making changes, click Apply to save them, then Stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds and restart the service.

1	In the Log To box, select the file that you want to use for logging Finger events.

•	sysMMDD.TXT. This sends event information to a file of this name where MM is the month and DD is the day the log was written. This file is stored in the Spool directory.

•	No Log. Select this to turn off the logging of events.

•	App Log. This sends event information to the Windows NT Application Log (viewed with the Windows NT Event Viewer.)

•	Log Server. This sends event information to the Log Server file indicated on the Log Files tab.

2	Click Stop/Start to stop or start the POP3 service.


Finger Server (Definition)

The Finger protocol is a client-server protocol that allows Internet users to get information about other Internet users.

When one Internet user makes a Finger request of another user, the requestor (the Finger client) receives back the full name of the specified user, their complete e-mail address and whatever customized information the user has made available to the Finger protocol. The customized information is stored in a special file called a "Plan" file.

You can enter information into a user’s Plan file by entering it on the Plan tab. (Entering information in this way creates a plan.ima file in the user's home directory on the IMail Server host system.)

In order for the Finger protocol to work for a user, the system administrator must do two things:

•	Enable the Finger server

•	Allow the user’s Plan file to be presented. (The system administrator can disable the transmission of any information about any user through the Finger protocol by turning on Hide from Information Services on the General tab of a particular user.)

If an alias is specified in a Finger request from another host, the Finger server returns the expansion of that alias.

In response to Finger requests that do not specify a user, the Finger server reports that it will not display the current logged in user. To do otherwise is considered by many to be a security breach.


Password Server Overview

The Password server allows older POP3 mail clients to change their IMail Server for Windows NT password without logging in to the NT server.

These older mail clients have the ability to use the POP3 protocol to change passwords remotely. These clients include:

•	Older version of Eudora

•	The IMail IMUTIL application. For more information, see Appendix D in the User’s Guide.

•	The IMail IRADMIN application. For more information, see Appendix D in the User’s Guide.


Password Tab
Configuring the Password Server: Password Tab

Getting to the Password tab

You can configure the IMail Password Server After making changes, click Apply to save them, then Stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds and restart the service.

1	In the Log To box, select the file that you want to use for logging Password server events.

•	sysMMDD.TXT. This sends event information to a file of this name where MM is the month and DD is the day the log was written. This file is stored in the Spool directory.

•	No Log. Select this to turn off the logging of events.

•	App Log. This sends event information to the Windows NT Application Log (viewed with the Windows NT Event Viewer.)

•	Log Server. This sends event information to the Log Server file indicated on the Log Files tab.

2	Click Stop/Start to stop or start the Password service.


Notifications Overview

When a service does not respond to polling, the Monitor program can send notification via a beeper, a pager message, or an e-mail message. For each service that you choose to monitor, you can set whether you want to be notified when the service goes down, when it comes back up, or both.

You can define and use the following types of notifications:

•	A beeper notification which activates a beeper when a service does not respond to polling.

•	A pager notification that sends a message to a pager when a service does not respond to polling. The notification message is predetermined: it is a simple message, such as SMTP up, SMTP down. IMail Server supports Motorola PageNet and other TAP (Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol) pagers. It is fully compliant with the TAP protocol specification.

•	An e-mail notification that sends a message to an e-mail address when a service does not respond to polling. The notification message is predetermined and is a simple message, such as "SMTP up" or "SMTP down."

Using notifications for services in IMail involves three steps:

Step 1. You first need to define the notification that you will want to use, such as activating a network administrator's beeper or sending e-mail to an individual. (If you have already defined notifications in Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold, you can use the same notifications in IMail; the notifications defined in either application automatically appear on the notifications lists in both.)

Step 2. Next, you need to make the notification active in IMail by adding it to the Notifications tab.

Step 3. Then, you can enable notifications for services, which is just a matter of turning on one or more checkboxes on the Notifications tab.


Defining a New Notification

1	If you are not already on the Notifications tab, select IMONITOR in the left panel, and then click the Notifications tab. The list box shows all the notifications you have defined and activated in IMail.

2	Click the Add button. You see the "Add Notification" dialog box. Ignore the settings in this box for now and click the Configure Notifications button.

3	When you see the "Notifications" dialog box, click the Help button.


Activating a Notification for IMail

In IMail, a notification is not activated for IMail until it appears on the Notifications tab. To activate a defined notification for use in IMail:

1	If you are not already on the Notifications tab, select the IMail system folder in the left panel, and then click the Notifications tab.

2	Click New.

3	In the "Add Notifications" dialog box, all your defined notifications appear in the list box.

4	Select the notification you want to use in IMail.

5	Click the OK button. The notification appears on the Notifications tab and can now be enabled.

To define and activate a notification, see Defining a New Notification.


Enabling Notifications That Appear on the Notifications Tab

Getting to the Notifications tab

The list box on the Notifications tab shows all the notifications you have activated for use in IMail.

1	Turn on Enable Notifications to enable just console and sound notifications.

2	Turn on Enable Beep/Page/Mail to use any of the beeper, pager, or e-mail notifications in the list box.

3	To display the notification in a message box on the IMail Server system, turn on Enable Console Dialog.

Note: In order for the Enable Console Dialog to function, the Allow Service to Interact with Desktop option must be turned on in your computer’s Service Control Manager.

4	To play a .wav file when a monitored service goes up or down, turn on Enable Sounds. (Your system must have a sound card installed.)

5	To save your changes, click Apply.


Add Notification (dialog box)
Configuring Notifications: Add Notification Dialog box

All notification actions that have been defined (in Ipswitch IMail Server or Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold) are available from the Notify drop-down list, including three default notifications: Default Pager, Default Beeper, and Default E-Mail.

Do one of the following:

•	If you want to create a new notification, ignore the settings in this dialog box for now and click the Configure Notifications button. When you see the "Configure Notifications" dialog box, click its Help button.

•	If you have already named or defined a notification, select the defined notification from the Notify drop-down list, select the times when you want the notification to be sent, and click OK to add the notification to the list on the Notifications tab.


Configuring a Notification
Configuring Notifications: Notifications Dialog Box

This is where you define or edit a notification. The list on the left shows notifications that have been defined (in Ipswitch IMail Server or Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold), including three default notifications: Default Pager, Default Beeper, and Default E-Mail.

Note: A notification in this list is defined, but not activated in IMail until it appears on the Notifications tab. To activate a notification, you select one in this list and click the Add button.

1	If you are editing an existing notification, select the notification name in the list box and go to Fill in the Details below.

2	To define a new notification:

•	Select and delete whatever appears in the Name box.

•	In the Name box, enter a name for the new notification.

•	Select the Type of notification: Beeper, Pager, or Mail.

•	Click the Add button. The name you entered appears in the list box.

•	Select the new name in the list box.

•	Proceed with Fill in the Details below.

Fill in the Details

1	If this is a beeper notification, do the following:

•	If you want to use an external program instead of IMail to handle the beeper communication, enter the External Program name. For more information, see Using an External Beeper Program.

•	In the Phone text box, enter the phone number to dial.

2	If this is a pager notification, do the following:

•	In the Terminal box, enter the phone number to dial.

•	Enter the pager Password, if required.

•	Enter the Pager ID (pager identification number).

•	Select the Pager Type.

3	If this is a mail notification, do the following:

•	Enter an e-mail Address that is acceptable to the local mail server (the Gate IP).

•	Enter the Gate IP, the IP address of a host running SMTP.

4	Click Comm Setup to change the communications parameters. When you see the "Communications Setup" dialog box, click the Help button.

5	You can test a notification by clicking the Test button. The test results are displayed in the space above the Test button. To return to the original display, click another notification in the list box.


Notifications Tab
Working With Notifications: Notifications Tab

The list box shows all the notifications you have activated in IMail.

You can:

•	Define a new notification

•	Modify an IMail notification

•	Disable a notification (Select the notification and click Delete; the notification is still defined, but can no longer be enabled. You can activate it again at any time.)

•	Enable notifications

Turn on Enable Notifications to enable just console and sound notifications.

Turn on Enable Beep/Page/Mail to use any of the beeper, pager, or e-mail notifications in the list box.

Turn on Enable Console Dialog to display the notification in a message box on the IMail Server system.

Turn on Enable Sounds to play a .wav file when a monitored service goes up or down. (Your system must have a sound card installed.)

To save your changes, click Apply.

To enable and disable notification on a per service basis:

1	In the left panel, select localhost, then select the Services folder and click the IMONITOR service. Click the Notifications tab.

2	For any service that is being monitored (has a check in the check box), click the arrow to the right of the monitored service. The "Monitor configuration" dialog box appears.

Click the Help button for detailed instructions on selecting options.


Communications Setup

Communication Setup for a Beeper Notification

Communication Setup for a Pager Notification

Communication Setup for an E-mail Notification


Communications Setup for a Beeper Notification

In the Digital Beeper section of the dialog box:

1	Enter a Dial String. The default dial string is: ATDT%s,,,,%s#. The phone number replaces the first % s and the second %s is replaced by the beeper code. Most modems and beepers support the use of '#' to terminate the message and '*' to print out a dash. You may find a need to increase the number of commas in the dial string if it dials the code too soon or decrease the number of commas if it waits too long.

2	Select the Baud Rate. This is the speed (measured in bits per second) at which the serial port will communicate with the modem.

3	Select the COM Port to which your modem is attached.

4	Enter a Modem Init String. The default string is ATEOQOV1X4. What is expected in this string are the modem commands for "Command Echo Off" (EO), "Result Codes On" (QO), "Verbal Results" (V1), and "Result Codes Displayed" (X4). The recommended string to use is: ATEO QO V1 X4

5	Enter the Timeout. This value determines how long the system waits after sending the last character before it hangs up the phone, if a transition is not recognized.

6	Click OK. You will go back to the "(Configure) Notifications" dialog box. When you get there, click the Add button. You go back to the "Add Notifications" dialog box where you can select the new notification from the drop-down list box and set time options. Click OK when done. You go back to the Notifications tab where you see the


Using an External Beeper Program

Instead of using the Communications Setup for a Beeper built into IMail, you can use an external program of your own to handle beeper notifications. The presence of an external program name in the External Program text box enables the external program.

The following information is made available to the external program via the command line.

arg 1:	either DN or UP

arg 2:	the phone number entered in the Notification options

arg 3:	the beeper code as specified in the Notification options

arg 4:	the IP address of the host

External program example arguments:

0: beeper.exe 1: DN 2: 8694297 3: 3333 4: 127.0.0.1

0: beeper.exe 1: DN 2: 8694297 3: 2222 4: 127.0.0.1

0:.exe 1: UP 2: 8694297 3: 2222 4: 127.0.0.1

The external program is executed with SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE.

The external beeper program will not be activated if someone silenced the alarm before the system check is reached.

The UP message will only be sent if the packets lost is greater than system checks when the service comes back up.


Communications Setup for a Pager Notification

In the Alpha Pager section of the dialog box:

1	Enter a Modem Initialization String (ATEO). The default string is ATEO. What is expected in this string are the modem commands for "Command Echo Off" (EO), "Result Codes On" (QO), "Verbal Results" (V1), "Result Codes Displayed" (X4), and "Local Echo OFF" (F1). The recommended string to use is: ATEO QO V1 X4 F1.

2	Enter a Baud Rate. Select the speed (measured in bits per second) at which the serial port will communicate with the modem.

3	Select the COM Port. Select the port to which your modem is attached.

4	Click OK.

Related Topics

About Pager Problems


About Pager Problems

Most problems with pager communications seem to be caused by modem initialization strings. The modem must have the "interface to modem" and "modem to distant end" set to the same baud rate, either 300 or 1200 baud. The modem must have "echo" disabled, "command textual responses" enabled, must return standard Hayes compatible responses, and must accept Hayes compatible commands. The system must be tested at 300 baud.

Once, you've established that the pager works, you can change the baud rate. Modems that return connection information other than "Connect ..." must have the extra connect information turned off. Modems that lock interface speeds must have that option disabled or locked to the desired connect speed (300 baud).


Pager Type (Pager Protocol)

The correct setting for the pager type (protocol) depends on the paging service provider. TAP is typical for the United States, SMS for SMS-TAP systems in the United States, NTT is used by most Japanese paging systems, and UCP is typical of European paging systems.


Communications Setup for an E-mail Notification

In the "Mail" section of the dialog box:

1	Enter a From Address that defines the sender of an e-mail notification as: <imonitor@%s>, where %s is the local hostname. In most cases, you will not need to change this address. If you do change the address, be sure to keep the angle brackets (< >) in place.

2	Click OK.


Monitor Web Server Tab
Setting Up Web Administration: Monitor Web Server Tab

The Web Administration feature of IMail Server allows you to view the status of services and provides access to user mail accounts all through a web browser.

You can access the Monitor Server from any web browser if the Web Administration capability is enabled as described below.

What you see when you access the Monitor server from a web browser is determined by the User properties for the user ID you log on with.

Enabling the Web Administration Capability

The Monitor Web Server tab lets you use the Web Administration utility to view the status of monitored services, modify IMail Server user registration data, and view log data.

Getting to the Monitor Web Server tab

To configure web administration through the web server:

1	Turn on Enable Web administration through Imonitor.

2	Enter the Port number for the web server. The default is 8181.

3	Enter the Title that you want to appear on the web page when accessed from a web browser.

4	In the Web Dir box, enter the directory where the IMail Server web files will be stored.

5	Turn on the Hide User List Button to prevent the web server from displaying a list of users in response to a query from an LDAP client.

6	Click the Control Access button to specify an IP address or set of IP addresses that are either granted access to the web server or denied access. Systems that do not have access to the web server system will not be allowed to create a connection.

7	Click Apply to apply the settings.

Accessing the Web Administration Capability

To access the Web administration capability of the Monitor server from a web browser:

1	Open a web browser and enter the URL address for the Web Administration server. The address is: http://your_imail_server_system:8181. Where your_imail_server_system is the host name of the IMail Server and 8181 is the port number for the web function.

2	Enter your IMail Server User ID and password.

Note: The IMail user ID and password use base 64 encoding for sending this information via the HTTP protocol.

Related Topics:

Setting Access to the Web Server


Setting Access to the Web Server

You can specify an IP address or set of IP addresses that are either granted access to the Web Administration or denied access. Systems that do not have access to the web server system will not be allowed to create a connection.


Log Server Overview

The Log Server is the server to which all other servers send their messages when you specify that those services log information to the Log Server.

For example, if you select the "services" folder in the left panel, click POP3D32, and select Log Server from the Log To drop-down menu, the POP3 service makes log entries to the Log Server file specified on the Log Files tab.


Log Files Tab
 Working With Log Files: Log Files Tab

To view the Log Files tab, select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the SysLog service.

The Log Files tab shows the log files in the IMail spool directory. Log files are named with the format logMMDD.txt where MM is the month and DD is the date.

The Current log box shows the currently active log file. Click the View button to view the file in the Windows Notepad.

The Existing Logs box lists recent log files and their sizes (in bytes). You can select a log file in the list and click View Log to open it in the Windows Notepad.

To delete a log file, select it and click Delete Log.

After making changes, click Apply to save them, then stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds and restart the service.

For more information, see About Log Files.


IMAP4 Tab
Configuring the IMAP Server: IMAP4 Tab

Getting to the IMAP4 tab

You can use the IMAP4 tab to configure the IMAP server. After making changes, click Apply to save them, then Stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds and restart the service.

1	In the Log To box, select the file that you want to use for logging IMAP4 events.

•	sysMMDD.TXT. This sends event information to a file of this name where MM is the month and DD is the day the log was written. This file is stored in the Spool directory.

•	No Log. Select this to turn off the logging of events.

•	App Log. This sends event information to the Windows NT Application Log (viewed with the Windows NT Event Viewer.)

•	Log Server. This sends event information to the Log Server file indicated on the Log Files tab.

2	Turn on Debug Messages to write debug messages to the log file.

3	Turn on Force subscribe to public mailboxes to require the IMAP4 client to subscribe to use a public mailbox. If the user is not a subscriber, they are refused access.

4	Turn on Force subscribe to private mailboxes to require the IMAP4 client to subscribe to use a private mailbox. If the user is not a subscriber, they are refused access.

Note: Subscribing to a mailbox is a protocol-command; there is no way for a user to subscribe to a mailbox unless the client application provides this capability.

5	Click Stop/Start to stop or start the IMAP4 service.

Related Topics

Mailbox management

Public mailboxes


IMAP4 Server (definition)

IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol, Version 4) lets users access remote message stores (on the mail server) as if they were local. Using an IMAP4 mail client, users can read their mail, move or delete mail, create mailboxes - all on the server system. Messages are left on the mail server, which means users can access their mailboxes from multiple machines.

Related Topics

Mailbox management

Public mailboxes


Mailbox Management

When a user creates a mailbox using an IMAP4 client, the mailbox is created on the IMail Server system. As the IMail Server will be the permanent store for IMAP4 users mail, you will want to configure the server with appropriate disk space and you will want to manage the disk space by monitoring mailbox disk usage.

You (the system administrator) can set maximum mailbox size and maximum number of messages for each user, or on a global basis. For more information, see Maximum Mailbox Size & Maximum Number of Messages.

Administrators can set an option (on the IMAP4 Tab) that determines whether users must subscribe to a private mailbox before they can read it.


Public Mailboxes

The IMAP4 server provides a means of creating a public mailbox in which you can post messages for reading by IMAP4 clients. To create a public mailbox, create a user ID named "public". Any mailboxes in this user's directory will be available for reading by IMAP4 clients.

Administrators can use the public user ID to post messages. Users other than public can only read the public mailboxes. Administrators can set an option (on the IMAP4 tab) that determines whether users must subscribe to a public mailbox before they can read it.

Public mailboxes are read-only by design, and only the user public can administer the public mailboxes. Messages received for this account and its sub-mailboxes are treated as normal, but users other than public who access these mailboxes through IMAP4 have read-only permissions. If a user tries to mark a message in a public folder as read, he will be notified that the mailbox is read-only.

Note: Subscribing to a mailbox is a protocol-command; there is no way for a user to subscribe to a mailbox unless the client application provides this capability.


LDAP Tab
Configuring the LDAP Server: LDAP Tab

Getting to the LDAP tab

You can use the LDAP properties to configure the LDAP server. After making changes, click Apply to save them, then Stop the service, wait 5-10 seconds and restart the service.

Warning: The Init LDAP button (on the General tab of the mail host properties) initializes the database created by the LDAP server. Do not use it unless you are having such severe problems with the LDAP database that you want to completely overwrite the database with just the user Ids and passwords that are stored in the Windows registry. Try optimizing the LDAP database to clear up any problems you may be having.

1	In the Log To box, select the file that you want to use for logging LDAP events.

•	sysMMDD.TXT. This sends event information to a file of this name where MM is the month and DD is the day the log was written. This file is stored in the Spool directory.

•	No Log. Select this to turn off the logging of events.

•	App Log. This sends event information to the Windows NT Application Log (viewed with the Windows NT Event Viewer.)

•	Log Server. This sends event information to the Log Server file indicated on the Log Files tab.

2	Turn on Allow queries only to allow an LDAP client to query the server for LDAP information and read the results, but not enter or modify LDAP information.

3	Turn on Allow "Search All" requests to allow LDAP clients to use a "Search All" command. If there are a large number of users, you can turn this off to force LDAP clients to be more selective in their search criteria.

4	Enter the Maximum number of matches returned per request. If necessary, set this to a lower number to limit the load on the server generated by LDAP requests.

5	Optionally, set up a Referral to another LDAP database. This feature lets the LDAP server notify an LDAP client where to look for additional information (on another LDAP server). To set up a referral, turn on Enable Referrals and set the following options:

Mode. The mode determines what a query from an LDAP client will return:

•	Send data only returns data from the IMail LDAP server only and does not do a referral.

•	Send referral only returns the host name (entered in Hosts) of another LDAP server.

•	Send both returns data from the IMail LDAP server and a referral to another LDAP server (entered in Hosts).

Hosts. Enter the host name of the remote LDAP server. You can enter multiple host names, separated by a comma.

6	Click Stop/Start to stop or start the LDAP service.

Related Topics

LDAP Data

Full LDAP directory support


LDAP Server (definition)

By creating a standard way for applications to request and manage directory information, LDAP (or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) has become another popular feature for standards-based mail servers. A simplified subset of the much more elaborate X.500 Directory Access Protocol, LDAP is more appropriate for many of today's applications - on both the client and server sides - since it makes fewer demands on system resources.

LDAP implementations use a client/server architecture to publish directory information (such as address books) on the server and provide access to that directory information from LDAP enabled clients.

For more information about LDAP, see the Internet Requests for Comments (RFCs) that describe the protocol. The IMail Server implementation of LDAP is based on RFC-2251.

Warning: The Init LDAP button (on the General tab of the mail host properties) initializes the database created by the LDAP server. Do not use it unless you are having such severe problems with the LDAP database that you want to completely overwrite the database with just the user Ids and passwords that are stored in the Windows registry. Try optimizing the LDAP database to clear up any problems you may be having.

Related Topics

LDAP Data

Full LDAP directory support


LDAP Data

Mail Server provides an LDAP database. To do this, the IMail user database is extended to include standard LDAP attributes (such as name, address, organization name, and phone number) and any other attributes that a site defines.

Each user with an account on the IMail Server system has an LDAP entry. When a user is added to the IMail user database, an LDAP entry is defined with the following attributes:

When a user receives mail on the IMail Server system, their LDAP entry is activated.

Using an LDAP enabled client, the user can add, delete, and modify information in his or her own LDAP entry. A user cannot modify another user's entry. The following table describes several additional attributes that the user can add (by using an LDAP client that supports the Modify function):

These are the most common attributes used in the LDAP entry. The system administrator or the user can define other attributes.

The system administrator can add and delete users, add LDAP attributes, and modify LDAP attribute values through any of the following applications:

•	IMail Administrator

•	A web browser. You can access LDAP data through the Web Administration utility or Web Messaging.

•	An LDAP enabled client - Refer to the documentation for your client for information on accessing and using an LDAP directory.

Warning: The Init LDAP button (on the General tab of the mail host properties) initializes the database created by the LDAP server. Do not use it unless you are having such severe problems with the LDAP database that you want to completely overwrite the database with just the user Ids and passwords that are stored in the Windows registry. Try optimizing the LDAP database to clear up any problems you may be having.


Full LDAP Directory Support

IMail Server supports LDAP Version 3, which provides the following capabilities:

Allows users of LDAP-enabled clients such as Netscape's Communicator to:

•	Locate LDAP directory information that may include name, phone number, e-mail address, organization, department, and address.

•	List all users at a site.

•	Browse for users who meet certain criteria.

•	Modify user information in the LDAP directory.

•	Authenticate LDAP logon by using the IMail user ID and password.

•	Host Administrators and System Administrators can use an LDAP enabled client to add, delete, and modify user accounts, including any LDAP directory information.


Initializing LDAP

Warning: The Init LDAP button (on the General tab of mail host properties) initializes the LDAP database created for the current mail host by the LDAP server. Do not use it unless you are having such severe problems with the LDAP database that you want to completely overwrite the database with just the user Ids and passwords that are stored in the Windows registry. Try optimizing the LDAP database to clear up any problems you may be having.


Optimizing LDAP

If there are problems with the LDAP database such as missing or multiple entries, you can try optimizing the LDAP database for the particular mail host.

1	To do this, select the mail host in the left panel and then click the Optimize LDAP button on the General tab.

2	If this does not solve the problem, check the values that appear on the Attributes tabs for the user you’re having problems with.

3	Next, check the default User settings:

•	Expand the mail host folder and select the Users folder in the left panel.

•	Check the setting of Hide from Information Services to be sure it’s set the way you want it.

•	Check the setting of Users Can't Modify LDAP to be sure it’s set the way you want it.

4	Stop and restart the LDAP server.


Getting to the Monitor Tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the IMonitor service. Click the Monitor tab.


Getting to the Finger tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the FINGRD32 service.


Getting to the IMAP4 tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the IMAP4D32 service.


Getting to the LDAP tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the ILDAP service.


Getting to the Monitor Configuration Dialog

Select and expand the localhost folder in the left panel. Select and expand the Services folder and the list of services appears. Select the Monitor service entry then select the Monitor tab. Select the service subject to configuration and click the arrow located to the right of that service.


Getting to the Monitor Web Server tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the Monitor service. Click the Monitor Web Server tab.


Getting to the Password tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the Password service.


Getting to the POP3 tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the POP3 service.


Getting to the SMTP Security tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the SMTPD32 service. Click the SMTP Security tab.


Getting to the SMTP tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the SMTP service. Click the SMTP tab.


Getting to the Whois tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the Whois service.


Creating and Editing the Kill File for a List

The kill.lst file is used by the List-Server to deny access to local mailing lists.  It allows you to specify mail addresses or mail hosts that you do not want to post to the list. Each list has its own kill.lst file located in IMail Top Directory\domain\list\listname (where listname is the directory for the particular list) and applies only to the specified list. To create or edit the kill file, click the Edit kill file button. The kill.lst file appears in Windows Notepad, or if no kill.lst file exists, one will be created.

Adding Entries

In the KILL.LST file, enter one entry per line in either of the following formats:

•	userid@host

For example, to deny access from a user mail account, you would enter: fred@widget.com

•	@host

For example, to deny access to all users from the mail host widget.com, you would enter: @widget.com

•	@*partialhost

For example, to deny mail from any mail host ending in widget.com, enter: @*widget.com. This will reject all mail from widget.com, bluewidget.com, nifty.widget.com, etc.

Note: The kill files for lists are different from the SMTP kill file.


Getting to the Notifications tab

Expand the localhost and select the Services folder in the left panel. Then click the Notifications tab.


Getting to the SMTP tab

Select the "localhost" folder in the left panel and click the SMTP tab.


Getting to the Services Folder

Select and expand the localhost folder in the left panel and observe that the Services folder appears.


Grant/Deny Access Example

If you have a class C address space of 156.21.50.0, enter a group address of 156.21.50.0 and a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. This will grant access to those 254 systems.


What is Web Messaging?
What is IMail Web Messaging?

IMail Web Messaging lets your users send and receive mail using a web browser.  Users can log on to IMailWeb Messaging from any browser on any system and perform all of their mail functions – without having to install e-mail client software or a browser plug-in on their local PC or workstation.

Web Messaging works like an IMAP4 mail client – all users’ mail is stored on the mail server.  When a user creates a mailbox in Web Messaging, it is created on the mail server.

Related Topics

What Can Users Do in Web Messaging?

Remote Administration via Web Messaging

Customizing the Web Messaging Interface

Web Messaging with Advertisements


What Can Users Do in Web Messaging?
What Can Users Do with Web Messaging?

Web Messaging provides users with full e-mail functions and the ability to change personal information from a web browser on any system connected to the Internet.

Users can connect to the Web Messaging server and log on to their mail account using their IMail user ID and password.

Users can start Web Messaging by entering the web server’s address in their browser’s address field. This web address consists of the host name of the IMail Server host and a web server port number. The default port number is 8383. For example, if your IMail Server mail host is named mailhost1.ipswitch.com, then the web address is: http://mailhost1.ipswitch.com:8383

Users can bookmark the address (save it as a "favorite" site) in their web browser.

Once logged in, users can read, send, delete, and reply to e-mail, send and receive attached documents, and print e-mail directly from the browser. Users can also organize their mail into mailboxes, maintain an address book, maintain LDAP and finger information, and set delivery rules for incoming mail.

Online help is available from the Web Messaging pages.

Related Topics

Setting the Web Server Port Number

Setting Access to Web Messaging


Remote Administration via Web Messaging

A user who has administrator permissions (set in User Properties) can manage and monitor IMail Server functions remotely through Web Messaging. The following provides an overview of the remote administration functions. See the Web Messaging help for more information on these functions.

Monitor Logs and the Spool Directory. If you have System Administrator permissions, you can view the following IMail Server log files.

•	Monitor Access Log. Shows each access attempt to the Web Messaging server and to the IMonitor web server.

•	Monitor System Log. Shows logons to the mail server and to the IMonitor web server and shows the status of services.

•	IMail System Log. Shows IMail Server send and receive mail transactions. This shows the contents of syslog.txt.

•	IMail Syslog Log. Records transaction and debug information when enabled in each of the servers (for example, POP3 and SMTP). This shows the contents of lognnnn.txt, the System Log Service file.

•	Spool directory. Shows all IMail Server send and receive mail transactions that are in process. Click View Spool Directory to display the spool information.

Managing Virtual Hosts. If you have IMail System Administrator permissions, you can add, modify, and delete mail hosts.

Edit News Message. The news message appears on the welcome screen and is displayed for all users. The news message can only be maintained by an administrator, and will be displayed until the administrator changes or deletes it.

Edit Welcome Message. The welcome message is displayed on the login screen, directly under the User Id and Password text boxes. A welcome message can be entered and maintained only by an administrator.

Setting Rules. If you have Host Administrator permissions, you can set rules for the mail host. If you also have IMail System Administrator permissions, you can set rules for any mail hosts. Regular users can set rules for their own mail account.

User Administration. If you have Host Administrator permissions, you can add, modify, and delete user mail accounts for your mail host. If you have Host Administrator and System Administrator permissions, you can add, modify, and delete user mail accounts for all mail hosts.

Alias Administration. If you have Host Administrator permissions, you can add, modify, and delete aliases for your mail host. If you have Host Administrator and System Administrator permissions, you can add, modify, and delete aliases for all mail hosts.

List Administration. If you have List Administrator permissions, you can create, modify, and delete list-server mailing lists for your mail host.

Anti-Virus Administration. If you have IMail Anti-Virus installed, you can use IMail Web Messaging to enable/disable scanning and set the redirect options.

For more information on the log files and spool directory, see Appendix D in the IMail Server User’s Guide.


Setting Up Web Messaging
Setting Up IMail Web Messaging

To set up IMail Web Messaging, you need to:

•	Determine the web address for your Web Messaging server

•	Optionally, set up the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) capability to provide secure communications between the server and user’s browsers.

•	Configure the web server for Web Messaging

•	Set user access to Web Messaging


Setting Up SSL

You can set up the Web Messaging and Web Calendaring servers to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for communications between a browser and the server. SSL encrypts your mail communications so only the intended recipients can read them. To set up SSL, you need to do the following:

•	First, you use the IMail SSL Configuration Utility to set up the SSL certificate and public/private key pair. From the Start menu, select Programs->IMail->IMail SSL Configuration Utility. See the utility’s online help for more information.

•	Then, you enable SSL in the IMail Administrator, on the Web Messaging Server Advanced tab.


Web Address for Web Messaging

By default, the Web Messaging server is assigned a web address that consists of the host name of the IMail Server host and a web server port number. The default port number is 8383. For example, if your IMail Server host is named mailhost1.ipswitch.com, then the Web address will be:

http://mailhost1.ipswitch.com:8383

Your mail users can get to the Web Messaging Logon page by entering the address in their browser’s address field. Users can bookmark the address (save it as a Favorite site) in their browser.

If you are not running another web server on the same host, you can set the port number to the normal HTTP (web) server port of 80. In this case, users do not have to specify the port with the web address. For example, you could enter: http://mailhost1.ipswitch.com

Note: If you use a non-standard port number (anything other than 80), users will need to specify the port in the logon web address.

Note that some firewalls may block the 8383 port, in which case you need to change the port number.

If You Have Multiple Mail Hosts

If you have set up multiple mail hosts on your IMail Server system, the web address is determined by whether the mail host has it’s own IP address or uses a "virtual" IP address.

If each mail host has it’s own IP address, you will have a different web address for each host. For example, if you have set up the following hosts:

mail.marcel.com 	156.21.50.78

mail.magnolia.net	156.21.50.80

the Web address for the respective hosts would be:

mail.marcel.com:8383

mail.magnolia.net:8383

If a mail host does not have an IP address, then it will have the same web address as the primary mail host. For example, if you have set up the following hosts:

mail.marcel.com 	156.21.50.78

mail.magnolia.net	<$virtual IP>

the Web address for both hosts would be:

mail.marcel.com:8383

The host mail.magnolia.net can still have its own set of users, but users on this host must identify the host when they enter their logon user ID. For example, the user fred on mail.magnolia.net would enter the web address mail.marcel.com:8383 to open the Logon page, then would enter fred@mail.magnolia.net as his user ID.

Note: If you use SSL for secure mail connections, and you use a non-standard SSL port (anything other than 443), you will have to enter the SSL port as part of the address.


Configuring the Web Server (Web Messaging Server tab)
Configuring the Web Server: Web Messaging Server Tab

Getting to the Web Messaging Server tab

The Web Messaging server is installed on the host where the IMail Server software is installed. You can change the default port number, change the default web directory, set SSL options, set other web server options, and start or stop the web server.

1.	In the Log To text box, where you want the log information for the web server to be stored. You can select from:

• W#YYMMDD.log	• No Log
• App Log	• Log Server
2.	In the Web Server Port text box, enter a port number.

This is the port on which the Web Messaging server operates. If you change the port, the Web Messaging server must be stopped and restarted. By default the web port is set to 8383. If your mail system had a name of mail.domain.net, you will access the mail system with the following address: http://mail.domain.net:8383/. The port used may be changed to any unused port on your system. If you do not have another web server on the same system, you can use the normal port of 80. Then your address would be http//mail.domain.net.

Note: If you use a non-standard port (anything other than 80), users need to specify the port in the logon web address.

3.	Enter the Web Files Directory. This directory contains the files used to create web pages for Web Messaging. If you change this directory, you must then stop and restart the web server.

4.	Set the Maximum Concurrent Users (not functional in the IMail 25 version).  This is the maximum number of users that can be logged into web messaging at one time. This option must set between 256 and 1024 users.

Note: It is not possible to limit Web Messaging to allow less than 256 concurrent users, nor more than 1024.  If a number outside of this range is entered, it will not function. In that case, even though the setting may display 2, the system is actually allowing 256 concurrent users.

5.	Enter a value for Max Attachment Size. This is the maximum size of any single attachment that can be sent.

6.	Turn on Ignore source address in security check if you want the web server to ignore the IP address that requested the page. This can be useful with firewalls and with service providers that use dynamic IP addresses (such as AOL). Normally, the web server checks the IP address that requested the page against the IP address from which the user logged on.

7.	Turn on Enable Statistics, to allow web messaging to display statistical information about accounts and Users. This will only be available to users who have User Administration options.

8.	Optionally, turn on Enable Keep Alive if you want to create a persistent TCP connection between the Web Messaging server and a browser (if the browser supports it). If this option is turned off, the server closes the TCP connection after each response.

Normally, the connection between a browser and a web server is valid only for a single request/response pair. Using Enable Keep Alive can improve performance by reducing overhead per request, but it also means that less resources are available for other processes, such as creating new connections.

Note: If you use Enable Keep Alive and Enable Thread Pooling, then the number of simultaneous connections allowed to the server will equal the Max Work Threads. Thus, you will be limiting the number of connections allowed.

9.	Turn on Auto Restart Server on Apply. If this is selected, the web server will be stopped and restarted automatically when you press Apply (if you changed anything requiring the server to stop and restart). It is recommended that you select this option.

In the Web Server Status area, the current status of the web server is displayed. Click the Start/Stop button to start or stop the web server

Related Topics:

Configuring the Web Server (Advanced Tab)

Web Options Tab


Setting Access to Web Messaging

IMail Web Messaging provides access to mail functions based on the user permissions granted in the user's properties. You can assign access to Web Messaging for each individual mail account, or globally for all users. A user can be granted some or all of the following permissions:

•	Allow Web Access. Allows user access to their account via any Web browser.

•	Host Administrator. Allows a user to add, modify or delete users and aliases, and set rules on their mail host. Allow Web Access must also be selected.

•	List Administrator. Allows a user to manage mailing lists on the host. Allow Web Access must also be selected.

•	IMail System Administrator. Allows a user to manage all mail hosts, view the spool directory and logs, create rules, and edit the news and welcome messages. If this user also has Host Administrator permissions, they can manage user accounts and aliases on all mail hosts. If this user also has List Administrator permission, they can manage lists on all mail hosts. Allow Web Access must also be selected.

To set access to Web Messaging for an individual user mail account:

1	Select the mail host, and then select the Users folder.

2	Select a user ID to see the user’s properties in the right panel.

3	Select Allow Web Access and then click OK to apply the change and close the window.

4	Optionally, click the Host Administrator, List Administrator, or IMail System Administrator options to allow this user access to the extended menu options associated with each.

5	Click Apply to apply the changes.

To allow web access to all existing users:

1	Select the mail host, and then select the Users folder,

2	Click the Global User Changes button. The "Global Change User Properties" dialog box appears.

In the Allow user to change information with web front-end section, select Yes, and then click the Change ALL accounts button to apply the change and close the dialog box.

If you change an option in the User Properties dialog box after you have set a global setting, the change overrides the global setting.


Overview of Customization Features

The Web Messaging interface is comprised of web pages that provide access to e-mail functions, personal mail account information, and remote administration functions. You can create your own look and feel for the Web Messaging interface. If you have multiple mail hosts, each mail host can have a different Web Messaging interface.

You can easily edit the logon welcome message, the news message that appears after a user logs on, labels on text links and buttons, and the text of confirmation and error messages.

If you know how to edit HTML code, you can rearrange the components of a page, or change the text next to radio buttons or in hyperlinks, by editing web templates used to generate the web pages.

You can change the button colors and styles, and page background colors and styles by replacing the default graphics files with your own graphics files.

You can also set up Web Messaging to display online advertisements.


Welcome Message

The Welcome Message and a logo appear on the Web Messaging logon page.

You can enter up to 1000 characters of plain text and/or raw HTML code in the mailwelc.txt file. The message displays in the Logon page above the logon box. The message persists across reboots.

You can replace the logo in the default mailwelc.txt with a graphic of your own logo:

<img src="my_logo.gif"><br>

Use <br> to cause line breaks in your message.

You can also edit the Welcome message from within Web Messaging. Log on to Web Messaging, and then under the Administrative Account Options, click Edit Welcome Message.


Trailer Message

The trailer message ("tail") is displayed in the frame at the bottom of the screen if you have Ad support enabled.

To enter a trailer message:

1.	Select a mail host and click on the Web Messaging Content tab.

2.	Click the Trailer Screen button. Mailtail.html, which is where the trailer message is stored, opens in Notepad.

3.	Enter a trailer message in HTML.

This MUST be a full HTML page, starting with <HTML><BODY> and ending with </BODY></HTML>. There is no limit to the number of characters that can be entered.

A nice idea for this is to use a JAVA (or marquee) scrolling text area and print any current news.

4.	Save the message before exiting Notepad.

Note: The trailer message is stored in the file named mailtail.html, which is located at  [IMail Top Directory]\Web. In addition to the above procedure, you can also edit the mailtail.html file directly in a text editor.


Web Messaging with Advertisements

Web Messaging supports online advertising. Ads are displayed on a portion of the screen while users are using Web Messaging. Ads are displayed at the top of whatever page the user is on.

For each ad, you enter HTML text and/or graphics, including hyperlinks. You can have up to 1000 ads for each mail host. IMail Server cycles through all of the ads you have added, changing the displayed ad every 30 seconds. In addition, Web Messaging allows you to configure ads for each mail host. Thus you can have different ads for different hosts.

This feature is very useful to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other mail service providers who would like to sell online advertising space on their mail server. It can also be used to display messages on your intranet.

Related Topics

Web Messaging Ad Support Tab


News of the Day tab
News of the Day

The "News of the Day" is text that is displayed immediately after the user logs on. The News of the Day is displayed on a separate page before the menu. This feature is activated by the presence of text in this file.

1.	Select a mail host, and then click on the Web Message Content tab.

2.	Click on the News OTD button. This opens the mailnews.txt file in Notepad.

3.	Enter a news message and save it before closing Notepad.

An example of News of the Day:

Greetings Test User!

Tuesday, December 01, 1999

18:24:09

Today’s news

[This is where the news message is displayed.] You can enter up to 1000 characters with raw HTML in this file.

Note: In addition to the above procedure, you can also edit the mailnews.txt files directly in a text editor. The mailnews.txt  file for Web Messaging is located in IMail/Web .


Web Messaging Ad Support tab

Getting to the Web Messaging Ad Support tab

The Web Messaging Ad Support tab is where you enable ad support and enter the contents of your ads.

1	To display ads, turn on Enable Ad Support. This will display ads in the frame at the top of the user’s web messaging pages. In addition, the Trailer Message is displayed in the bottom frame of the page.

The Ad Content box displays the ads you have entered. Each line is the definition of one ad. There can be up to 1000 lines in this file, meaning you can enter up to 1000 ads using the interface. The ad displayed on the Web Messaging page will be changed every 30 seconds.

2	To enter an ad, click the Add button and enter the HTML code for your ad.

Each line can be up to 1000 characters of text containing raw HTML code as in:

<center><a href="http://www.ipswitch.com" target=main><img src=ipswitch.gif alt="Ipswitch Inc."></a>

An ad can reference a .gif file and can link to a web address (URL). If the ad is larger than the frame size, a scroll bar appears on the right side of the frame. Thus, an ad can be a full web page.

To edit an ad, select the ad and click Edit.

To delete an ad, select the ad and click Delete.

Note: Your ads are stored in the file ads.txt in the Web directory. In addition to the above procedure, you can also edit the ads.txt file directly in a text editor. When Enable Ad Support is turned off, the contents of the ads.txt file are moved to ads.bak so the contents of the ads are not lost.


Ad Content

For each ad, enter a line of up to 512 characters of text containing raw HTML code as in:

<center><a href="http://www.ipswitch.com" target=main><img src=ipswitch.gif alt="Ipswitch Inc."></a>

The HTML code can reference a .gif file and can link to a web address (URL). If the ad is larger than the frame size, a scroll bar appears on the right side of the frame. Thus, an ad can be a full web page.


Upgrading

If you have an existing version of Web Messaging installed, during the IMail Server installation, you can select one of the following options:

•	Install the files for the new version in the directory [IMail Top Directory]\Web\, thus overwriting your old Web Messaging files. If you are using online advertisements, you do not want to overwrite the ads.txt file.

•	Install the files for the new version created in the directory [IMail Top Directory] \Web\new, so your existing files in [IMail Top Directory]\Web do not get overwritten.

•	Do not install the new version files.

IMail Server uses the files in [IMail Top Directory]\Web to generate the Web Messaging interface.

If you want to save some existing files (such as an ads.txt file for advertisements, or mailnews.txt for the News of the Day), copy them to a temporary directory.  Move the new version files from \new into \Web, and then replace the new versions of selected files with your old version.


Customizing Web Pages (Web Messaging Content tab)
Customizing Web Pages: Web Messaging Content Tab

Getting to the Web Messaging Content Tab

This tab provides access to the web templates used to create the Web Messaging interface. If you know HTML, you can edit these templates to create your own look and feel for the Web Messaging interface. If you have multiple hosts, each host can have a different Web Messaging interface. Before you edit web template pages, see Editing Web Templates.

To open a template file for editing:

1	If the folder is empty (no + sign), click Get Default to make a copy of all the templates in the mail host’s folder. In the mail host’s folder, you can delete any templates that you will not customize.

Note: The primary mail host holds the default templates. Any template in the primary host’s Content area folder applies to all hosts on IMail Server. To customize a template for a specific host, you must copy (using Windows Explorer or Get Default) the template from the primary host’s folder to the other host’s folder, and edit it there.

2	Select the template for the page you want to customize and click Edit. See Which Pages are Which.

When you select a template for editing, it opens in Windows Notepad. You can then directly edit the HTML code in the template. You can change the default editor so that when you open a template, it opens in your favorite HTML editor.

3	When you have completed your changes, save the template in the mail host folder.

Working with Templates Outside of IMail Administrator

If you want to use the default web pages, but want to customize a page or two for a mail host, use Windows Explorer to copy only the pages you want to modify to the host directory from the default directory. This is an alternative to Steps 1 and 2 above.

Once you have template pages in the mail host’s directory, you can Windows Explorer to locate the mail host’s directory ([IMail Top Directory]\Domain Top Directory\Web), open a template in an editor, and make changes. See Which Pages are Which.

Related Topics:

Web Template Directories

Web Template Syntax


Editing Web Templates

Web Messaging pages are based on "templates." You can use the web templates to change the "look and feel" of the Web Messaging interface. For example, you can change the logo by changing the graphics file called by a template, or you can change the placement of buttons, columns, and text boxes.

Before you edit a web template you should be aware of:

•	the structure of the web directories and how templates in the directories are processed

•	the basic syntax used in templates

Web Templates and their Associated Web pages

Each page in the Web Messaging interface has an associated web template that is used to generate that page. For example, the login.html template generates the Logon page and the ab.html template generates the Address Book page.

You can view and edit the HTML code for a web template by:

•	Opening the template in a text editor. We do not recommend using a WYSIWYG editor (such as Microsoft’s FrontPage) because they may alter the special tags used in the templates.

•	Select a mail host and then click the Web Messaging Content tab. The list box shows the web files for the mail host. Each mail host can have a customized Web Messaging interface. Select a file, and then click Edit. Any file in a mail host’s web directory overrides the default file (in [IMail Top Directory]\Web) with the same name.

You can view a Web Messaging page by:

•	Logging on to Web Messaging and selecting the menu option that displays the particular page.

•	Using Windows Explorer, go to the [IMail Top Directory]\web directory and double-click the web template. The file opens in a web browser. This will show you the pre-compiled version of the web page. It can be useful for getting a quick view of the page components. (Note that you must have your Windows NT file associations set up to open HTML files in your browser.)

For a complete list of the available templates and tags, see the Tags.doc file in the [IMail Top Dir]\Web directory.

Related Topics

How To Customize a web page

Web templates:

E-Mail pages

Personal information pages

Administration pages


Which Templates are Which Pages

The web template tables show the name of each template and the corresponding web page that it creates. Use one of the following tables to help you choose the template:

E-Mail pages – includes templates for the logon, compose message, read mail, and mail summary pages.

Personal information pages– includes templates for the address book, mailboxes, preferences, vacation message, finger information, mail forwarding, rules, changing password, and other user information pages.

Administration pages – includes templates for remote administration pages.

Help pages – these are the help pages for Web Messaging functions.


E-Mail Web Templates

These templates create the web pages that users see when performing mail functions.


Personal Information Web Templates

These templates create the web pages that users see when editing personal information for their mail accounts.


Administration Web Templates

These templates create the web pages that users with Host Administrator, List Administrator, or System Administrator will see when performing remote administration functions.

Template	Web page
addalias.html	Add a new alias
addhostrule.html	Add or change a mail host’s rule for mail delivery
adduser.html	Add a new user
aliasadmin.html	Display list of aliases and Add, Delete, and Modify buttons
aliasdisplay.html	Display information for an alias
aliasmodify.html	Modify the alias destination
chpasuad.html	Administrator page for changing a user’s password
chguser.html	Change the user’s name, mailbox size, etc.
delalias.html	Delete alias
dghedlst.html	Change digest header information for a list server mailing list
dgseplst.html	Change digest separator information for a list server mailing list
dgtralst.html	Change digest trailer information for a list server mailing list
diglst.html	Maintain the digest for an list server mailing list
disabledlist.html	Display a list of disabled users
displayuserlist.html	Displays user and account information.
editnews.html	Change the news message
editwelc.html	Change the welcome message
headlist.html	Change the header.txt file for a list server mailing list
helplst.html	Change the help.txt file for a list server mailing list
listaddrule.html	Create a rule for a mail list
listadm.html	Display administration functions for list server mailing lists
listchgrule.html	Change a rule for a mail list
listmaintain.html	Set or change properties for a list server mailing list
listmodrule.html	Modify a rule for a mail list
mnacclog.html	Display contents if IMail Monitor access log
mnsyslog.html	Display contents of IMail system log
mntlst.html	Display maintenance functions for a list server mailing list
mntlst1.html	Set Kill list parameters
mntlst2.html	Set digest parameters
modhostrule.html	Modify a mail host’s rules for mail delivery
nolistfile.html	Displayed if mail is sent to a list that is not valid
plfile.html	List maintenance status
shspool.html	Shows the spool directory contents
subjlst.html	Form for editing subject.txt file for a list server mailing list
subslst.html	Form for editing subscribe.txt file for a list server mailing list
syntax.html	List maintenance page
syslog.html	Shows the system log contents
sysstat.html	Displays system statistics
traillst.html	Form for editing the trailer.txt file for a list serve mailing list
usradmin.html	The user administration form – displays list of users and buttons for Add user, Modify user information, Delete user, Display user information, and change password
userstat.html	Displays statistics for all users
vh.html	Display virtual host administration functions
vh_add.html	Add a virtual host
vh_modify.html	Modify a virtual host
welcome.html	Change the news message
Status and Error Pages:

disableaccount.html	Displayed if user account has been disabled by the administrator
nolist.html	Displayed if mail is sent to a mailing list that is not valid
nouser.html	Displayed if a user cannot be authenticated on logon
ntaddusr.html	Displayed if a user in the Windows NT database cannot be authenticated
padduser.html	Shows status after adding a user
pchgalias.html	Shows status after adding an alias
pdeluser.html	Shows status after deleting a user
pedtnews.html	Shows the status after changing the news message
pedtwel.html	Shows status after changing the welcome message
plistadmin.html	Shows status after creating or updating a mailing list
plistdig.html	Shows status after setting digest options for a mailing list
plistset.html	Shows status after setting parameters for a mailing list
plogin.html	Shows user logon status
plstaddr.html	Shows status after adding, modifying, or deleting a user from the address list, digest address list, or kill list
plstfile.html	Shows status after modifying list and digest related files, such as header, trailer, subject for messages and for digests
pshspool.html	Shows status after deleting a file in the spool directory; or, shows the selected spool file
puchgpass.html	Shows the status after changing password through user administration
suspendaccount.html	Shows that a user account has been suspended
vaddstats.html	Shows the status after adding a virtual host
vhdelete.html	Shows the status after deleting a virtual host
vmodifystatus.html	Shows the status after modifying a virtual host


  Web Messaging Help Pages

These are the help pages for the Web Messaging functions. Help buttons on the Web Messaging pages call files that have a cs_ prefix. Files with a t_ prefix are called from the contents file (cs_tableC) and other help topics.


Web Files and Web Directory Structure

During installation, you can choose to install a default set of Web Messaging files in the Web directory of your IMail top directory (usually C:\IMail\Web). IMail Server uses this default set of files to create the Web Messaging interface for the primary mail host and for any virtual hosts on the server. If you upgraded from a previous Web Messaging version, see Upgrading.

 In the Web directory, you will see the following files:

•	.html — These files are the "web templates." Each template contains the HTML code used to create a Web Messaging page. For example, the login.html file contains the code used to create the Logon page. For a complete list of the web templates and their associated pages in Web Messaging, see Web Messaging Templates.

•	.gif — These files are used for graphics, such as logos, buttons, and icons. The .gif files are "called by" the web templates, or by a .txt file,. You can change a logo, button, or graphic throughout the Web Messaging interface by replacing the associated .gif file. For a complete list of the graphics files, see List of Graphics Files in the Web Directory.

•	.txt — These files contain ASCII text for the Welcome message and News. The .txt files are "called by" the web templates. You can change the text in these files; see Editing the News of the Day and Editing the Welcome Message.

•	.ini —  You change button labels, logos and background colors in the Web Messaging interface by editing labels in the butontxt.ini file. You can change the text shown in some of the confirmation and error messages by editing them in the message.ini file.

If you have one mail host or you want all mail hosts on the server to look the same, you can make your changes on the default files in the [IMail Top Directory]\Web directory.

Web Directories for Multiple Hosts

If you have multiple hosts on your IMail Server, you can create a web directory for each host.

You can copy a web template from the default web directory to the web directory for a mail host — the  [IMail Top Directory]\[Domain Name]\Web\ directory, and customize the template for that host only.

For example, to customize the Logon page for domain1, copy the login.html file from the default web directory to the domain’s web (domain1\web\) directory. You can then make edits to the file and save it. If the Web directory does not already exist in the domain’s directory, you may need to create it. Do not rename templates.

When a Web Messaging page is requested by the web server, the Web Messaging application reads the domain specific web directory first ([IMail Top Directory]\[Domain Name]\Web\). Then, it reads the default template web directory ([IMail Top Directory]\Web). If a web template is found in the domain’s web directory, Web Messaging uses that one. If not, it uses the default web template.

Web Directory Structure

[IMail Top Directory]\       · the IMail root directory specified at installation

Web\ *.html       · the default web files, which apply to all mail hosts (primary and virtual)

Domain1\Web\   · any file in this directory overrides the default, applied only to Domain1

Domain2\Web\   · any file in this directory overrides the default, applied only to Domain2


Web Template Syntax

The templates used to create Web Messaging pages consist mostly of HTML code. Some templates also contain JavaScript code.

A specialized "tag" language is used within the templates to generate "dynamic" information, such as mailboxes and messages when a browser requests the information. You can use these tags to customize any Web Messaging page, add pages of your own, or add or remove components of a page.

Tag Syntax

All tags start with the label IMAIL. Within a template, an IMAIL tag is always embedded in the standard HTML comment tag. For example:

<!--IMAIL.UserID

•	IMAIL.TagName, This type of tag returns a value, such as the UserID of the currently logged on user, or the IMail Server host name.

•	IMAIL.TagName.Value , whereTagName is the name of the web page item, such as a button, hyperlink, or check box. You cannot edit the TagName. For text that appears on a button, the TagName has the suffix Button, (for example: LogonButton, SaveButton); for text that appears in a hyperlink, the suffix is Link; for simple text tags, the suffix is Text. Value is the actual text that appears on the button, in the hyperlink, or next to the check box. You can edit the Value to change the text.

Types of Tags

You can use the tags to do the following types of operations.

Normal tags return a value or values. These tags are used to build dynamic information, such as the name of the logged in user, into the web pages.

Conditional tags check whether a condition is true or false, and then continue processing based on the answer. These tags use If-Then-Else constructs.

While tags populate a table, such as a list of messages in a mailbox. These tags use For-Each constructs.

Include tags let you name an HTML, ASP, CGI, CSS or other file to be included at the tag location. If the file extension is .asp or .cgi, then the included file will be further parsed for IMAIL tags.

For example, you can use the Include tag to include a standard HTML header in all files.

For a complete list of the available templates and tags, see the tags.doc file in the [IMail Top Dir]\Web directory.


Changing Button Labels
Changing Text Links and Button Labels

You can change text link names and the text label on form buttons by modifying the label in the butontxt.ini file, which is in [IMail Top Directory]\Web. For example, if you want the "Search" button to say "Find" you can change the line:

"SearchButton =! Search"   to   "SearchButton =! Find"

If you have multiple mail hosts, you can copy butontxt.ini to any mail host’s web directory and customize the file for that mail host.

Note: Some of the buttons are .gif files and some are HTML "form" buttons.


Changing Confirmation and Error Messages

You can change the text shown in some of the confirmation and error messages generated by Web Messaging through the message.ini file. The message.ini file is located in the IMail Top Directory, and lists all the messages you can change. Like the butontxt.ini file, phrases can be modified within message.ini, and the change will effect every occurrence of the respective IMail tag.


Changing Graphics Files

You can replace any of the graphics (.gif) files in the default web directory with your own files. If you have multiple hosts, you can replace a graphics file in any mail host’s web directory.

For example, to change the logo that appears on the Logon page (imailc.gif) replace this file in the default web directory with your own graphics file. You must use the same file name, unless you edit the .txt or web template that calls the graphic (in this example, the mailwelc.txt file) to use a different file name.

You can also change this logo in the butontxt.ini file, by opening the file and scrolling down to the following line:

CustomVar0 = <IMG SRC="imailc.gif" BORDER=0 Align="LEFT">

Var0 defines the image file of the logo (in HTML). If you want to display a different image in this location, set CustomVar0=<IMG SRC="imailc.gif" BORDER=O WIDTH=96 HEIGHT=75 ALIGN="left"> Simply insert your own .gif file in place of imailc.gif.

The image’s width should be 96 pixels with a height of 75 for best displaying view.

If you do not want to display an image at all in this location, set Custom Var0= &nbsp

Note: This is the only graphic that can be changed in the butontxt.ini file. Other changes must be made as stated in the first example above.

See List of Graphics Files in the Web Directory.

By default, all hosts use the graphics files in the default Web directory. To use different graphics for different hosts, for example a different logo or background, copy any graphics file to a host’s web directory and customize the file for that host.


List of Graphics Files in Web Directory


Secure Sockets Layer (def)

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol that uses "certificates" to authenticate the client and server and uses a public/private key "pair" to encrypt and decrypt communications. All the major browsers are SSL enabled.


Changing Background Colors

You can change any of the background colors of IMail Web Messaging using the butontxt.ini file. You can change the background colors of the logo, all areas of the toolbars, and inner body of each page.

To change the background color of the logo, open the butontxt.ini file. Scroll down to CustomVar2 =#FFCC33.  The current color #FFCC33 is orange. To change this to another color simply change the color number.


Web Calendaring Ad Support Tab

Getting to the Web Calendaring Ad Support tab

The Web Calendaring Ad Support tab is where you enable ad support and enter the contents of your ads for IMail Web Calendaring.

1.	To display ads, turn on Enable Ad Support. This will display ads in the frame at the top of the user’s web messaging pages. In addition, the Trailer Message is displayed in the bottom frame of the page.

2.	The Ad Content box displays the ads you have entered. Each line is the definition of one ad. There can be up to 1000 lines in this file, meaning you can enter up to 1000 ads using the interface. The ad displayed on the Web Messaging page will be changed every 30 seconds.

To enter an ad, click the Add button and enter the HTML code for your ad.

Each line can be up to 1000 characters of text containing raw HTML code as in:

<center><a href="http://www.ipswitch.com" target=main><img src=ipswitch.gif alt="Ipswitch Inc."></a>

An ad can reference a .gif file and can link to a web address (URL). If the ad is larger than the frame size, a scroll bar appears on the right side of the frame. Thus, an ad can be a full web page.

3.	To edit an ad, select the ad and click Edit.

4.	To delete an ad, select the ad and click Delete.

Note: Your ads are stored in the file ads.txt in the Web directory. In addition to the above procedure, you can also edit the ads.txt file directly in a text editor. When Enable Ad Support is turned off, the contents of the ads.txt file are moved to ads.bak so the contents of the ads are not lost.


Editing the Trailer Message

The trailer message ("tail") is displayed in the frame at the bottom of the screen if you have Ad support enabled.

To enter a trailer message:

1.	Select a mail host and click on the Web Calendaring Content tab.

2.	Click the Trailer Screen button.  tail.html, which is where the trailer message is stored, opens in Notepad.

3.	Enter a trailer message in HTML.

This must be a full HTML page, starting with <HTML><BODY> and ending with </BODY></HTML>. There is no limit to the number of characters that can be entered.

A nice idea for this is to use a JAVA (or marquee) scrolling text area and print any current news.

4.	Save the message before exiting Notepad.

Note: The trailer message is stored in the file named tail.html, which is located in the [IMail Top Directory]\Web\Calendar. In addition to the above procedure, you can also edit the tail.html file directly in a text editor.


Editing the News of the Day.

The "News of the Day" is text that is displayed immediately after the user logs on to either Web Messaging or Web Calendaring. The News of the Day is displayed on a separate page before the menu. This feature is activated by the presence of text in these files.

1.	Select a mail host, and then click on the Web Calendaring Content tab.

2.	Click on the News OTD button. This opens the mailnews.txt file in Notepad.

3.	Enter a news message and save it before closing Notepad.

An example of News of the Day:

Greetings Test User!

Tuesday, December 01, 1999

18:24:09

Today’s news

[This is where the news message is displayed.] You can enter up to 1000 characters with raw HTML in this file.

Note: In addition to the above procedure, you can also edit the mailnews.txt files directly in a text editor. The mailnews.txt  file for Web Calendaring is located in IMail/Web/Calendar.


Configuring the Web Server (Advanced Tab)
Configuring the Web Server: Advanced Tab

Getting to the Web Messaging Advanced tab

1.	In the Web Spell Checking Port, enter the port address for the spell checker.

2.	Optionally, enter a value for the Maximum Number of Spelling Suggestions for a misspelled word.

3.	Turn on Enable SSL to use the Secure Sockets to encrypt communications with the Web Messaging clients. This sets the Web Messaging server to accept SSL connections in addition to normal connections. Note: You must first configure SSL, before you can use it.

If you enabled SSL, enter the Web SSL Port on which the Web Messaging server listens for an SSL-based HTTP request. If you used the default Web Server Port (8383), then you can assign any TCP port number here, the default is 8384. If you used the standard web server port (port 80), then set the SSL port to the standard SSL port 443.

Note: If you use a non-standard port number (anything other than 443), users will need to specify the SSL port in the logon web address.

4.	Turn on Force SSL if you want to set the Web Messaging server to accept only SSL-based HTTP connections; normal HTTP connections are not accepted.

Note: You can also enable or force SSL options for an entire domain by setting the global SSL options on the domain’s Web Options tab.

5.	Optionally, set Thread Pooling Options.

Enable Thread Pooling. Turn on this option to create a thread pool for handling HTTP requests from clients. Web Messaging creates up to Max Work Threads (default is 64) to process requests. If this option is turned off, Web Messaging creates a thread to handle each request (either persistent or normal) and after handling that request, destroys the thread.

Using thread pooling reduces the overhead involved in creating and closing threads. However, if all threads in the pool are in use (in other words, your server is seeing heavy use), then an additional HTTP request will be denied. Also, threads reserved for use by Web Messaging are not available to other processes running on your server. You need to determine if thread pooling is appropriate for your Web Messaging server.

6.	Optionally, change the Max Work Threads. Use this setting to constrain the load on your web server. This value sets the maximum number of work threads that can be used simultaneously by Web Messaging. If an HTTP request requires a work thread and the maximum has already been reached, Web Messaging returns a "server not available" message. This option requires that Enable Thread Pooling is turned on. The default value is 64

Thread Exit. Turn on this option if you want to close a thread after the HTTP request is processed completely. This option is used only when thread pooling is enabled. Web Messaging creates a replacement for closed threads on next poll time, which is set in Thread Check Time. When this option is turned off, the thread is kept open and made available to process another request.

Thread Check Time. This is the interval (in seconds) used by Web Messaging to check the status of the thread pool. If the current number of work threads is less than Max Work Threads, then new threads are created. This option is used only when thread pooling is enabled. The default value is 10 seconds.

7.	Optionally set up User Login Suspend Properties.

Select Enable User Login Suspend to automatically suspend a user when the account has met the specified conditions.

Maximum Tries Before Suspend. This is the number of unsuccessful login attempts until the account is suspended.

Suspend Duration. The amount of time in seconds that the account will be suspended.

Time Suspend Info Remains in the Registry. The amount of time that information on account suspension will be stored.

Maximum Suspends Before Lockout. This is the number of times a user can be suspended before they are locked out of the system.

Related Topics

Configuring the Web Server

Web Options


Customizing Web Pages (Web Calendaring Content tab)
Customizing Web Pages: Web Calendaring Content Tab

Getting to the Web Calendaring Content tab

The Web Calendaring Content tab provides access to the web templates used to create the Web Calendaring interface. If you know how to write HTML code, you can edit these templates to create your own look and feel for the Web Calendaring interface. If you have multiple mail hosts, each mail host can have a different Web Calendaring interface. Before you edit web template pages, see Editing Web Templates.

To open a template file for editing:

1.	If the folder is empty (no + sign), click Get Default to make a copy of all the templates in the mail host’s folder. In the mail host’s folder, you can delete any templates that you will not customize.

Note: The primary mail host holds the default templates. Any template in the primary host’s Content area folder applies to all mail hosts on your IMail Server. If you want to customize a template for a specific mail host, you need to copy (using Windows Explorer or Get Default) the template from the primary mail host’s folder to the other host’s folder, and edit it there.

2.	Select the template for the page you want to customize and click Edit. See Which Pages are Which.

When you select a template for editing, it opens in Windows Notepad. You can then directly edit the HTML code in the template. You can change the default editor so that when you open a template, it opens in your favorite HTML editor.

3.	When you have completed your changes, save the template in the mail host folder.

Working with Templates Outside of IMail Administrator

If you want to use the default web pages, but want to customize a page or two for this mail host, you can use Windows Explorer to copy only the pages you want to modify to the mail host directory from the default directory. This is an alternative to Steps 1 and 2 above.

Once you have template pages in the mail host’s directory, you can Windows Explorer to locate the mail host’s directory ([IMail Top Directory]\Domain Top Directory\Web), open a template in an editor, and make changes. See Which Pages are Which.


Web Options
 Configuring Web Settings: Web Options Tab

Getting to the Web Options tab

The Web Options tab is available for each domain on IMail Server. This tab allows you to configure certain web settings to apply globally to that domain.

Note: Some options on this tab will not work unless they are also enabled globally in the Web Messaging service. For example, SSL and Spell Check must be enabled on the Web Messaging Advanced tab in order for the settings applied on the Web Options tab to work. User login suspend information can be enabled on Web Options and does not need to be enabled globally on the Web Messaging Advanced tab.

Enabling Spell Check

•	Web Spell Checking Port. Enter the port number for the spell checker. By default it is set to Port 8385.

•	Maximum Number of Spelling Suggestions. Optionally enter a maximum number of spelling suggestions that will be given for a misspelled word.

Enabling User Login Suspend Properties

•	Maximum Tries before suspend. The number of unsuccessful login attempts allowed until the account is suspended.

•	Suspend duration. The amount of time in seconds that the account will be suspended.

•	Time Suspend info remains in the registry. The amount of time that information on account suspension will be stored.

•	Maximum Suspends before lockout. The number of times a user can be suspended before they are locked out of the system.

Other Options

•	Enable Web Calendaring. Enables IMail Web Calendaring for the domain.

•	Enable SSL. Turn on Enable SSL to use the Secure Sockets Layer to encrypt communications with the Web Messaging clients. This sets the Web Messaging server to accept SSL connections in addition to normal connections.

Force SSL. Turn on Force SSL if you want to set the Web Messaging server to accept only SSL-based HTTP connections; normal HTTP connections are not accepted.

Note: You must first configure SSL, before you can use it.


Getting to the Web Messaging Server tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the Web Messaging service.


Getting to the Web Messaging Advanced tab

Select the localhost and expand the services folder. Click on the Web Messaging service and select the Advanced tab.


Getting to the Web Calendaring Ad Support tab

Select the mail host and click the Web Calendaring Ad Support tab.


Getting to the Web Calendaring Content tab

Select a mail host in the left panel and then click the Web Calendaring Content tab.


Getting to the Web Messaging Ad Support tab

Select the mail host and click the Web Messaging Ad Support tab.


Getting to the Web Messaging Content Tab

If you are not already there, select a mail host in the left panel and then click the Web Messaging Content tab.


Getting to the Web Options tab

Select a host in the left panel, and then click on the Web Options tab in the right panel.


List Server Overview
About List-Server Mailing Lists

List-server mailing lists, or "automated" mailing lists, are used widely on the Internet as a means of sharing information about a topic. The IMail list server lets you set up list-server mailing lists that receive mail and resend the mail to all the users on the mailing list.

The list server can also archive messages and send them periodically as a single message, or "digest."

Note to IMail Server 25 users: Each list-server mailing list counts toward the 25 user count limit. For more information see the IMail 25 overview.

Related Topics

Defining a list-server mailing list

Setting advanced options

Security for list-server mailing lists

Setting up a list-server mail digest

Setting the digest schedule

List-server commands

Sending mail to a list-server mailing list

Deleting a list-server mailing list


Types of List-Server Mailing Lists

There are three kinds of basic lists (determined by the setting of Allow postings by on the Security tab of the list properties):

•	Open lists (to which anyone can post a message; the poster need not even subscribe to the list)

•	Subscriber lists (to which only subscribers can post)

•	Moderated lists (to which only the list owner can post)

You can further restrict the posting of messages with:

•	A password requirement

•	A posters list

Anyone sending mail to a list restricted by a password and/or posters list, will have their mail returned with a  "Restricted Post" message.

Note: If there are only a few individuals who the moderator wants to allow to post to the list, the moderator can simply give those few the appropriate password. However, if there are more than a few individuals who are to be allowed to post to the list, it may be more efficient to use a posters list.


Open Lists
Open Lists ("Anyone" can post)

The characteristics of an open list are:

•	Anyone can post to the list by addressing mail in the form of listname@domain.com.

•	If Use Password is turned on, all posters must enter a password to post, including those in the posters list.

•	The Enable Posters List option does not affect open lists. If this option is selected, anyone will still be able to post to the list whether they are in the posters list or not.


Subscriber Lists
Subscriber Lists (only subscribers can post)

The characteristics of a subscriber list are:

•	The list is made up of subscribers. An individual becomes a subscriber by sending a message addressed to the IMail list server (imailsrv@domain.com where domain.com represents the mail host); in the body of the message, the intended subscriber enters the subscribe command and list name.

•	Subscribers can post by addressing mail in the form of listname@domain.com.

•	If Use Password is turned on, users must enter a password to post.

•	If Enable Posters List is turned on, only subscribers and users in the posters list can post.

•	If both Use Password and Enable Posters List are turned on, a subscriber must enter a password to post. Users in the posters list must enter a password as well.


Moderated Lists
Moderated Lists (only moderator can post)

The characteristics of a moderated list are:

•	The moderator can post by addressing mail in the form of listname@domain.com.

•	Only the moderator (list owner) can post if Use Password and Enable Posters List are turned off.

•	If Use Password is turned on, the moderator must enter a password in order to post to the list. This prevents others from "impersonating" the moderator by using the moderator’s mailing address.

•	If Enable Posters List is turned on, users in the posters list can post directly to the list and the moderator will not receive their mail. The moderator will only receive mail from those addresses which are not in the posters list.

•	If both Use Password and Enable Posters List are turned on, the moderator receives only mail from those not in the posters list, and the moderator must enter a password in order to post to the list.


Entering a Password

To use a password, the first characters in the Subject line must be the password enclosed by two brackets and two colons:

[:password:]


Setting Defaults for List-Server Mailing Lists

If you are not already on the Default Settings section within the Lists folder for list-server mailing lists on a particular mail host, expand a mail host and select the Lists folder. Enter the following default settings for new lists:

1	Enter the Full e-mail address of Owner.

2	Local user ID of Administrator.

3	Max message size in bytes. The maximum size (in bytes) of a message that can be sent to the list. Enter 0 if you want the size to be unlimited.

4	Number of recipients per message. You must calculate this number; it determines the number of recipients each SMTP process will send to.

•	If you expect under 2000 subscribers, enter 25.

•	If you expect over 2000 subscribers, divide the expected number of subscribers by 25, and enter the result as the Number of recipients per message.

For information on how to change the default number of SMTP processes for IMail Server, see SMTP Advanced Tab .

5	Click Add List to create a new list-server mailing list, then click OK.

6	Click Edit Syntax File to view or edit the default help text that a sender will receive in response to a help request or an invalid command.

7	Click Edit Nolist File to view or edit the "no such list" message that will be sent to anyone who tries to subscribe to a non-existent list on this mail host.

8	Click Apply to save changes.


List Owner

This is the full e-mail address of the mail account that receives all messages (such as Subscribe and Unsubscribe requests) to the list. It is also the account from which help messages are sent and to which error messages are sent.

On a moderated list, the list owner is also known as the "moderator."

The list owner and list administrator are usually the same person, but a "dummy" user account can be set up to be the list owner in order to hide the identity of the list administrator. There can be only one list owner per list.


Local List Administrator
List Administrator

The list administrator can modify list properties, add and delete users, and edit all related files. On a moderated list, if the list administrator is also the list owner, then the list administrator will also be the "moderator."

The list administrator can be a local list administrator , which is set in the Default Settings section of the list properties in the Local userid of Administrator box. A list administrator can also be a mail host list administrator who can administer any list-server mailing list on the mail host (set on the Users folder dialog box within the Default Settings section).

Note: The list administrator and list owner are usually the same person, but a "dummy" user account can be set up to be the list owner in order to hide the identity of the list administrator, or to give the impression of more people being involved in the list management.


List Moderator

If a list is moderated, the list owner is known as a "moderator."

The moderator is the only one who can post to a moderated list. (The moderator receives all messages to the list, before they are posted; the moderator can then review the content of the message and then decide to post it or not.)


Defining a List-Server Mailing List (General tab)
Defining a List-Server Mailing List: General Tab

Part One: Naming the List-Server Mailing List

To define a list-server mailing list, you first create a name for the list; this name is the e-mail address that people who want to post to the list will send mail to.

To name the list (assuming Use Wizards is turned off on the Tools menu):

1	Click the Add List button on either the General tab of mail host properties, or the Default Settings section for the Lists folder.

Note: If you are using the IMail Server 25 version and the Add List button is disabled, this means you have reached your user limit. For more information see the IMail Server 25 overview.

2	Enter a list name (no spaces) and click OK.

3	In the Title box, enter a descriptive title to help the list administrator identify the list. The name must be from 3 to 23 characters in length (spaces are OK). Click Next.

4	Enter the fully qualified mail address of the account that the list runs under. Then enter the local user ID of the administrator for the list. Click Next.

Part Two: Defining the List-Server Mailing Account

(a)	If you are not already on the General tab for a particular list-server mailing list, expand a mail host and the "Lists" folder in the left panel; then select the list name. The List Name and Directory are shown at the top of the tab.

(b)	In the Title box, enter a descriptive title to help the list administrator identify the list. The name must be from 3 to 23 characters in length (spaces are OK).

(c)	In the Owner box, enter the full mail address of the list owner. DO NOT USE THE LIST NAME.

(d)	In the Local Administrator box, enter a user ID that is a list administrator for this mail host.

(e)	Click the Help button under Related Files to view or edit the help text that is sent to anyone who requests help (by sending a list command to imailsrv@domain) or sends an invalid command to this list.

(f)	Click the Subscribe button under Related Files to view or edit the confirmation text that will be sent to each person who submits a successful subscribe request to this list.

Related Topics

Testing the List


The "Help" File

This file, HELP.TXT, should contain the command syntax for all valid commands for a list-server mailing list; it should be similar to the Help topic on List-Server Command Syntax. The contents of this file are e-mailed to anyone who requests help or who sends an invalid command to the list.


The "Addresses" File

This file, USERS.LST, is the list of e-mail addresses that the list-server mailing list uses to address the mail it sends to this list. This file is updated automatically when someone subscribes or unsubscribes to this list. It is a text file with one address per line ending in a carriage return/line feed.

You can edit this file using a text editor to add or delete addresses that will receive mail from this list. However, you must also edit the "Users" file (USERS.TXT) if you want people who use the "list" command to see an updated list of subscribers.

Note that this list will ignore any invalid addresses in this file (if, for example, you make a typing error while editing this file).


The "Subscribe" File

The contents of this file, SUBSCRIB.TXT, are sent to each person who submits a successful subscribe request to the list-server mailing list.


The "Users" File

The purpose of this file, USERS.TXT, is to provide a list of subscribers to anyone who sends a "list" command to the list-server mailing list. This file is a list of the user names and e-mail addresses that is updated automatically when someone subscribes or unsubscribes to the list-server mailing list. (You can disable the "list" command on the Security tab.) Note that this is not the list that is used by the list server to actually send mail to the list.

If you use a text editor to add or delete addresses from the Addresses file, you should also edit this file the same way if you want people who use the "list" command to see an updated list of subscribers.


The "Nolist" File

The contents of this file, NOLIST.TXT, are sent to each person who attempts to subscribe to a non-existent list on this mail host. You can expand on the standard error message, perhaps giving valid names of list-server mailing lists that exist on this mail host.


The Posters List

This file, POSTERS.LST, contains a list of e-mail addresses that are allowed to post to the list.


New List dialog box
Adding a List: New List Dialog Box

1	Enter a Name for the list-server mailing list; this name is the e-mail address that people who want to post to the list will send mail to. For example, if you enter the name "Birdtalk," users will send mail to the list by specifying the To address: Birdtalk@companyX.com. The name must be from 3 to 23 characters in length, with no spaces between characters.

2	Click OK.


Advanced Tab of List-Server Mailing List
List-Server Mailing List Advanced Properties: Advanced Tab

Getting to a List's Advanced tab

1	Reply-To list (vs. sender). Select this option to have replies from a subscriber go to the list. Clear this option to have replies from a subscriber go to the sender of the original message.

2	Enable Digest Mode. Select this option to allow users to group the messages sent to this list into a digest. The Digest and Digest Scheduling tabs appear.

3	Enable Subject Modification. Select this option to prepend a text string to the subject line of every message sent to the list. For example, if you enter [Discussion List] as the prepended text, a message with the subject, "Parrot," will appear on the list server with the subject line: Subject: re:[Discussion List] Parrot. The default text is the name of this list.

4	Enable Header/Enable Trailer. Select this option to display text at the beginning and/or end of every message sent to the list. Click Edit to enter the text information. This text is saved in either the HEADER.TXT or TRAILER.TXT file.

5	Max message size in bytes (0=unlimited). Enter the maximum size of a message that can be sent to this list. Enter 0 if you want the size to be unlimited.

6	Number of recipients per message. You must calculate this number; it determines the number of recipients each SMTP process will send to. Note: For information on how to change the default number of SMTP processes, see SMTP Advanced Tab

•	Divide the expected number of subscribers by 25, and enter the result. We recommend that no more than 25 processes be used by any list.

7	Click Apply to save your changes.


Security Tab of List-Server Mailing List
List-Server Mailing List Security: Security Tab

Getting to the List's Security Tab

You can use the Security tab to determine whether you want this list to be moderated or unmoderated as well as who has access to the list.

1	Select the options you want to use.

Allow posting by

Allow List Unsubscribes based on Subject line

Disallow Subscriptions

Disable List Command

Use Password

Password. If Use Password is turned on, enter the password here.

Enable Posters List

Edit Posters

Edit Kill File

2	Click Apply to save your changes.


Using Delivery Rules for a List-Server Mailing List

You can use delivery rules to reject incoming mail to a list-server mailing list based on the contents of To, From, Sender, Subject, the entire message Header (everything but the body of the message), or the Body of the message. See Adding a Delivery Rule for a List-Server Mailing List.

Note that delivery rules can also be applied to all mail for a mail host or to mail for individual users.


Overview of Mail Digests

You can offer subscribers a digest of messages sent to the list-server mailing list. The list server will "archive" messages sent to the list to a digest mailbox. The accumulated messages are then sent periodically to digest subscribers as a single message.

You schedule the digest to be sent on a time-basis (for example daily or weekly) or when the digest reaches a certain size. When subscribers receive a digest, it contains all the messages sent to the list since the last digest was sent.


Digest Tab
Setting Up a List-Server Mail Digest: Digest Tab

Getting to the Digest tab

To set up a list-server mail digest, you first enable "digest mode," and then you set the options you want to use.

To enable Digest Mode:

1	Select the list name and click the Advanced tab.

2	Select Enable Digest Mode. The Digest and Digest Schedule tabs appear.

To set Digest options:

1	Enter the name of the Digest Mailbox where postings get stored before the digest mailing is sent out. A copy of all postings will be sent to list_administrator-mailboxname@yourhost.com. This mailbox has the following characteristics:

•	After a posting is sent to the digest list, the Digest Mailbox is emptied and a copy is made in the format: digestmailboxMMDD.mbx where digestmailbox is the name of the Digest Mailbox, MM is the month, and DD is the day of the posting.

•	The list administrator can view the mailbox by using the Web, and can delete or add messages before the posting is sent. This can be done using either Web Messaging or the Remote Administration utility. The list administrator can also view posted digests by the MMDD format described in the previous paragraph.

2	Enter the text that you want to appear as the Subject Line for Digest Postings.

3	Include Headers/Trailers When Posting to Digest Mailbox. Select this option to have the posted digest messages include the header and or trailer messages. We recommend turning off this option as it will make the digest larger and the digest has its own header and trailer.

4	Strip Non-Text Attachments before Posting. Select this option to strip non-text attachments from messages when the digest posting is sent.

5	Enable Message Separators. Select this option to specify lines or characters that will automatically separate messages in the digest posting. Then, click the Edit button and then enter the lines or characters that you want to use as a separator.

6	Enable Digest Header or Enable Digest Trailer. Select either of these options to display text at the beginning and/or end of each digest posting. For example, you can enter the subscribe/unsubscribe information for the digest and have it appear at the beginning and/or end of every message. Then, click the Edit button and enter the text. This information is saved in the digest_header.txt and/or digest_trailer.txt files.

7	Click the Digest Subscribers button to edit the list of users (digest.lst) subscribed to the digest.

8	Click Apply to save your changes.

Related Topics

 Setting the Digest Schedule

 Subscribing to a Digest


Digest Scheduling (tab)
Scheduling a list to be sent in Digest Form: Digest Scheduling Tab

Getting to the Digest Scheduling tab

You can set the scheduling method (and date/time, if necessary) to determine how often and when the digest will be posted.

1	From the Periodicity drop-down list, select how often you want to post the digest. Example

•	Daily. If you want to post the digest daily, select this and set the date and time to post the digest.

•	Weekly. If you want to post the digest weekly, select this and set the date and time to post the digest.

•	Bi-Weekly. If you want to post the digest every two weeks, select this and set the date and time to post the digest.

•	Monthly. If you want to post the digest monthly, select this and set the date and time to post the digest.

•	User-defined. If you want to post the digest every nn days, select this and enter the number of days. This affects both how often the digest is posted and how it is rescheduled for the next posting.

•	Size-Exceeds. To specify a size that causes the digest to be published, select this and enter the number of Kilobytes. This affects both how often the digest is posted and how it is rescheduled for the next posting.

•	Manual. If you want the digest to be posted only when you click the Process/Send Now button, select this.

2	The Last Processing Date/Time shows the date and time of the last digest posting.

3	Next Processing Date/Time. If the next digest has been scheduled, the next date and time is shown. If date and time are blank, then set the next processing date and time and these values will be updated after the next processing date.

4	Click the Process/Send Now button to post the digest now.

5	Click Apply to save your settings.

Related Topics

 Setting Up Digest Mode

 Subscribing to a Digest


Subscribing to a Digest

The digest is written to a special mailbox that you define. List users can choose between receiving a digest and receiving all messages as they are sent. To receive the digest, list users must send mail to the list server (imailsrv@your_IMail_server_hostname) and enter the following command in the body of the message:

set mode digest listname

where listname is the mailing list name. A confirmation message will be sent to the user.

To cancel digest mode, users can enter the following command in the body of the message:

set mode standard listname

where listname is the mailing list name.


List-Server Command Syntax

In order for users to get information about lists on a particular mail host, or to subscribe to lists on a particular mail host, users must send a request addressed to imailsrv@domain.com (where domain.com is the name of the mail host). This e-mail address is a built-in IMail alias that lets users:

•	Get general help about the list-server for a particular mail host

•	Get specific help about a particular list

•	Get a list of all the list-server mailing lists available on a particular mail host

•	Get a list of all the subscribers to a particular list

•	Subscribe to a subscriber list

•	Unsubscribe from a subscriber list

•	Get a digest of messages sent to the list

Format of Requests

Requests addressed to imailsrv@domain.com must contain a list-server command and (when appropriate) a list name in the body of the message. The following commands may appear in the body of the message:

•	Help

•	Help listname

•	List

•	List listname

•	Subscribe listname your_name

•	Unsubscribe listname your_name

•	Set mode digest listname

•	Set mode standard listname

See Examples of List Commands.


Examples of List Commands

The following examples assume there is a list-server mailing list called "beer" on the IMail server:

Requesting Information

To get general help from the list server:

TO: imailsrv@domain.com

Subject:

help

To display the names of the list-server mailing lists on the IMail server:

TO: imailsrv@domain.com

Subject:

list

To get a list of users subscribed to a specific list-server mailing list:

TO: imailsrv@domain.com

Subject:

list beer

To get help for a specific list:

TO: imailsrv@domain.com

Subject:

help beer

Subscribing and Unsubscribing

To subscribe to the "beer" list located on domain.com, you send mail to the list server and enter the Subscribe command in the body of the message, as follows:

TO: imailsrv@domain.com

Subject:

Subscribe beer Fred Farkle

To unsubscribe from the list:

TO: imailsrv@domain.com

Subject:

Unsubscribe beer Fred Farkle

To receive messages in digest mode (for subscribers)

To receive a digest of messages sent to the list:

TO: imailsrv@domain.com

Subject:

set mode digest beer

To cancel digest mode and receive messages as they are sent to the list:

TO: imailsrv@domain.com

Subject:

set mode standard beer


List Owner Shortcuts for Subscribing and Unsubscribing

The list owner can "subscribe" someone by forwarding a message from that person to the list server.

The list owner can unsubscribe a user by sending a message to the list server with a message in the form: unsubscribe listname user@domain.com.

For example:

TO: imailsrv@domain.com

Subject:

unsubscribe beer ethel@domain.com


Adding a Subscriber by Forwarding

You can add a subscriber by forwarding a message.

Note: You must be able to forward a message unmodified (i.e. with the headers unchanged) in order for this to work; otherwise you will end up adding or removing yourself from the list.

First, you set up a program alias:

1	Expand a mail host folder and select the Aliases folder.

2	Click the Add Alias button.

3	In the "New Alias" dialog box, enter an alias name. (For example, if the list name is Parrots, you might set up an alias named Parrots_add.

4	Select the Program alias type.

5	Click OK.

6	In the Resolves to box, enter the alias properties using the following format:

imailsrv -add domain listname

For example: imailsrv -add  exotic.birds.com Parrots

Then, to subscribe a user by forwarding:

Forward a message from the user to the alias (Parrots_add), and the original sender of the message will be subscribed.


Sending Mail to a List-Server Mailing List

List subscribers can send a message to the list by addressing it to the name of the list-server mailing list. For example, to send a message to the "beer" list on domain.com:

TO: beer@domain.com

Subject: India Pale Ale

       ... body of message ...

When the list receives your message it is re-sent to all subscribers, or it is archived to the digest and resent to the list in the digest.

See also List-Server Command Syntax.


Testing a List-Server Mailing List

To test a list-server mailing list:

From a system other than the IMail Server system, send a test mail message to imailsrv@your_IMail_server_hostname. In the body of the message, place the lines:

subscribe listname your_full_name

help

help listname

list

list listname

You should get five messages back from the IMail Server system.

See the List-Server Commands for a description of the commands accepted by the list server.


Allow postings by

Determines who can post mail to the list. Select Anyone to let anyone on the Internet post mail. Select Subscribers to let only the subscribers post mail. Select Moderator to let only the list owner post mail. Moderator is used when you want the list owner to review all messages before they are posted to the list.


Allow List Unsubscribes based on Subject line

When a user wants to unsubscribe from the list-server mailing list, most list servers expect the Unsubscribe command to be specified in the body of mail message. If you want the list-server mailing list to also accept an Unsubscribe command specified in the Subject line of the message, select this option.

When selected, the list-server mailing list will accept the following commands in the Subject line to unsubscribe: unsubscribe, remove, signoff.


Disallow Subscriptions

When selected, a Subscribe request will be rejected, and users can only be added one of the following ways:

•	By using IMail Administrator to edit the Users file

•	By the list administrator through IMail Web Messaging

•	By the list administrator through the Web Remote Administration utility

Note that Unsubscribe requests cannot be disabled.


Disable List Command

A user can obtain a list of the users subscribed to a list by addressing a message to the list server (for example, imailsrv@domain.com) and issuing the list listname command in the body of the message. Select the Disable List Command option if you do not want users to receive a list of the subscribers to your list-server mailing list.

Note: List owners will always be able to receive a list of subscribers regardless of the list type. This is true even if the Disable List Command option is selected.


Use Password

If Use Password is turned on, a person attempting to post to the list will be required to enter a password. The password must be entered in the "Subject" field of the message, and must be enclosed in brackets and colons like such [:password:].

How This Setting Affects Different List Types

•	If Use Password is turned on for an open list, all posters will be required to enter a password in order to post to the list.

•	If Use Password is turned on for a subscriber list, the subscribers will be required to enter a password before posting to the list.

•	If Use Password is turned on for a moderated list, the moderator is required to enter a password in order to post to the list.


Deleting a List-Server Mailing List

To delete a list-server mailing list:

1	In the left panel, right-click the list name and select Delete from the menu. You are asked to confirm the delete request.

2	Click Yes to delete the list.


Example - Digest Schedule Periodicity

If you select Daily and set the Next Processing Date/Time to 12/10/1999 3:00 AM, then the digest will initially be posted on 12/10/99, and then every day thereafter at the same time.


Enable Posters List

The posters list is stored in a file named POSTERS.LST which is located in IMail Top Directory\Lists\listname.

Any address listed in the posters list will be able to post to a list regardless of the type of list. If the Enable Password option is enabled as well, users in the posters list must enter a password.


Edit Posters

Click this button to view and/or modify the posters list.


List Server Mailing List Users Tab
List Server Mailing List: Users Tab

Getting to the User's tab for a List

You can use the Users tab to view or edit the list of addresses and names that populate the List Server Mailing list.

1	Select and expand the Lists folder to reveal the list names.

2	Select the list name and click on the Users tab.  The User dialog shows the addresses on the list.

3	To add an address to the list, click the Add button and the Add List User dialog box appears.

4	Enter the users e-mail address in the E-mail Address: text box and click OK.  Observe that the users address appears in the User dialog box.

5	To remove an address from the list, select the particular address and click the Remove button.  Observe that the users address is removed from the User dialog box.

6	Click Apply to save your changes.


Getting to a List's Advanced tab

Expand a mail host and the Lists folder in the left panel, then select the list name and click the Advanced tab.


Getting to the Digest Scheduling tab

Select the list name and click the Digest Scheduling tab. (This tab is available only if you have turned on Enable Digest Mode on the Advanced tab.)


Getting to the Digest tab

Expand a mail host and the Lists folder in the left panel, then select the list name and click the Digest tab. (This tab is available only if you have turned on Enable Digest Mode on the Advanced tab.)


Getting to the User's tab for a List

Select and expand the mail host in the left panel, the "Aliases", "Lists", and "Users" folders appear.


Getting to the List's Security Tab

If you are not already on the Security tab of a particular list-server mailing list, expand a mail host and the Lists folder in the left panel, then select the list name and click the Security tab.


Poster's List (Subscribed List)

For a subscribers only list, users who are in the posters list can post messages to the list without being a subscriber. In this case, the user will not receive any list postings.


Posters List (Moderated Lists)

For a moderated list, a user will post messages directly to the list. The messages will not be sent to the moderator first.


Overview of Mail Delivery Rules

Delivery rules are used to direct mail based on the contents of the To, From, Sender, Subject, the message Header, or the message Body fields.

Rules are helpful in filtering out spam, and e-mails that contain certain types of attached files. You can also use rules to direct mail, such as a newsletter, into a specific mailbox.

IMail Administrator supports the following two types of delivery rules:

•	Inbound Delivery Rules. Inbound Delivery Rules apply for incoming mail that is sent by a non-local user. These rules can be created at three levels: mail hosts (domains), individual users, and list-server mailing lists.

•	Outbound Delivery Rules. Outbound delivery rules filter messages that are sent out through IMail Server by local users and can be created only at the domain level.

Both Inbound and Outbound rules support multiple conditions. Delivery rules can also be used in conjunction with forwarding or the Info Manager to re-route mail from one user to another. For example, a system administrator could route messages containing particular words to a reviewer.

Related Topics

How Delivery Rules are stored and processed

Delivery Rule Syntax

Adding an Inbound Rule for a Mail Host

Adding an Outbound Rule for a Mail Host

Adding an Inbound Rule for a User

Adding an Inbound Rule for a List-Server Mailing List

Storing Search String in an External Text File

Testing a Delivery Rule

Examples of Delivery Rules


Examples of Delivery Rules

An Inbound delivery rule for a host. A school administrator can set up an inbound delivery rule that scans for offensive language in mail messages and delivers such messages to a special user account that can be reviewed by a faculty member. Example

An Outbound delivery rule for a host. A school administrator can set up an outbound delivery rule that will scan for offensive language or content in mail messages that are being sent out through IMail Server by a local user. Example

An Inbound delivery rule for a list-server mailing list. A system administrator can set up an inbound delivery rule for a list-server mailing list to scan the body of all messages addressed to the list for language that indicates that the mail came from a spammer or bulk mailer, and delete any such messages. For example, the rule can search for one of these text strings:

•	to be removed from any future mailings

•	please respond with the word "remove" in the subject line

•	advertise with bulk e-mail

•	bulk friendly

Example

An Inbound delivery rule for an individual user. You could set up an inbound delivery rule for a sporting goods salesman to have all messages with baseball, softball, bat, base, homerun, or cap in the Subject be automatically placed in his mailbox named baseball. Example

An Inbound delivery rule combined with the Info Manager. You could set up an inbound delivery rule to forward all mail containing the phrase "send info" to a particular mailbox named "Requests" in a user account named "Sales". Then, you could set up the Info Manager to send out a generic response and also forward the mail to your company’s Sales Manager. Example

Related Topics

Rule Syntax


How Rules are Stored and Processed
How Delivery Rules are Stored and Processed

All inbound rules are stored in the rules.ima file. Since inbound rules can be created for mail hosts, users, and mailing lists, there can be multiple rules.ima files on your IMail Server system. The location of the rules.ima file differs depending on whether the rule is for a mail host, a user, or a list server mailing list.

•	For a mail host, the rules.ima file is located in the mail host's top folder.

•	For a user, the rules.ima file is located in the user's folder.

•	For a list server mailing list, the rules.ima file is stored in the list's folder.

Outbound delivery rules are stored in the orules.ima file. Since outbound rules can only be created for mail hosts(domains), the orule.ima file is located in the mail host's folder. If you have more than one mail host on your IMail Server system, you may have multiple orules.ima files, one file for each host.

IMail Server reads the rules.ima and orules.ima files during the delivery process. The rule files for the virtual host are evaluated first, and then the rules for users and lists. See also Processing Order.

Any rules.ima or orules.ima file can be copied to other directories. For example, if you create inbound delivery rules for one user, you can copy the rules.ima file to the directories of other users to apply the same rules to them.


Processing Order

Incoming mail addressed to a valid local address is processed in the following order.

1	SMTP Access Control. The SMTPD process checks to see if the connecting IP is listed in the Access Control dialog box.  If it is listed in deny access list, the connection is denied. If it is listed in the grant access list, the connection is allowed and processing continues.

2	Validation Tests. If you have the validation tests enabled, they verify the "Mail FROM" address, the HELO/EHLO domain, and perform a reverse DNS lookup. If a message passes all the checks, connection filtering is performed.

3	Connection Filtering. If you have connection filtering enabled compares messages against configured DNS black lists. If the message does not match a black list, IMail Anti-Virus scans it.

4	IMail Anti Virus. If you have IMail Anti-Virus installed, it checks the message for infected files or code. If infected, the mail is repaired, bounced, redirected, or deleted, according to the settings on the Anti Virus tab. If the file is not infected, content filtering attempts to identify whether the message is spam.

5	Content Filtering. If you have content filtering enabled, it determines if the message is likely to be spam. If the message is determined to be spam, it is either deleted or sent to the specified address. If the message is not spam, aliases are checked.

6	Alias. IMail Server checks to see if the addressee matches an alias in the destination domain. An alias is considered to be any of the following: standard alias, group alias, program alias, pager alias, beeper alias, fax alias, or a list-server mailing list name.

•	If there is a match to a program, beeper, pager, or fax alias, IMail Server executes the program or activates the beeper, pager, or fax.

•	If there is a match to a standard or group alias, IMail Server resolves the alias to the appropriate user ID(s), and checks the user ID.

•	If there is a match to a list-server mailing list name, IMail Server (a) processes the mail according to the settings for that list, and (b) checks the user IDs specified in the list settings.

•	If no match to any alias, IMail Server checks the user ID.

7	User ID. IMail Server determines if the user ID is valid for the destination domain. If invalid, the mail is returned to the sender. If valid, the delivery rules for a list-server mailing list are checked.

8	Delivery Rules for a list-server mailing list. If the message matches the rule criteria for a list, delivery follows according to the rule. If not, then the message is sent to the list server. If the message is not addressed to a list, Forwarding is checked.

9	Forwarding. IMail Server determines whether an address is present in the Forward box on the General tab for this account. If so, IMail Server forwards the mail. If not, the mail is delivered to the user ID according to the established delivery rules as listed below.

10	Delivery rules for the host. IMail Server determines if the message matches a rule for the mail host. If so, then delivery follows according to that rule. If not, then rules for the user ID are checked.

11	Delivery rules for the user ID.  IMail Server determines if the message matches rule criteria for the user ID. If the message matches rule criteria for a user ID, then delivery follows according to the rule. If not, then the Info Manager is checked.

12	Info Manager. IMail Server determines whether the user ID has the Info Manager enabled. If so, the message is delivered to the location specified in the Info Manager. If not, the vacation setting is checked.

13	Vacation. IMail Server determines whether the user ID has a vacation message enabled. If so, the vacation message is sent. If not, the message is delivered to the User ID.


Inbound Delivery Rules for Mail Hosts
Inbound Rules for Hosts: Inbound Rules Tab

Getting to the Inbound Rules tab for hosts

Inbound delivery rules are used to sort incoming mail messages for the mail host (domain). The Active Rules list box on this tab displays information about each of the active inbound rules for the selected host. The Inbound delivery rules for a mail host are stored in the rules.ima file, which is located in IMail Top directory/hostname.

Creating a New Inbound Rule

1	From the Inbound Rules tab, click Add. Using the Rules Dialog box, create the rule. For more assistance, click the Help button on the Rules Dialog box. When you are done creating the rule, click OK and you will return to the Inbound Rules tab.

A placeholder called New Rule is placed in the Active Rules list below the selected slot (if any). You cannot name delivery rules, they are identified in the Active Rules list only by their sequence in the list. To identify a delivery rule, highlight one of the slot identifiers (e.g., rule1, rule2) and read its contents in the bottom text box.

2	In the Active Rules text box on the Inbound Rules tab, select the rule that you just created.

3	Select one of the following actions to take on a message that meets one of the rule criteria:

•	Move to Mailbox. Select this to move the message to a mailbox, then in the Address text box, enter the name of the mailbox to which messages meeting the rule criteria will be sent. If you enter a mailbox that doesn’t exist, one will be created. A POP3 user will see this mailbox only if he logs on to this mailbox using the format userid-mailbox. By default, if nothing is entered into the text box, messages meeting the rule criteria will be sent to the user's Main mailbox.

•	Forward. Select this to forward the message to another address, and in the Address text box, enter the e-mail address to which messages meeting the rule criteria will be sent. You must enter the full e-mail address, such as Fred@domain1.com.

•	Delete. Select this to delete the message.

•	Copy. Select this to deliver the message to its intended recipient as well as copy it to an additional address that you specify in the Address text box.

•	Bounce. Select this to send the message back to the sender without being processed.

4	Click Apply to save the rule.

Once the screen is refreshed, the delivery rule, previously identified as New Rule, will appear in the format Rule# to identify its sequence in the Active Rules list. Any existing delivery rules are renamed to reflect the new sequence.

Changing the Processing Order of a Rule

Rules are processed in the order that they are displayed in the Active Rules text box. To re-sequence the processing order of the rules in the list, select a rule from the Active Rules text box and click Move Up or Move Down.

Deleting a Rule

To delete a rule, select the rule from the Active Rules text box, and click Delete. You must then click Apply to save your changes.

Related Topics

Overview of Mail Delivery Rules

Rules Dialog

Creating an Outbound Rule for a Host

How Delivery Rules are stored and processed

Delivery Rule Syntax

Storing Search String in an External Text File

Testing a Delivery Rule

Adding Multiple Conditions to Rules


New Rule dialog box
Creating a Rule: New Rule Dialog Box

If the rule is stored in a text file, enter or select the name of the file and click OK.

If the rule is to be entered on the Rules tab, just click OK. IMail will temporarily assign a name of "rule" to the rule.


Inbound Delivery Rules for Users
Inbound Rules for Users: Inbound Rules Tab

Getting to the Inbound Rules tab for users

Inbound Delivery Rules can be used to sort incoming mail messages for each user. The Active Rules text box on this tab displays the rules that are currently set up for the user. Delivery rules for users are stored in the rules.ima file, located in Host Top Directory\users\username.

Creating a New Inbound Rule

1	From the Inbound Rules tab, click Add. The Rules Dialog box opens, which you use to create the rule conditions. For more assistance on rule conditions, click Help on the Rules Dialog box. When you have completed the rule conditions, click OK on the Rules Dialog box.

A placeholder called New Rule is placed in the Active Rules list just under the selected slot(if any).  You cannot name delivery rules. They are identified in the Active Rules list only by their sequence in the list. To identify a delivery rule, highlight one of the slot identifiers (e.g., rule1, rule2) and read its contents in the bottom text box.

2	In the Active Rules text box on the Inbound Rules tab, select the rule that you just created.

3	Select one of the following actions to take on a message that meets one of the rule criteria:

•	Move to Mailbox. Select this to move the message to a mailbox, then in the Address text box, enter the name of the user's mailbox to which messages meeting the rule criteria will be sent. If you enter a mailbox that doesn’t exist, one will be created. A POP3 user will see this mailbox only if he logs on to this mailbox using the format userid-mailbox. By default, if nothing is entered in the text box, messages meeting the rule criteria will be sent to the user's Main mailbox.

•	Forward. Select this to send the message to an e-mail address, and in the Address text box, enter the e-mail address to which messages meeting the rule criteria will be sent. You must enter the full e-mail address, such as Fred@domain1.com.

•	Delete. Select this to delete the message.

•	Copy. Select this to deliver the message to its intended recipient as well as copy it to an additional address that you specify in the Address text box.

•	Bounce. Select this to send a bounce message back to the sender.

4	Click Apply to save the rule.

Once the screen is refreshed, the rule, previously identified as New Rule, will appear in the format of Rule# to identify its sequence in the Active Rules list. Any existing delivery rules are renamed to reflect the new sequence.

Changing the Processing Order of a Rule

Rules are processed in the order that they are displayed in the Active Rules text box. To re-sequence the processing order of the rules in the list, select a rule from the Active Rules text box and click Move Up or Move Down.

Deleting a Rule

To delete an existing rule, select the appropriate rule number from the Active Rules text box, and click Delete. Click Apply to save your changes.

Related Topics

Overview of Mail Delivery Rules

Rules Dialog

How Delivery Rules are stored and processed

Delivery Rule Syntax

Storing Search String in an External Text File

Characters with Special Meaning

Testing a Delivery Rule

Adding Multiple Conditions to Rules


Inbound Delivery Rules for a List-Server Mailing List
Inbound Delivery Rules for a List-Server Mailing List: Inbound Rules Tab

Getting to the Inbound Rules tab for a list

Inbound Delivery Rules can be used to sort incoming mail messages for a list server mailing list. The Active Rules text box on this tab displays the active rules that are currently set up for the mailing list. Delivery rules for a list are stored in the rules.ima file, located in Host Top Directory\listname.

Creating a New Inbound Rule

1	On the Inbound Rules tab, click Add. The Rules Dialog box opens, which you use to create the rule conditions. For more assistance on rule conditions, click Help on the Rules Dialog box. When you are done creating the rule conditions, click OK on the Rules Dialog box.

Notice that a placeholder, called New Rule, is placed in the Active Rules list just under the selected slot (if any). You cannot name delivery rules. They are identified in the Active Rules list only by their sequence in the list. To identify a delivery rule, highlight one of the slot identifiers (e.g., rule1, rule2) and read its contents in the bottom text box.

2	In the Active Rules text box on the Inbound Rules tab, select the rule that you just created.

3	Select one of the following actions to take if a message meets one of the rule criteria:

•	Move to Mailbox. Select this and in the Address text box, enter the name of the mailbox to which messages meeting the rule criteria will be sent. If you enter a mailbox that doesn’t exist, one will be created for the user on the IMail Server system. A POP3 user will see this mailbox only if he logs on to this mailbox using the format userid-mailbox. By default, if nothing is entered in the text box, messages meeting the rule criteria will be sent to the user's Main mailbox.

•	Forward. Select this to send the message to an e-mail address, then in the Address text box , enter the e-mail address, of the list or person, to which messages meeting the rule criteria will be sent. You must enter the full e-mail address, such as Fred@domain1.com.

•	Delete. Select this to delete the message.

•	Copy. Select this to deliver the message to its intended recipient as well as copy it to an additional e-mail address that you specify in the Address text box.

•	Bounce. Select this to send a bounce message back to the sender.

4	Click Apply to save the rule.

Once the screen is refreshed, the rule, previously identified as New rule, will appear in the format rule# to identify its sequence in the Active Rules list. Any existing delivery rules are renamed to reflect the new sequence.

Changing the Processing Order of a Rule

Rules are processed in the order that they are displayed in the Active Rules text box. To re-sequence the processing order of the rules in the list, select a rule from the Active Rules Text box and click Move Up or Move Down.

Deleting a Rule

To delete a rule, select the rule from the Active Rules text box, and click Delete. You must then click Apply to save your changes.

Related Topics

Overview of Mail Delivery Rules

Rules Dialog

How Delivery Rules are stored and processed

Delivery Rule Syntax

Storing Search String in an External Text File

Testing a Delivery Rule

Adding Multiple Conditions to Rules


Storing Search String in an External Text File

If you need to frequently update and disseminate the search text for delivery rules, you can use external text files to store the search text. Then, all you have to do is distribute the text file. The external text file must have a file extension of .RUL.

For example, the administrator can use this method to catch mail from known spammers. The administrator might create a text file named spam.rul. Each time a new spammer address is discovered, the administrator can add it to the spam.rul file. The rules.ima or orules.ima file can reference the text file named spam.rul. The procedure for storing search text in an external file is the same for Inbound and Outbound rules.

Example

To create a delivery rule that references an external text file:

1	Select the mail host, the user, or the list that you want to create a rule for. Then click either the Inbound or Outbound Rules tab, and click Add.

2	In the Rules Dialog box, select the External File option. Then do one of the following:

•	If the external text file already exists, select the file. For example, select :rulefilename where rulefilename is the name of the .rul file you want to reference.

•	If the external text file does not exist, enter a new, unique name for the .rul file. Do not enter the file extension .rul as IMail will append it to whatever you enter.

3	Click Edit File to open and edit the rule file in Windows Notepad (or your default text editor). If the rules file does not exist, one will be automatically created. See Rule Syntax to create the search text.

4	Under Select Rule, select the area that you want to search.

5	Select contains to have the delivery rule look for messages that contain the search string; select doesn’t contain to look for messages that do not contain the search string.

6	Select Match Case to search for text that matches the case of the search string.

7	Click Apply to save the rule.

Related Topics:

Testing an Inbound Delivery Rule

Delivery Rule Syntax


Rule Syntax

When you create a rule in the Rules dialog box, the rule is entered in the rules.ima (inbound) or orules.ima (outbound) file. Below are examples of the rule syntax for both a single condition and multiple condition rule, as well as explanations of each rule element.

Single Condition Rule

Syntax: message area  condition  search text  quantifier : mailbox name

Example: The following represents the syntax for a single condition rule as it appears in the rules.ima file.

Explanation of rule:

H	=	If the Header of the message (From, To, Sender, Subject, Cc)
~	=	contains
free quote	=	the words free quote
:	=	send to
deleted items	=	the mailbox named deleted items
Multiple Condition Rule

Syntax: message area  condition  search text  quantifier  !AND!/!OR! message area  condition  search text  quantifier: mailbox name

Example: The following represents the syntax for a multiple condition rule as it appears in the rules.ima file.

Explanation of rule:

S	=	If the Subject of the message
~	=	contains
weight loss	=	the words weight loss
!OR!	=	or
B	=	the Body of the message
~	=	contains
weight loss	=	the words weight loss
:	=	send to
Trash	=	the mailbox named Trash


Testing a Delivery Rule
Testing a Delivery Rule: Rule Tester Dialog Box

Getting to the Inbound Rules tab

1	On the Inbound or Outbound Rules tab, select a rule from the Active Rules text box, and click Test. Observe that the Rule Tester dialog box appears.

2	In the Test Text box, enter a message that meets your intended search criteria.

3	Click the Test button.

•	If the delivery rule does what you intended it to, TRUE is displayed in the Test Result box.

•	If the delivery rule doesn’t test true, FALSE is displayed in the Test Result box. Edit the rule and test again.

Note: You cannot edit the rule from the Rules Tester dialog box. To edit the rule, you must return to the Inbound or Outbound Rules tab, select the rule and click Edit.


Message Area


Conditions
Condition


Quantifiers
Quantifier


Text Patterns
Text Pattern

Note that a few characters have special meaning.


Characters with Special Meaning

The following characters have special meaning in a rule:

{}()|*+,.:\

If you want to use one of these characters in a search string, precede it with a backslash. For example, to search for a plus sign, enter \+ in the search string.


Getting to a User's Inbound Rules Tab

Expand the mail host  and the Users folder in the left panel, select the user, and then click the Inbound Rules tab.


Rules Dialog
Creating Delivery Rules: Rules Dialog

Getting To the Rules Dialog

This dialog is used to create a new rule, or to edit an existing rule.

Adding a Rule

1	From the Select Rule list box, select the rule that you want to create (From, To, Subject, Sender, Body Text, Header Text).

2	Select contains to have the delivery rule look for messages that contain the search text. Select does not contain to look for messages that do not contain the search text

3	To enter search text, you can either enter it into the Search Text box as described below, or specify an external file that contains the search text you want to use.

Enter the search text by doing one or more of the following:

•	Enter the literal text that you want to search for. For example, if you want to find the word jazz, type: jazz

•	Type search expressions and quantifiers as shown in Text Patterns.

•	Use the popup menu to insert a generic form of a search expression and then edit the inserted expression.

•	Paste a portion of a mail message that meets your search criteria. For example, you could copy and paste text such as "XMSMailPriority(High)" from the header of a message; this would search for High priority messages.

4	Select External File, if you have placed the search text in an external file. The list box displays the existing external files.

5	Turn on Match Case to search for text that matches the case of the search text. To ignore case, turn off Match Case.

6	Click Add Condition. The condition that you just created is added to the rule and is displayed in the Final Rule text box.

7	If this is the only condition you want the rule to have, click OK and you will return to the Inbound or Outbound Rules tab. If you want to add multiple conditions, read the next section.

Tips:

•	To delete any single line from the Final Rule text box, select the line to delete and click Remove.

•	If you decide to edit one of the conditions, select the condition in the Final Rule text box, and click Clear Selection. This will clear all of the options that are set for the condition.

Adding Multiple Conditions

To add more than one condition to a rule, create the first condition by following steps 1 through 5 above and then click either the "Insert AND" or the "Insert OR" button. Create the second condition as you did the first, then click OK. See also Adding Multiple Conditions to Rules.

Editing a Condition

1	Select the condition of the rule that you want to edit from the Final Rule text box.

2	Make the desired changes to the options and click Update Condition.

Changing the Processing Order of Conditions

Conditions are processed in order, from top to bottom, as Boolean expressions. To change the processing order of a condition, select the condition in the Final Rule text box and click either the Up or Down button.

Related Topics

Overview of Mail Delivery Rules

Delivery Rule Syntax

Testing a Delivery Rule

How Delivery Rules are Stored and Processed


Getting to the Inbound Rules tab

Select the mail host, the user, or the list name that you want to create a rule for. Then click the Inbound Rules tab.


Getting to the Inbound Rules Tab for a Mail Host

Select the mail host in the left panel and click the Inbound Rules tab.


Getting to the Rules Dialog

Select the mail host, list or user for which you are creating the rule. Select the Inbound or Outbound Rules tab. To add a rule click Add. To edit a rule, select the rule from the Active Rules text box and click Edit Selected.


Example

Enter the following rule into the user's rules.ima file:

S!(baseball|base|bat|cap|homerun|softball):baseball


Example

Enter the following rule into the Host's rules.ima file:

H~(word1|word2|word3)!OR! B~(word1|word2|word3):spambox

Note: Replace word 1, word 2, and word 3 with the offensive words you want to search for. The vertical bar represents "or", therefore, this rule will search for word1, or word 2, or word 3.

If you don't want the user to access spambox, because you want to monitor this mail yourself, you must put a forward file in EACH user's folder. This file can be created in Window's Notepad and must match the name of the sub-mailbox you define in your rule, i.e. "spambox.fwd".

The only thing that should be in the "spambox.fwd" file is the account you want the filtered message to go to. For example, if you forward them to an "abuse" account, your "spambox.fwd" file will contain the following: abuse@your-domain.com. You can now use this "abuse" user account to monitor this type of mail.

Note: Notepad also adds .txt to the filename of any new file created


Example

Enter the following rule into the host's rules.ima file:

H~send info!OR!B~send info:sales-requests

For information on setting up the info manager for this rule, see Info Manager, or read Chapter 5: Mail Processing Techniques in the IMail Server User's Guide.


Example

In the host's orules.ima file enter the following rule:

H~(word 1|word 2)!OR!B~(word 1|word 2):admin@domain.com

Replace word 1 and word 2 with the offensive language you want to search for. This rule sends any outgoing message that contains word 1 or word 2 to an account named admin@domain.com.


Example

Enter the following rule or rules in the list's rules.ima file:

B~bulk friendly:NUL

B~advertise with bulk e-mail:NUL

B~to be removed from future mailings:NUL

B~respond with the word "remove" in the subject line:NUL


Determining Which Rule Trapped a Message

If a message is trapped by a rule, an X-IMail-Rule line is placed in the message header to allow you to know which rule caught the message. If multiple rules trap a message, only the first rule will be placed in the X line in the header. The X-IMail-Rule line will also contain up to 30 characters of the message data that caused the message to be trapped. Message data will not be included in the X-IMail-Rule line when a message is trapped by a negative rule (does not contain or does not equal).

If a domain rule traps the message, the X-IMail-Rule header will be added to all local deliveries. If a message is trapped by a user's rule, the X-IMail-Rule header will only be added to deliveries to the user. When a message that is destined for local delivery is trapped by an outbound rule, a line with the rule causing the trap will be written to the Queue file. When this message is delivered, and that line exists in the Queue file, it will be written as an X-IMail-Rule line in the message header. Outbound messages that are not delivered locally, will not have an X-IMail-Rule line in the header.

Example X-IMail-Rule line:

X-IMail-Rule: S~ Company Newsletter: Newsletter-Monthly Company Newsletter

Disabling the X-IMail-Rule Header

If you wish to disable the X-IMail-Rule header, so that it does not appear in the message header, you must add an entry to the registry. In the registry, go to  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Ipswitch\IMail\Global and add the entry BlockRuleHdr with a non-zero value. This is a server wide setting and affects all domain and user rules on the server. If BlockRuleHdr is not present or is set to zero, then the X-IMail-Rule header is enabled and will be displayed in the message header.

Notes:

•	The maximum number of characters that will be displayed in the Rule text section of the X-IMail-Rule line is 199.

•	The maximum number of characters that will be displayed in the message data section of the X-IMail-Rule line is 30.

•	The Maximum length of any X-IMail-Rule line is 250 characters.

•	Because IMail Server inserts the rule and 30 characters of the message in the header, special care should be taken if a trapped message is then forwarded to another recipient. Some e-mail clients will include the header in the forwarded message. If this occurs and you have a rule set up to search the body of the message for the same text, then the message will be trapped again.


External Text File Example

To send spam messages to a mailbox named spambox, the rules.ima file would contain the line: h~:spam:spambox

Note that a colon must precede the .rul file name. The IMail Server reads the rules.ima file and looks for the referenced spam.rul file at the same location as the rules.ima file.


Bounce Message

A bounce message is sent back to the sender of a mail message when the message is not delivered. In IMail Server, a bounce message is caused by the following:

•	the message address does not exist or is misconfigured

•	a connection failure

•	the message contained a virus

•	the message was determined to be spam

•	a host/list/user inbound rule bounced the message


Getting to the SMTP Access Control dialog Box

1	In the left panel, expand the "localhost".

2	Expand the Services folder and select the SMTP service.

3	In the right panel, select the SMTP Security tab, and click Control Access.

4	The SMTP Control Access dialog box is displayed.


About the IMail Administrator Interface

The IMail Administrator’s split window works like the Windows Explorer: the left panel provides an outline view to your IMail server, mail hosts, users, aliases, and list server mailing lists. When you select an item in the left panel, its properties are displayed in the right panel.

Click the localhost folder to display the IMail Server configuration.

You can expand either the left or right panel by clicking and dragging the border between them.


Viewing the General System Properties

Getting to the General tab for the localhost

The General tab shows the basic configuration of the IMail Server system. You can modify only the Gate Host or the Default Host properties.

Note: You should not alter any of the settings on this page except the Gate Host or Default Host options without further instructions.

Options

•	Host Name. The primary official host name of the IMail server system; this was specified during installation.

•	Gate Host. The name of another host to send mail to for further delivery when the mail cannot be delivered directly to the destination host. This can also be used in conjunction with the Send all remote mail through gateway option on the SMTP tab to force delivery of mail through the gateway host. Since IMail Server should be able to reach all hosts directly, this field should typically be left blank.

•	Default Host. The name of the host which mail should be delivered if the original recipient address contains only a user ID without a host name, and that user ID is not found on the sender’s host. Normally, this field should be blank, or set to "localhost". Otherwise, mail will be sent to userID@DefaultHost, which may not be the intended recipient.  This field can be useful when multiple systems are required to work as one system.

Note: Setting this option incorrectly may result in mail being sent to unintended recipients.

•	Top Dir.  Directory where IMail application files are installed. This is specified during installation.

•	Spool Dir.  Temporary directory where messages are spooled while awaiting processing and where log files are kept.

•	Log Server.  Log Server causes messages to be sent to the Log Server IP address specified on the Log Files tab.

•	Install Date.  Date and time the IMail Server application was installed.

Buttons

Add Host

Backup

View Queue

Init LDAP

Optimize LDAP


External User Database (dialog box)
External User Database Dialog box

IMail can use an external database to register and authenticate users on a mail host. Users that you add and delete using IMail will be added to and deleted from that external database, and vice versa.

If you are not already in the External User Database dialog box, do one of the following:

•	To add a new mail host based on an external database, select localhost in the left panel, click Add Host to view the Virtual Host Configuration dialog box, click Add, and then select Use External User Database and then click Configure. The External User Database dialog box appears.

•	To convert an existing mail host to one based on an external database, select localhost in the left panel, click Add Host to view the Virtual Host Configuration dialog box for this host, and then select Use External User Database and then click the Configure button. The External User Database dialog box appears.

•	Enter the full path to the External Database Implementation DLL. Specify the full path to ODBCUSER.DLL, or to any .DLL that supports the functions: GetUserEntry, SetUserEntry, DeleteUserEntry, AuthorizeUser, GetFirstUserEntry, and GetNextUserEntry. (These are defined in the ODBCUSER.H file.)

•	Specify the ODBC System Data Source Name (DSN) for the database where the user information is stored. IMAILSECDB is the default name that the IMail ODBC link uses.

Note for users using SQL 7.0 or above: In the ODBC Data Source Name input the line :DNS_NAME; UID=username; PWD=password. The user name and password need to be the user ID and password for the SQL database and not an IMail Server account.

•	Specify the Table name for the data. This defaults (if the field is blank or contains "[default]") to the host name with dots replaced by underscores.

Notes:

•	The Table Name cannot begin with a number.

•	If you are running the IMail Server 25 version, see the IMail Server 25 Overview for information on how users are counted.


Virtual Hosts Overview
Virtual Hosts: Overview

If you want the IMail server to receive mail for a second e-mail domain with its own set of users, you must set up a virtual host for each domain. For example, if your mail server provides mail service for a local e-mail domain, mail.johnson.com, and you also want it to provide mail service for another e-mail domain, mail.acme.com, you need to create a virtual host for mail.acme.com.

Note: The IMail Server User’s Guide contains detailed information on creating virtual hosts. See Chapter 3, Configuration and Appendix I, Mail Servers and the DNS.

Note to IMail 25 Users:  If you have met the limit of 25 users and lists, you will be permitted to add another virtual host, however, you will not be able to add any new users to it. For more information, see the IMail 25 Version Overview.

Related Topics

Setting the host's IP address

Adding a host

Deleting a host


Setting the IP Address for a Virtual Host

Each virtual host must have a unique IP address. You can use either a real IP address or a virtual IP address. To add a real IP address, do the following:

1.	Double-click the Network applet in the Windows NT Control Panel.

2.	Click the Protocols tab and then select TCP/IP Protocol.

3.	Click the Properties button, and then click the Advanced button

You can add up to five IP addresses in the Network applet. If you need to add more than five, refer to the documentation for the Windows NT Resource Kit.

A virtual IP address can be assigned to the host by the IMail Server system. This allows you to have a virtual host without an IP address. You can then use an MX record in your DNS to point the virtual host to a real IP address.

If you use a virtual IP address for a mail host, users must log in to mail accounts on the host by specifying their user ID as userid@virtualhost, where userid is the User ID and virtualhost is the host name. If you use an IP address that is set up on your IMail Server system, the user can log on using only the user ID.

Whether you use a real IP address or a virtual IP address, you need to make the proper DNS entries for your mail host(s). If you use a virtual IP address, the MX record (in DNS) for the host must point to a real IP address. See your DNS documentation for information on creating these entries.

Note: The IMail Server User’s Guide contains detailed information on creating virtual hosts. See Chapter 3: Configuration and Appendix I: Mail Servers and the DNS.


Virtual Host Configuration (dialog box)

You must first set up an IP address for the host.

To configure a virtual host:

If you are not already in the Virtual Host Configuration dialog box, select the localhost folder in the left panel, and the General tab appears.  Click the Add Host button and the Virtual Host Configuration dialog box appears. The Local Addresses list shows all IP addresses set up in the Windows NT TCP/IP properties as well as any virtual IP addresses assigned by the IMail Server.

1.	Select the IP address for the virtual host (in the Local Addresses list box) or click Add to assign a new virtual IP address to use for the new mail domain.

2.	In the Official Host Name text box, enter the name of the mail host. The name you enter here will be used to address mail to the users on the virtual host. For example, if you enter mail.acme.com as the mail host name, any users you add to the virtual host will receive mail at user_name@mail.acme.com.

3.	(Optional) In the Aliases box, enter other host names for which you want the mail host to accept mail. For example, if your mail host name is mail.acme.com, you can set an alias of acme.com so that the IMail Server will accept mail addressed to fred@mail.acme.com and also fred@acme.com.

4.	In the Top Directory Name text box, enter the name of the directory where the user information (user IDs and passwords) for this mail host will be stored. IMail automatically uses a different directory for each mail host that you create. It is possible for mail hosts to share a single directory but then users that have the same names will actually share the same mailbox.

Select one of the following:

•	Use IMail Database

•	Use NT Database

•	Use External Database

5.	Enter the parameters for mailboxes and messages. These parameters apply to all users on the virtual host.

Default Max Mailbox Size. The default maximum size in bytes for all mailboxes in a user's mail account. If a new message would cause the mailbox total to exceed this maximum, the mail is returned to the sender. Enter zero for unlimited size.

Default Max Messages. The maximum number of messages in all mailboxes in a user's mail account, by default. If a new message would cause the message total to be exceeded, the message is returned to the sender.

Single Message Max Size. The default maximum size, in bytes, for a single message sent to a user's mail account. If a message exceeds the maximum, it is returned to the sender. Enter zero for unlimited size.

Maximum User Count. The default maximum number of users that can be registered for the mail host. (Note that this does not apply to virtual host that uses the NT user database or an external database. (The displayed counts of users for hosts using the NT user database or an external database may not be correct.) Enter zero for unlimited size.

6.	Click Save to save any changes.

To peer servers for this host, click the Peer List button.

After you have created the virtual host, you need to add user mail accounts for that host.


General Tab of Mail Host Properties
Mail Host Properties: General Tab

Getting to the General tab

The General tab of a mail host indicates some basic information and provides important settings.

Within the General tab, the first two items should not be altered. They are:

•	Official Host Name. The name that will be used to address mail to the users on the mail host.

•	TCP/IP Address. The real or virtual IP address of the mail host.

The following options are editable:

•	Top directory. The name of the directory where the directories for users, lists, and web files for this host will be stored.

•	Host Aliases. Specify alternate host names for which you want the host to accept mail. Multiple aliases are separated by a space.  This field is limited to 255 characters. Example.

•	Default Max Mailbox Size. Enter the default maximum size in bytes (characters) of all the mailboxes in each user’s account. Enter zero for an unlimited size. For more information on how this setting interacts with user settings, see Setting Mailbox Directory Limits for a User.

•	Single Message Max Size. Enter the maximum size (in bytes) of a single message. Messages that exceed this size are returned to the sender. Enter zero for unlimited size.

•	Max Outbound Msg Size. The maximum size of an outbound message. Any message that is larger than the size entered here will be bounced.

•	Full Mailbox Notify%. If there is anything entered in this box, the user will be notified when their mailbox is within a certain percentage of being full. Example. See also customizing the notification message.

•	Full Mailbox Notify Address. Enter the address of an additional address where an e-mail will be sent when a user's mailbox is almost full. For example, this could be the system administrator's address.

•	Default Max Messages. Enter the default maximum number of messages that will be allowed in each user’s account. Enter zero for an unlimited number. For more information on how this setting interacts with user settings, see Setting Mailbox Directory Limits for a User.

•	Max Users (not functional in the IMail 25 version). Enter the maximum number of users that can be registered for this mail host. Enter zero for an unlimited number. The box next to this setting displays the total number of users that exist on the host, including the root user.

Note: This setting does not apply to mail hosts that use the NT user database.  The displayed count of users for mail hosts that use the NT user database may not be correct.

•	Virus Scanning. If you have IMail Anti-Virus installed, you will see a Virus Scanning option, which allows you to enable and disable virus scanning for the current domain only. If you do not have IMail Anti-Virus installed, you will not see this option.

Sub-mailbox Creation. This setting allows the administrator to specify what to do when a message arrives for a user and is addressed to a sub-mailbox that does not exist. Select one of the following actions:

•	Create. Creates the sub-mailbox and delivers the message.

•	Send to Inbox. Does not create the sub-mailbox. Instead the message is delivered to "main".

•	Bounce. Bounces the mail as an invalid user.

In the User Database Type area, select one of the following:

•	IMail Database

•	NT Database

•	External Database

Buttons:

Adding a New User Mail Account

Add Alias

Add List

Init LDAP

Optimize LDAP


Deleting a Mail Host

To delete a mail host (and all users and their related files):

1.	In the left panel, right-click the mail host to display the pop-up menu.

2.	Select Delete from the menu. You are asked to confirm the delete request.

3.	Click Yes to delete the host, including all users and their related files.


Overview of User Mail Accounts

Each mail host has its own user mail accounts. You can add, modify, or delete user mail accounts as needed. The users for each mail host can be based on one of three databases: the NT Database, an External Database, or the IMail Database.

See Chapters 3 and 4 of the IMail User’s Guide for detailed information about configuring IMail Server and setting up user mail accounts.

Notes to IMail Server 25 users:

•	List-server mailing lists count toward the 25 user limit. For example, if you have created 20 users and five list-server mailing lists, the limit has been met and you will not be allowed to create new users or lists. For more information see the IMail Server 25 overview.

•	The root user, for the primary host, does not count toward the 25 user limit. Root users for all virtual hosts besides the primary host do count toward the 25 user limit.

Related Topics

Setting default and global user properties

Adding a user mail account

Deleting a user mail account

Finding orphan mail accounts


Default Settings for Users

Getting to the Default Settings for Users

Note that setting defaults for new users is distinct from setting global properties for existing users.

To set defaults for new user access options:

1.	In the Max Mailbox Size box, enter the default maximum total size in bytes of all the mailboxes in a new user’s account. For more information, see Maximum Mailbox Size & Maximum Number of Messages.

2.	In the Max. Mailbox Msgs box, enter the default maximum number of messages allowed in a new user’s mailbox. For more information, see Maximum Mailbox Size & Maximum Number of Messages.

3.	Set the following checkboxes:

User Cannot Change Password

Account Access Disabled

Hide from information services

User can't modify LDAP attributes

Allow Web access

Host administrator

List administrator

IMail System Administrator

To change settings for existing users:

1.	Click the Global User Changes button.

2.	Configure the following settings:

•	Max Mailbox Size. Enter the default maximum total size in bytes (characters) of all the mailboxes in an existing user’s account.  If a new message would cause the total size of all mailboxes in the user's account to exceed this size, the mail is returned to the sender.

•	Maximum number of messages in mailbox. Enter the default maximum number of messages allowed for all mailboxes in an existing user’s mailbox.  If a new message would cause the total size of a mailbox in the user's account to exceed this size, the mail is returned to the sender.

•	Allow user to change password remotely. Turn this off to prevent the user from changing their password remotely by using the IMail User Utility, the Web Remote Administration utility, or older mail clients that allowed password changes via POP3.

•	Allow POP3 access to mailbox. Turn this off to prohibit the user from accessing the account remotely through POP3. This option allows you disable the account without changing the user's password or removing them from the system.

•	Provide user information with finger. Turn this off to prevent the distribution of any information about this user through Finger if you have the Finger server running.

•	Allow Web Access. Turn this on to allow this user to access their account via the Web Remote Administration utility (provided the utility is configured) and Web Messaging.

3.	Click Change ALL accounts to apply the settings to all existing user accounts.

Other Buttons

Add User

Import NT Users

Export Users to File

Delete Msg's by Date

Find Orphans

Set Reply To

Related Topics

Visual Display of User Settings


Adding a New User Mail Account

If a mail host is based on the Windows NT database, you will not be able to add or delete users using IMail; you will need to use the Windows NT User Manager.

However, if a mail host is based on an IMail database or on an external database, you can add and delete users in IMail.  If a mail host is based on an external database, users that you add and delete using IMail will be added to and deleted from that external database, and vice versa.

To add a user (assuming Use Wizards is turned off on the Tools menu):

1	In the left panel, expand the host name and select the Users folder.

2	Click the Add User button.

Note: If you are using the IMail Server 25 version and the Add User button is disabled, this means you have reached your user limit. For more information see the IMail 25 overview.

3	In the "New User ID" dialog box, enter a user ID.

This name will be used with the domain name to comprise the user’s mailing address. For example, if you enter a user ID of "charlie" for the domain "marcel.com," the user’s full e-mail address will be charlie@marcel.com.

The user ID must be unique for this mail host. It must be between 3 and 30 characters and cannot contain spaces. You can use hyphen, but you should be aware that IMail Server uses the last hyphen in the user ID to delimit a mailbox name. For example, if mail is sent to the address mr-fred-account@ipswitch.com, IMail Server reads accounts as a mailbox that belongs to mr-fred.

4	Click OK.

5	Complete the user properties as follows:

Customizing a New User's Mail Account (General tab)

Setting Mailbox Directory Limits (Directory tab)

Setting Up a Finger Plan (Plan tab)

Adding a Delivery Rule for a Mail Host

Setting up a Vacation Message (Vacation tab)

Setting Up an Automated Response (Info Manager tab)

LDAP Directory Information

Adding a New User Mail Account


Address, Simple vs. Complete
Address: Simple vs. Complete

A complete e-mail address includes the user ID and the domain name, for example, userid@host.companyX.

A simple address is just the user ID without the @ symbol and the domain, for example, userid. You can use a simple address ONLY when you are referring a user on the current mail host.


New User dialog box
"New User ID" dialog box

1.	Enter an ID for the new user. This name will be added to the domain name to comprise the user’s mailing address. For example, if you enter a user ID of "charlie" for the domain "marcel.com," the user’s full e-mail address will be charlie@marcel.com.

The user ID must be unique for this mail host. It must be between 3 and 30 characters and cannot contain spaces. You can use hyphen, but you should be aware that IMail Server uses the last hyphen in the user ID to delimit a mailbox name. For example, if mail is sent to the address mr-fred-account@ipswitch.com, IMail Server reads accounts as a mailbox that belongs to mr-fred.

Note: You can change the character used to delimit the mailbox name in a user ID by entering them into the Mailbox Delimiter box on the SMTP Advanced tab.

2.	Click OK.


Customizing a User's Mail Account (General tab)
Customizing a User's Mail Account: General tab

Getting to a User's General tab

To customize the user perform the following steps:

1	Enter the user’s First Name and Last Name.

2	Enter a Password for the user and confirm it.

3	(Optional) Enter the appropriated Organization, Department, Address, City, State/Province, Postal Code, Country, and Telephone information.

4	Leave the Reply To box empty to allow recipients of this user’s messages to reply to the user ID you entered. This box can be used to enter an e-mail address that omits the computer name, if you are sure the rest of the address is a fully qualified domain name. Example.

If you want to automatically forward this user’s mail to another user account, enter a complete mail address, in the Forward box. To forward mail and keep a copy in this user’s account, precede the forwarding address with a period and a comma, for example .,cecil@flores.com. Separate multiple addresses with a comma. You can also enter a beeper or pager alias here to activate a beeper or pager when the user receives mail.

5	Set the following advanced options:

•	User Cannot Change Password. Select this option to prevent a user from changing their password remotely by using the IMail User Utility or the Web Administration utility.

•	Account Access Disabled. Select this option to prohibit the user from accessing the account remotely through POP3 or IMAP4. This option allows you disable the account without changing the user's password or removing them from the system.

•	Hide from information services. Select this option to prevent the distribution of any information about this user through Finger, LDAP, or Whois if you have the Finger, LDAP, or Whois servers running.

•	User can't modify LDAP attributes. Select this option to prohibit the user from modifying their LDAP attributes (name, address, organization, etc.).

•	Allow Web access. Select this option to allow a user to access their account via the Web Administration utility (provided the utility is configured), IMail Web Messaging and IMail Web Calendaring.

•	Host administrator. Select this option to allow a user to add, modify, or delete users and aliases on their mail host by using IMail Remote Administration utility, the Web Administration utility, or IMail Web Messaging. To use the web utilities, Allow Web Access must also be selected.

•	List administrator. Select this option to allow a user to add, modify, or delete any list server mailing list on this host. Note that you can also assign a Local administrator, who has list administrator privileges for one list.

•	IMail system administrator. Select this option to allow a user all IMail functions provided by the IMail Remote Administration utility, the Web Administration utility, or IMail Web Messaging -- including the creation and administration of virtual hosts.  To use the web utilities, Allow Web Access must also be selected.

•	Suspend User Account is automatically enabled when a user’s web access becomes suspended. To re-enable web access for the user, clear the Suspend User Account option.

Note: You cannot suspend a user account by enabling Suspend User Account. If you wish to disable an account, select the Account Access Disabled option.

Related Topics

Setting Mailbox Directory Limits (Directory tab)

Setting Up a Finger Plan (Plan tab)

Adding a Delivery Rule for a Mail Host

Setting up a Vacation Message (Vacation tab)

Setting Up an Automated Response (Info Manager tab)

LDAP Directory Information

Adding a New User Mail Account


Deleting a User
Deleting a User Mail Account

If a mail host is based on the Windows NT database, you will not be able to add or delete users using IMail; you will need to use the Windows NT User Manager.

However, if a mail host is based on an IMail database or on an external database, you can add and delete users in IMail. If a mail host is based on an external database, users that you add and delete using IMail will be added to and deleted from that external database, and vice versa.

To delete a user mail account:

1	In the left panel, expand the host name and the "Users" folder.

2	Right-click the user name and select Delete from the right-mouse menu. To delete multiple users at once, select the check box next to the user names you want to delete and then select Delete from the right mouse menu.

3	In the IMail Administrator confirmation dialog box, click Yes to delete the user mail account and all related files (which means all of this user's mail will be deleted). Click No to cancel.


Finding Orphan Mail Accounts

An orphan mail account is one for which there is a directory in the IMail Users directory although the user has been deleted from the list of users.

To find orphans:

1.	In the left panel, expand the host name, and then select the "Users" folder.

2.	Click the Find Orphans button.  The Orphans dialog box lists any orphan user mail accounts.

To delete an orphan directory:

1.	Select a user name, and then click Delete.  To delete all orphan directories, click Delete All.

2.	Click Close to close the dialog box.

To add orphan accounts to the User List:

Select the orphan account and click Add.


User Cannot Change Password

This option controls whether or not the user can change their password remotely by using older versions of certain POP3 clients such as Eudora


Account Access Disabled

Prohibits the user from accessing the account remotely through POP3 or IMAP4. Lets the system administrator disable the account without changing the user's password or removing them from the system.


Hide from information services

Allows you to disable the distribution of information about this user through Finger, LDAP, or Whois if you have the Finger, LDAP, or Whois servers running.


User can't modify LDAP attributes

Prohibits the user from modifying their LDAP attributes (name, address, organization, etc.).


Allow Web access

Allows this user to access their account via the Web Administration Utility (provided the utility is configured), and Web Messaging.


Host administrator

Allows this user to add, modify, or delete users or aliases (except program aliases) on their mail host using the IMail Remote Administration Utility, the Monitor server's Web Administration Utility, or IMail Web Messaging. To use the web interfaces, Allow Web Access must also be selected.


IMail System Administrator

Allows this user all configuration options provided by the IMail Remote Administration Utility, the Web Administration Utility, or IMail Web Messaging. To use the web utilities, Allow Web Access must also be selected.


User ID

This is the user ID for the mail account. The user ID must be unique within the system. It must be between 3 and 30 characters and cannot contain spaces.

You can use hyphens in the user ID, but be aware that IMail Server will use the last hyphen in the user ID to delimit a mailbox name. For example, if mail is sent to the address mr-fred-account@ipswitch.com, IMail Server reads accounts as a mailbox that belongs to mr-fred.

Note: You can change the character used to delimit the mailbox name in a user ID. In the Windows NT registry, add a "GLOBAL IMail key of MailBoxSplitChar" and specify the new character as the first character of the string value.


Overview of Aliases

IMail Server supports the following types of aliases.

•	Standard alias

•	Group alias

•	Program alias

•	Pager or Beeper alias

•	Host alias

The postmaster alias is set up automatically as a standard alias by the IMail Server installation to point to the root account. This is to comply with the Internet mail RFC specification, so Internet mail users can send mail to postmaster@your_host_name. You can change the postmaster alias to point to a different mail account.

Related Topics

Adding an alias

Deleting an alias


Standard Alias

A standard alias is a user ID that causes any mail sent to it to be sent to:

•	From one to four user IDs on the same system

•	From one to four remote mail addresses

•	Another alias

•	Any combination of the above

In the alias properties, enter one complete mail address per line (no spaces). If you create an alias that is longer than is allowed, the alias will be converted to a group alias.


Program Alias

A program alias is a user ID that causes any mail sent to it to start a program that can accept the mail message for further processing. The alias consists of a path and executable file name, plus any required command line parameters.

When e-mail is sent to the program alias, the executable program is invoked and the entire contents of the e-mail message are passed to the executable program (as a .tmp file).


GroupAlias

A group alias is a user ID that causes any mail sent to it to go to all the mail addresses in a text file that contains a list of valid mail addresses, one per line.

If more than four addresses are added to a standard alias, IMail will automatically change it to a group alias.

Note:  It is recommended that a group alias be used for less than 50 users. For over 50 users it is recommended that a list be set up instead.

Related Topics

Types of List Server Mailing Lists


About the "Mail to Beeper/Pager" Feature
About the Mail to Beeper/Pager Feature

In IMail Server, you use an alias to forward mail to a pager, or to notify you by beeper that mail has arrived.

To forward mail to a pager, you can create an alias named something like "PageFred" and define a pager ID and phone number for the alias. Users can then address mail to the alias "PageFred" and the IMail Server will route the message to the specified pager. After the alias is set up, anyone can send a message to a pager by entering the specified alias in the "To:" field of the message. The pager will receive up to the number of characters specified in the Maximum Size text box (200 characters is the default).

To send a notification to a beeper that mail has arrived, you can create an alias named something like "BeepFred" and define a pager ID and phone number for the alias. After the alias is set up, when anyone sends a mail message to "BeepFred," the predefined beeper code is sent to the beeper, alerting the recipient that they have received a new mail message.


Pager/Beeper Definition (dialog box)

This is where you enter the parameters to send a message to a beeper or pager when mail arrives for a particular address.

Pager Definition

Beeper Definition


Pager Definition

To set Pager Definition (assuming Use Wizards is turned off on the Tools menu) perform the following steps:

1.	If you are not already in the Pager Definition dialog box, expand the mail host folder and select the Aliases folder in the left panel; then click the Add Alias button.  Observe that the New Alias dialog box appears.

2.	Enter an alias name in the Enter New Alias Name dialog box.

3.	If it is not already selected, select the Beeper/Pager option. Click OK and observe that the Pager Definition dialog box appears.

4.	Enter the following:

•	Alias Name. Enter an alias name, if you want to forward a user’s mail to this pager. You will enter this alias name in the Forward box on the user's General tab.

•	Phone number. Enter the phone number to dial.

•	Password. Enter a password if required.

•	Pager ID. Enter a pager ID (pager identification number).

The pager will receive up to the number of characters specified in the Maximum Size box (200 characters is the maximum).

5.	Select the Parity. The TAP protocol requires the 7E1 setting, but select 8N1 if that’s what your pager uses.

6.	Select the Protocol

7.	Select the COM Port (the port to which your modem is attached).

8.	Select the Baud Rate (the speed measured in bits per second) at which the serial port will communicate with the modem).

9.	In addition to activating the pager, you probably want to deliver a copy of the message to some user account. To do so, select Deliver copy of message to, and enter the address to which you want the copy delivered. You can follow the address with a hyphen and mailbox name to send the message to a specific mailbox.

10.	Click OK.

Related Topics

About the "Mail to Beeper/Pager" Feature

About Pager Problems


Beeper Definition

To set Beeper Definition (assuming Use Wizards is turned off on the Tools menu) perform the following steps:

1.	If you are not already in the Beeper Definition dialog box, expand the mail host folder and select the Aliases folder in the left panel; then click the Add Alias button.  Observe that the New Alias dialog box appears.

2.	Enter an alias name in the Enter New Alias Name text box.

3.	If it is not already selected, select the Beeper/Pager option and click OK, observe that the Pager Definition dialog box appears.

4.	Select the Beeper option located to the right in the dialog box.

5.	Enter a beeper Alias Name. If you want to activate this beeper when a user receives mail, you will enter this beeper alias name in the Forward box on the user's General tab.

6.	Enter the Phone number to dial and the Numeric code, if required.

7.	Select the COM Port (the port to which your modem is attached).  Select the Baud Rate (the speed measured in bits per second) at which the serial port will communicate with the modem).

8.	In addition to activating the beeper, you probably want to deliver a copy of the message to some user account. To do so, turn on Deliver copy of message to, and enter the address to which you want the copy delivered. You can follow the address with a hyphen and mailbox name to send the message to a specific mailbox.

9.	Click OK.

Related Topics

About the "Mail to Beeper/Pager" Feature


Adding an Alias

You can create the following aliases: a standard alias, a group alias, a program alias, or an alias that sends a message to a pager or beeper.)

If you intend to add a group alias, it is advisable to prepare a text file before you define the group alias. Enter all the mail addresses you want to include in the group into a text file; enter one address per line followed by a carriage return. Place the file in the host directory.

If you intend to create a program alias, copy the application to the IMail Server system. You can also use a .bat file to store the commands you want to use. (In this case, the program alias will point to the .bat file, making it easy to edit the .bat file at any time without having to change the program alias.)

Another way to copy the application is to follow steps 1 through 4 below and then select the newly created program alias in the left pane. In the Resolves To text box, enter the application that the alias will resolve to. You can also browse for the application by clicking Browse.

To add an alias (assuming Use Wizards is turned off on the Tools menu):

1	In the left panel, select the host to which you want to add an alias.

2	Click the Add Alias button. Observe that the New Alias dialog box appears.

3	Enter a name for the alias in the Enter New Alias Name dialog box.

Note: Alias names are limited to 45 characters and must be created from the character set of A-Z,
a-z, 0-9, and _ (underscore). The name cannot contain spaces or a hyphen and must be unique for this mail host.

4	Select the type of alias and click OK. The alias is added to the list of aliases in the left panel and the alias properties appear on the right. See Modifying an Alias (General tab).


Alias tab

This is where you add aliases.

If you intend to add a group alias, you should prepare a text file before you define the group alias. Enter all the mail addresses you want to include in the group into a text file; enter one address per line followed by a carriage return. Place the file in the mail host directory.

If you intend to create a program alias, copy the application to the IMail Server system. You can also use a .bat file to store the commands you want to use. (In this case, the program alias will point to the .bat file, making it easy to edit the .bat file at any time without having to change the program alias.)

If you intend to add a beeper or pager alias, see About the "Mail to Beeper/Pager" Feature.

To add an alias, click the Add Alias button and enter the appropriate information.


New Alias dialog box
New Alias (dialog box)

Enter a Name for the alias and follow the prompts.

Alias names are limited to 45 characters and must be created from the character set of A-Z, a-z, 0-9, _ (underline), and - (hyphen). The name cannot contain spaces and must be unique within the system.

Note: An alias name can be the same as a user ID on the system and will override that user ID (allowing mail to be forwarded in a manner that the user cannot override).


Modifying an Alias (General Tab)
Modifying an Alias: Alias General Tab

Note: You cannot change the alias type; for example, you cannot change a standard alias to a group alias. If you want to use an existing alias name for another type of alias, you must delete the existing alias and then create a new alias of the desired type. The exception to this rule is that a standard alias will automatically be converted to a Group alias if more than five users are added to it.

Getting to the General Tab for an Alias

The appearance of this tab depends on the type of alias that is selected.

1	If a standard alias is selected, the General tab has a Resolves to box showing the addresses that the alias resolves to. You can edit these: enter one complete mail address per line. Note that if you enter more than four addresses, the alias will be converted to a group alias.

2	If a group alias is selected, the General tab shows the file name and/or members of the group.

3	If a program alias is selected, the General tab shows the path, filename, and parameters to be executed when the program alias receives mail.

To modify an alias:

1	Make any changes to the properties associated with the alias.

2	Click Apply.


Forwarding Mail

You can have IMail Server automatically forward a user's mail to another account or system. You can also have IMail Server activate a beeper or pager when a user receives mail.

To set up mail forwarding for a user:

1	In the left panel, expand the host name and the Users folder.

2	Select a user name and click the General tab.

3	Enter a complete mail address (or alias) in the Forward box.

To forward mail and keep a copy in this user’s account, precede the forwarding address with a period and a comma, for example .,cecil@flores.com.

Separate multiple addresses with a comma.

4	You can also enter a beeper or pager alias here to activate a beeper or pager when the user receives mail.

5	Click Apply.

To turn mail forwarding off, make sure the text box is empty and click Apply.

Note:  If a user has Forwarding set, any message that is saved to the Draft folder in Web Messaging will automatically be sent to the Forward address at the same time it is saved. If you do not want this to occur, make sure that the Forward field does not contain text before you save a message to the draft folder.

Related Topics

Customizing a New User's Mail Account (General tab)

Setting Mailbox Directory Limits (Directory tab)

Setting Up a Finger Plan (Plan tab)

Adding a Delivery Rule for a Mail Host

Setting up a Vacation Message (Vacation tab)

Setting Up an Automated Response (Info Manager tab)

LDAP Directory Information

Adding a New User Mail Account


Setting Mailbox Directory Limits (Directory tab)
Setting Mailbox Directory Limits for a User: User's Directory tab

Getting to a User's Directory tab

You can manage a user ‘s mailboxes in a number of ways:

1.	The Directory tab displays the following:

User Directory. The path and name of the directory in which user information is stored. You cannot edit this.

Total Size (in bytes). The current total size of the all mailboxes in the user's account.

Total Msgs. The current total number of messages in all the user’s mailboxes.

Files. The total number of files in all the user’s mailboxes.

The list, displays all mailboxes in the user's directory, including the mailbox (.mbx) file name, the size (in bytes), the number of messages each contains, and the last modified and first modified dates.

2.	Enter the Max Mailbox Size (in bytes), of all mailboxes in the user’s account. If a new message will cause the total size of all mailboxes in the user's account to exceed this value, the mail is returned to the sender. If the user's Max Mailbox Size is zero, the defaults for the mail host (Host's General tab) are applied to the user. If the host's default is also zero, the Max Mailbox Size for the user is unlimited.  A user's limits can exceed the default limits, but 0 will no longer be unlimited if the domain has default limits set. For more information, see Mail Host Properties.

3.	Enter the Max Mailbox Msgs, the maximum number of messages allowed in each of the user’s mailboxes (Example). If a new message will cause the total number of messages in a mailbox to exceed this value, the mail is returned to the sender. If the user's Max Mailbox Msgs is zero, the defaults for the mail host (Host's General tab) are applied to the user. If the host's default is also zero, the Max Mailbox Msgs for the user is unlimited. A user's limits can exceed the default limits, but 0 will no longer be unlimited if the domain has default limits set.  For more information, see Mail Host Properties.

To delete a mailbox, right-click the mailbox and select Delete from the popup menu.

To delete messages by date, right-click a mailbox and select Delete Messages by Date. Enter the number of days old or a specific date. Messages are deleted automatically when they reach the specified number of days old or the specified date. Note that there are two IMail Server utilities that can delete old messages. For more information, see Appendix C, Command Line Applications in the User’s Guide.

To rename a mailbox, right-click the mailbox and select Rename from the popup menu.

To refresh the mailbox list information, select a mailbox in the list, right-click to display the pop-up menu, and select Refresh.


Maximum Mailbox Size & Maximum Number of Messages

Maximum mailbox size (total bytes). If a new message would cause the total size of all the mailboxes in a user’s account to exceed this size, the mail is returned to the sender. Enter zero to use the host defaults; if the host default is also set to zero, the mailbox size is unlimited. This value is stored as the new user's Max Mailbox Size value when the account is created. To use the host's default value, leave this option set to zero. Changing this value will not affect existing users.

Maximum number of messages. If a new message would cause the total number of messages (in all of a user’s mailboxes) in a user’s account to exceed this size, the mail is returned to the sender. This value is stored as the new user's Max Messages value when the account is created. To use the host's default value, leave this option set to zero. Changing this setting will not affect existing users.

These limits may be maintained for users as follows:

•	On the General tab when the mail host is selected, you can set Default Max Mailbox Size and Default Max Messages. A value of zero means that the size is unlimited. These settings apply to all existing users on the host with zero for their Max Mailbox Size or Max Mailbox Msgs setting.

•	On the user's Directory tab, you can set Max Mailbox Size and Max. Mailbox Msgs. A value of zero means that the size is unlimited. These settings, when non-zero, will override the host's default settings.


Setting Up a Finger Plan (Plan tab)
Setting Up a Finger Plan: Plan tab

To create or modify a Finger Plan:

If you are not already on the Plan tab, expand a host name and Users folder in the left panel and select a User. Then click on the Plan tab.

1.	Enter any information you desire to make publicly available to Finger clients.

2.	Click Apply.


Setting up a Vacation Message (Vacation tab)
Setting up a Vacation Message: Vacation Tab

Getting to the Vacation tab

You can create a VACATION.IMA file in the user's home directory on the IMail Server host system that will be mailed once to each user that sends mail to the user.

To create a vacation message:

1.	Select Enable Vacation. When the user returns from vacation, you can disable the vacation message by making sure Enable Vacation is not checked.

2.	Enter the message that you want to send as a reply to mail while the user is away. When the vacation message is sent, IMail Server saves the e-mail address of the recipients in a file (vacation.snt). The presence of the address in this file is what stops the sender from receiving a second message.

3.	Optionally, select Delete old recipients. IMail Server deletes the list of old recipients (the vacation.snt file).

4.	Click Apply.


About the Info Manager (Automated Response)

The Info Manager provides a means of automatically handling routine e-mail inquiries for commonplace information about your company. For example, you might want to respond to general inquiries with an acknowledgment that the inquiry was received plus a promise to follow up.

Using the Info Manager for a Single Automated Response

To use the Info Manager, you might set up a special user account whose user ID is Info. This mail account doesn’t belong to a particular user, but accepts mail addressed to Info@yourcompany.com. When someone sends mail to the Info account, she receives a prepared response such as:

This is an automated response from General Sales. Your tracking number for this inquiry is GSS1999110200000094. You will receive a personal response by e-mail from one of our staff shortly.

Sub-dividing the Info Manager Account

You can sub-divide an Info Manager account into more specific sub-areas that can automatically send more detailed information in response to inquiries. For example, you can have an automated response that lists products, prices, and ordering information; another automated response that describes the classes you offer the general public; and a third automated response that sends out company news.

To divide the Info Manager account into more specialized responses, you create sub-areas of the Info account (such as Sales, Classes, or News) from which the sender can obtain more specific information. Then, when someone sends mail to the Info@ipswitch.com, IMail Server returns a prepared response that describes the Info account sub-areas such as:

Thank you for contacting Ipswitch. For information about our products, please send e-mail to Info-sales@ipswitch.com. For information about our classes, send mail to Info-classes@ipswitch.com. For the latest Ipswitch news, send e-mail to Info-news@ipswitch.com.

The sender could then send a message to Info-sales@ipswitch.com and receive back a special message related to sales. Or the sender can send a message to Info-classes@ipswitch.com and receive back a message about classes.

There is no limit to the number of sub-areas you can use with the Info Manager. Sub-areas take up no disk space, since messages addressed to them merely activate an automated response. In other words, mail addressed to sub-areas is not stored anywhere, unless you specify that it is saved.

Related Topics

Creating an Info Manager Account


Creating an Info Manager Account

Before you define the automated response on the Info Manager tab, you first must create an Info Manager account:

1.	Expand a host name and select the "Users" folder.

2.	Click the Add User button and observe that the New User dialog box appears.

3.	On the New User dialog box, enter a name for the special account.

4.	Click OK.

5.	In the "Users" folder, select the new Info Manager account.

6.	On the General tab, enter a password for the Info Manager account and click the Apply button. Use something that’s easy to remember such as password.


Setting Up an Automated Response (Info Manager tab)
Setting Up an Automated Response: Info Manager Tab

Before you define the automated response on the Info Manager tab, you first must create an Info Manager account. Then, to create the automated response:

If you need only one automated response for all inquiries:

1.	Enter main (the Main mailbox) as the Sub-area.

2.	Turn on Enable info manager for this sub-area.

3.	In the Message box, enter the response to send to mail addressed to this account.

4.	The first 80 characters entered in the Message box are used as the subject of the message, and are displayed in the subject field.

Note: The text entered in the Message box is only truncated for the Subject field of the message. The entire text will appear in the body of the message.

5.	Click Apply to save the message and enable the Info Manager.

Other Options

After responding, forward mail to. To forward the message after the automatic response is sent, enter a forwarding address in the After responding, forward mail to text box. To delete the message, enter NUL in this box. Virtual hosts without IP addresses must enter the full address, such as user-NUL@hostname.com, to delete the message.

View Recipients. When a person sends mail to an Info Manager account, the sender’s mail address is listed in a file with the extension .snt in the account’s directory. To view this file, click the View Recipients button.

Note: The automatic response message is saved in a file with an .inf extension in the folder of the special account. If you want to set up the same Info Manager information for multiple accounts, copy the .inf file from one account’s directory to the directories of other accounts.

Related Topics

More about the Info Manager


More About the Info Manager

•	Info Manager messages are not returned if the original message contains the Precedence: bulk header or contains imailsrv in the mail address.

•	We recommend that you do not send mail from an account for which the Info Manager is enabled because the recipient of the message will receive an automated response if they reply.

•	You can use the Info Manager and the Rules features together. You can use the rules processing feature to search incoming messages for a particular text string, and then route the mail to a mail account for which you have set up an automated response.

•	IMail checks the Info Manager after delivery rules and before vacation processing.


LDAP Directory Information
LDAP Directory Information: User Attributes Tab

Getting to the Attributes tab for a User

To enter LDAP information for a user:

1.	Select an attribute from the list, modify the entry for the selected attribute, and then click Apply to save the change.

The Name box below the list shows the currently selected attribute. The Value box shows the entry for the currently selected attribute.

Or, define a new attribute by clicking Add and entering the Name and Value in the text box that appears.

2.	Select or enter another attribute to change.

Deleting an Attribute

To delete an attribute, select it, and then click Delete.


Backup and Restore Registry

Whenever you exit from IMail Administrator, it attempts to backup the IMail Server section of the Windows NT registry to the file imailreg. After you complete the initial IMail Server installation, the IMail registry data is written to the file reginit.

To perform a backup manually:

1.	Select the "localhost" folder.

2.	Click the General tab.

3.	Click the Backup button.

A dialog box prompts you to specify a filename to which it will back up the IMail Server section of the registry.

To restore the registry from a backup file:

1.	Select the "localhost" folder and the General tab appears.

2.	Click the Backup button and the Registry Backup/Restore dialog box appears.

3.	In the box labeled "Possible backup files…", select the backup file you want to use.

4.	Click the Restore button.

If you restore a backup file, you will lose any changes made between the time of the backup and the time of the restore.


List administrator

Allows this user to add, modify, or delete list server mailing lists belonging to this mail host.


IMail Database

If you select IMail Database, user IDs and passwords for mail accounts are stored in a database in the registry on the IMail Server system, separate from either the Windows NT database or any external database.

You can also import Windows NT users into an IMail database, without having them linked to the Windows NT database.


NT Database

If you base a host on NT Database, IMail Server will create a user mail account for each user listed in the Windows NT Database. The mail accounts for these users are created as necessary when the mail server, or when a user accesses the IMail Server through a mail client receives messages. You will not be able to add or delete users using IMail; you will need to use the Windows NT User Manager.


External Database

If you select this option, IMail uses an external database to register and authenticate users. Users that you add and delete using IMail will be added to and deleted from that external database.

Related Topics

Using an external database


Overview of Peering

IMail Server lets you set up "peer" servers to allow users for a specific domain to be spread across multiple physical systems. This can be used when the mail traffic on your IMail server becomes heavy enough to slow down mail processing. How much traffic your mail server can handle will depend on your system’s hardware configuration. See also How Peering Works.


How Peering Works

Suppose you have two systems with IMail installed on each system and you set up the two systems as peer servers. Each system has a portion of the user database for a single mail host.

When mail comes in for a user in the domain (for example user@ipswitch.net), the sending server does a DNS lookup and gets the host name and address of one of the two peer servers. The mail is sent to one of the peer servers.

If the user is found on the peer server, the mail is delivered. If not, the peer server does an "SMTP Verify" to see if the user exists on the other server. If it finds the user, it forwards the mail. If either peer server is down, the other peer server will receive and hold mail for it until the first server comes back up.

Note: Do not select the Disable SMTP "VRFY" command on the SMTP Security tab (this tab is found within the SMTPD32 entry within the Services folder) when using peer servers; a peer server needs to use this command to verify a user that is on the other peer.


Setting up Peering

To add one or more peer servers for an IMail Server domain:

1.	Install a licensed copy of IMail Server Version 4.0.3 or later on each machine that will function as a peer mail server.

2.	In your Domain Name System (DNS) zone file, add MX records for the peer servers. Example.

3.	In the hosts file on each of the mail servers, make entries for all the other mail servers.

4.	On each mail server, use IMail Administrator to set up the Peer List.


Creating the Peer List

Before you create the peer list, you need to set up the peer servers. Once you have done that, you set up the peer list as follows:

1.	In the left panel, select "localhost" and click the General tab.

2.	Click the Add Host button and the Virtual Host Configuration dialog box appears.

3.	In the Local Addresses list, select the real IP address (not a virtual one) of the host you want to peer.

4.	Click Peer List in the lower right corner of the dialog box. The Peer List dialog box appears.

5.	Enter the IP addresses of the peer servers.

6.	Enter an IP address and click Add to add it to the peer list.

7.	The server does not have to be restarted after editing the peer list.

8.	Make sure that the peer list exists on each host that receives mail for a domain. Note that you do not add the local machine’s IP address in the peer list. You need to enter only the other peers. Example.

On each mail server, in the Aliases box (in the "Virtual Host Configuration" dialog box), make sure the primary domain (for example, ipswitch.net) is entered. This alias names the primary domain used to send and receive mail. Note that this alias cannot be a primary domain associated with a particular host. Do not enter IP addresses in the Aliases box.

On each mail server, make sure the Default Mail Host box on the SMTP tab within the SMTPD32 entry (this entry is located in the "Services" folder under the localhost folder) is empty when using peer lists.


Example of Peering

Suppose you have one domain (called ipswitch.net) and three servers. All three servers accept incoming mail on the same priority and all have a portion of the user database. You would make the following entries in your DNS:

DNS entries:

ipswitch.net

IN   MX 10 mail1.ipswitch.net

IN   MX 10 mail2.ipswitch.net

IN   MX 10 mail3.ipswitch.net

Mail1	IN  A  1.1.1.1

Mail2	IN  A  2.2.2.2

Mail3	IN  A  3.3.3.3

You create the following peer lists in the IMail Server software on the three servers:

Peer list on mail1:

2.2.2.2

3.3.3.3

Peer list on mail2:

1.1.1.1

3.3.3.3

Peer list on mail3:

1.1.1.1

2.2.2.2

In the hosts file on each of the three servers, make the three entries:

1.1.1.1  mail1.ipswitch.net

2.2.2.2  mail2.ipswitch.net

3.3.3.3  mail3.ipswitch.net

On each of the three machines, make sure the domain (ipswitch.net) is the only entry in the Aliases box in (in the "Virtual Host Configuration" dialog box).

On each of the three machines, make sure the Default Mail Host box on the SMTP tab found within SMTPD32 entry (this entry is located in the Services folder under the localhost folder), is empty when using peer lists.


About the Spool Directory and the Queue
About the Spool Directory (Queue)

The Spool directory is also known as "the queue" since it is the place where messages wait to be delivered. Messages in the queue include incoming messages, outgoing messages, and attachments, as well as error messages generated by IMail server or other mail servers. The Spool directory is also where the IMail Server log files are stored.

Files in the Spool directory are all plain text and can be viewed using Windows Notepad. Note, however, that if you edit a D (data file) or Q file (message awaiting delivery), you could render the file incompatible with IMail Server.

To view the files in the queue, select the "localhost" folder in the left panel.  On the General tab in the right panel, click the View Queue button and observe that the "Manage Messages in the mail queue" dialog box appears.

Files in the Queue

Files in the queue are on their way in or out. The Number of tries box shows the number of times IMail has attempted to deliver a message.  When this number reaches the number of "tries before returning to sender" which is set on the SMTP tab, the message is returned to the sender as "undeliverable."

When you look at the files in the queue, you can determine what stage a message is in; this is indicated by the first character in the file name and by the file extension.

Attachments

Attached files also appear in the queue. For multiple attachments, the Windows Explorer naming convention is used, so you could have attach.txt, attach(1).txt, attach(2).txt, and so on.

Related Topics

About Log Files

Large Log Files

Beginning Character of Files in the Queue

File Extensions of Files in the Queue

Manage Messages in the Mail Queue (dialog box)

Troubleshooting the Spool Directory


Beginning Character of Files in the Queue

Files in the queue are mail messages on their way in or out. The Queue Timer on the SMTP tab determines how many times IMail will attempt to deliver a message before it generates an error. When you look at the files in the queue, you can determine what stage a message is in; this is indicated by the first character in the file name and by the file extension.

Beginning Character in File Name

When an e-mail message is in the queue, it is a "data file" whose name begins with D. Data files have matching T or Q files as they get processed.

Normally, messages are processed in a few seconds or a few minutes. However, if there’s a problem with delivering a message, the associated files may stay in the queue longer. IMail automatically attempts to reprocess messages in the queue each time the Queue Timer reaches zero.

IMail does not delete the data file when a message is not deliverable, not returnable, and there is no postmaster alias (or there is a problem with the postmaster or root alias accounts). Thus no message is ever truly lost even if it can't be delivered to anyone.

If you happen to reboot your system while a message is being received, IMail may leave behind the T and the D files. You can use the Spool Cleaner utility to clean up files older than a certain number of days.

Related Topics

About the Spool Directory and the Queue

About Log Files

Large Log Files

Beginning Character of Files in the Queue

File Extensions of Files in the Queue

Manage Messages in the Mail Queue (dialog box)

Troubleshooting the Spool Directory


File Extensions of Files in the Queue

The file extension also indicates the type of file.

•	.smd and .smp file extensions indicate regular mail messages being processed by SMTP.

•	.fwd and .fwp file extensions indicate forwarded messages.

•	.LST file extensions indicate messages to subscribers of a list server mailing list.

•	.tmp are Web Messaging, or Mail to Beeper/Pager, or Mail to Fax files.

•	.GSE and .GSP file extensions indicate error messages being returned to the senders. These are usually generated by the server (postmaster)

Files that contain a tilde (~) in the file extension, such as .~mp and .~md, are locked files that are in process. These files also have an underscore as the first character in the file name.

Related Topics

About the Spool Directory and the Queue

About Log Files

Large Log Files

Beginning Character of Files in the Queue

Manage Messages in the Mail Queue (dialog box)

Troubleshooting the Spool Directory


About Log Files

The generic format of a log file entry is:

Date  - Time - Thread or Process ID - Virtual IP Address - Message

Example: 06:26   09:16   SMTPD(0015052C)   [127.0.0.1]   connect   127.0.0.1   port   2358

Typical Log Files

Some typical log files are the following:

•	Files with names in the form of logMMDD.txt contain messages sent to IMail’s log server.

•	File names in the form sysMMDD.txt are messages from services that have their log file format set to sysMMDD.txt.

•	The W1yymmdd.log is the daily log file for the Web Administration server (when the Web Administration capability is enabled in the Monitor server).

•	W2yymmdd.log is the daily log file for the Web Messaging server.

Related Topics

About the Spool Directory and the Queue

Beginning Character of Files in the Queue

File Extensions of Files in the Queue

Manage Messages in the Mail Queue

Troubleshooting the Spool Directory

Large Log Files


Large Log Files

You have the following options for logging events related to IMail services:

•	No Log. Select this to turn off the logging of events.

•	sysMMDD.TXT.  This sends event information to a file of this name where MM is the month and DD is the day the log was written.  This file is stored in the Spool directory.

•	App Log. This sends event information to the Windows NT Application Log (viewed with the Windows NT Event Viewer.)

•	Log Server. This sends event information to the Log Server file indicated on the Log Files tab.

If you have all or many of your services logging to the Log Server file, and your computer sees a lot of traffic, the Log Server file can become very large.

You can disable logging for those services where you don’t need the log information. Normally, logging is only necessary if you are having problems with a service.

To disable logging:

1.	If you're not already there, double-click the localhost folder in the left panel. Double-click and expand the Services folder, and observe that a list of service entries is displayed preceded by a service icon.

Note: The logging events may be recorded for the following IMail Services: FINGRD32, ILDAP, IMAP4D32, POP3D32, PSERVE, SMTPD32, WHOISD32.

2.	Select the service for which you want to disable logging.

3.	Do one of the following:

•	To disable all logging for the service, set Log To to No Log.

•	If you want to disable just a part of the logging, turn off Debug Messages (FINGERD32, ILDAP, PSERVE, and WHOISD32).

4.	Stop and restart the service to make sure the setting takes effect.

Related Topics

About Log Files

Large Log Files

About the Spool Directory and the Queue

Beginning Character of Files in the Queue \

File Extensions of Files in the Queue

Manage Messages in the Mail Queue (dialog box)

Troubleshooting the Spool Directory


Manage Messages in the Mail Queue (dialog box)
Manage Messages in the Mail Queue Dialog Box

Getting to the "Manage Messages in Mail Queue Dialog" Box

This is where you access messages that are waiting for delivery in the outbound spool queue (outbox). Each of the messages waiting to be delivered will have a Q file listed in the Filename list box. Select one of these files to display information about that message.

The following information is not editable:

Queue Message Count. Displays the total number of messages in the queue.

Queue Size. Displays the total size in bytes of all messages in the queue.

Body filename.  Displays the name of the data file for the selected file (as explained in Beginning Character of Files in the Queue).

From. Displays the address of the sender of the selected file.

Number of tries.  Displays the number of times IMail has attempted to deliver the selected message.

Message size. Displays the size of the selected message.

You can edit the following fields:

The Filename list box shows all the messages in the queue. For more information, see Beginning Character of Files in the Queue and File Extensions of Files in the Queue.

The To box shows the address of the addressee of the selected file. You can edit this to send the message to another address.

To force delivery or delete messages:

To attempt to force delivery of a single message, select the message and click Send One.

To attempt to force delivery of all of the messages, click Send All.

To delete one or more messages from the queue, select the messages and click Remove.

To delete all the messages in the queue, click Remove All.

Related Topics

About the Spool Directory and the Queue

About Log Files

Large Log Files

Beginning Character of Files in the Queue

File Extensions of Files in the Queue

Troubleshooting the Spool Directory


Troubleshooting the Spool Directory

Normally, IMail Server cleans up its .tmp and attached files as part of the delivery process. However, as with SMTP, if there is some catastrophic failure during delivery, these files may not get deleted. You can also run the Spool Cleaner utility (isplcln.exe) to delete old files.

A damaged or corrupt file in the queue can prevent mail from being received correctly. If you suspect that this might be the cause of a problem you’re having, you can try moving all files from the Spool directory to some other temporary location (such as IMAIL\SPOOL\SAVE), and then see if you can receive mail. If you can receive mail, copy back pairs of files to the Spool directory and see if they get sent. Messages that aren’t sent may be damaged.

Related Topics

About the Spool Directory and the Queue

About Log Files

Large Log Files

Beginning Character of Files in the Queue

File Extensions of Files in the Queue

Manage Messages in the Mail Queue (dialog box)


Find dialog box
"Find" dialog box

To search for an item, select a folder in the left pane of IMail Administrator, then right click on the folder.  Then, select Find from the pop-up menu and observe that the Find dialog box appears.

In the Find What text box, enter one of the following:

•	Mail host name

•	List name

•	Alias name

•	User name

To find the next occurrence of the search text, click the Find Next button.


Activating a Beeper or Pager

To activate a beeper or pager when a user receives mail, you must first define a beeper or pager alias. Once you have defined the alias:

1.	In the left panel, expand the mail host folder and the "Users" folder, and then select a user.

2.	Click the General tab.

3.	In the Forward box, enter the alias of the beeper or pager.


Host alias

A host alias is another name for a mail host. Can be entered only in the Virtual Host Configuration dialog box.


Deleting an Alias

To delete an alias:

1.	In the left panel, expand the host name and the Aliases folder.

2.	Right-click the alias and select Delete.


Visual Display of User Settings

In the left panel of IMail, a head graphically represents user accounts. The hair color changes according to the administrative privileges that are enabled for that account. This allows an administrator to quickly review which accounts have which privileges.

White hair- The account has IMail System Administrator privileges enabled.

Gray hair- The account has Host Administrator privileges enabled.

Yellow hair- The account has List Administrator privileges enabled.

Black Hair- The account has no administrative privileges enabled.

Red hair- Access to the account has been disabled.

Note: If an account has all administrative privileges enabled, the hair color will appear white because IMail System Administrator privileges take precedence over the others. Likewise, an account with both Host and List administration privileges will have gray hair because Host privileges take precedence over List privileges.


Connecting to a Remote IMail Server

IMail Server’s remote administration feature, allows administrators to connect to another IMail server to perform maintenance. Using this feature, a remote user with system administrator permissions is able to connect to the IMail server and make modifications.

Requirements for Connection

In order to use the IMail Administrator remote connection feature, the following conditions must be met on the IMail server machine and the remote machine:

IMail Server Machine (main IMail server machine)

•	Must be running IMail Server version 7.0 or later.

•	Must have the Password server running and set to the correct port.

•	The user attempting to connect from the remote machine must be enabled as an IMail System Administrator for this machine.

Remote Machine (the machine that is attempting to connect)

•	The remote machine must have the following files installed: iadmin.exe, mailbox.dll and imailsec.dll.

•	The user attempting to connect must be enabled as an IMail System Administrator on the main IMail server machine.

Password Server Setup

In order to connect to a remote server, the Password server must be running on the IMail server machine. The Password server will bind to port 8399 (along with 106) to listen for remote connections.

To Connect to a Remote Server:

1.	First ensure that the Password server is running on the IMail server machine.

2.	From IMail Administrator’s File menu, select Connect. The remote connection dialog appears.

3.	Enter the IP Address of the host that you wish to connect to. This must be the IP Address of the remote host, not the computer name.

IMail Server stores the IP Addresses, so that on subsequent connections, you can select an address from the drop down list box.

4.	Enter your IMail Username and password, and click OK.

To Connect Back to the Local Machine:

1.	From IMail Administrator’s File menu, select Connect.

2.	Enter the IP Address of your local machine. You must enter the IP Address, not 127.0.0.1 or "localhost".

3.	Enter your IMail Username and password, and click OK. The IMail Administrator interface for the remote server will close and be replaced by the interface for your local machine.

Note to IMail 25 users: If you are using the IMail 25 version, and attempt to connect remotely, be aware of the number of users and lists. If the IMail 25 server is already at the limit of 25 users/lists, you will not be allowed to add new users or lists. Even though the interface may allow you to begin the process, the settings will not be saved once the screen is refreshed.


Suspend User Account

The suspend user account option is an added security feature for IMail Server. This option automatically becomes enabled when a user’s web access becomes suspended. Web access is suspended for a user when they fail to login in with the correct User ID or password. The number of login attempts allowed is set by the Administrator in the" User Login Suspend" section of the Web Options tab.

If you wish to re-enable web access for the user, deselect the Suspend User Account checkbox.

Note: You cannot suspend a user account by enabling the Suspend User Account option. If you wish to suspend a user account, then select Account Access Disabled


Overview of IMail Anti-Virus

IMail Server Anti-Virus is an additional add-on product that must be purchased separately from IMail Server. IMail Server   Anti-Virus is equipped with state of the art anti-virus technology to provide increased security for your mail system. Symantec's CarrierScan is one of the most comprehensive virus scanners available, and with its integration into IMail Server, you can be sure that your mail server will not be compromised.

IMail Anti-Virus is a utility that searches all incoming and outgoing mail for viruses, worms, trojan horses, and other destructive code. It does this by comparing all mail messages with a list of file extensions, and known virus definitions.

It also uses heuristic technology to discover new viruses by searching for general characteristics, or behaviors, of existing viruses.  If it detects a virus, the anti-virus can attempt to repair the infected file, delete the message, or bounce the message back to the sender. A log file entry is generated and an e-mail is sent, to alert the administrator of the problem. In addition, the System Administrator can set a "Redirect Address" to which infected e-mail messages are sent.


Configuring the Anti-Virus Server
Configuring the Anti-Virus Server: Anti Virus tab

Getting to the Anti Virus tab

You use the Anti Virus tab to enable IMail Anti-Virus and to specify what should be done with infected files.

To configure the anti-virus server, complete the following steps:

1	Select Enable Virus Scanning.  This tells the anti-virus server to begin scanning mail messages for viruses. If it is not selected, infected files will be delivered as normal.

Note: Virus scanning can be enabled and disabled per domain. This option is located on the General tab of each mail host.

2	Enable the optional settings as described below:

Repair Infected Files. Select this option if you want IMail Anti-Virus to attempt to repair a mail message that is infected. It does this by removing the infected portion and creating a new file containing the repaired message. The initial infected file will be deleted.

Pass File by Name. If the IMail Anti-Virus is installed on the same computer as IMail, we encourage you to select this option to increase performance. Note: If you installed IMail Anti-Virus on a remote server, DO NOT select this option.

Alert Administrator. Select this option to send an e-mail alert to the administrator in the event of an infected file. One e-mail message will be sent for each infected file, and will contain information such as the sender, the intended recipient, the message ID, subject, what virus was detected, and the action taken. If you enable this option, be sure to enter an address in the Alert Address field.

3	Sometimes, the IMail Anti-Virus Server will be unable to clean an infected file. In such a case, the Infected File Action that you choose below will take effect. The option selected will also take effect the "Repair Infected Files" option is not selected. Select one of the following Infected File Actions:

Redirect. The infected message will be redirected to the recipient entered into the Redirect Address field.

Bounce. Select this option to bounce the infected mail message back to the sender, without being delivered. This is the default setting.

Delete. The infected message is not delivered and is deleted from the spool directory.

4	Make entries in the following fields. The Server IP and Server Port fields should be filled in by default if you entered the information correctly during installation.

Server IP. The IP address of the computer on which IMail Anti-Virus is installed.

Server Port. The port that you want IMail Anti-Virus to run on. The default port is 7777.

Note: If you change the IP Address or the port number after installation, you must also change these settings in the configuration file (csymscan.cfg). For more information see the IMail Anti-Virus Setup Guide.

Redirect Address.  If you set the Infected File Action to Redirect, enter an address in this field to which you want infected message sent.

Alert Address. Enter an address here if you have enabled the Alert Administrator option. This address will receive an e-mail containing details if the anti-virus detects an infected file.

Tip: You may want to set up a mailbox specifically for use with the Redirect option

5	Click Apply to save your changes and activate the anti-virus.

Note: IMail Anti-Virus can also be configured from the Administrative Options in IMail Web Messaging. For more information, see the IMail Web Messaging Help.


Understanding the Mail Queue

An anti-virus entry type has been added to the queue file for SMTP32. This new entry line will help users identify the status of the virus scan for a particular message. The line will have a V in the first column, followed by a 1 or a 0. The following chart displays the possible queue entries regarding the anti-virus.

List Server Interaction

Since IMail Anti-Virus scans all incoming and outgoing mail messages, special provisions had to be made concerning the list server. Normally, IMail Anti-Virus would scan a list server message twice, once when the message comes in, and another time when the list server sends the message to the list. This is would be unnecessary and would slow down the processing time.

Therefore, all messages destined for the list are automatically marked as scanned before they are handed over to the list server process. Meaning that, if you look in the queue at a list server message, it will always be labeled V1 (see chart above), no matter what stage the message is in. This tells IMail Server to skip the second scan since the file cannot be infected.


Updating Virus Definitions

The IMail Administrator's split window works like the Windows Explorer: the left panel provides an outline view to your IMail server, mail hosts, users, aliases, and list server mailing lists. When you select an item in the left panel, its properties are displayed in the right panel.

Click the localhost folder to display the IMail Server configuration.

You can expand either the left or right panel by clicking and dragging the border between them.


Enabling Logging

IMail Anti-Virus Server logs error messages and files to the Windows NT Event Log. However, logging is not enabled by default, therefore, if you want IMail Anti-Virus Server to log error messages, you must enable logging manually. To do this, you edit the symcscan.cfg file located in the C:SYMCScan directory. This file contains the configuration options for IMail Anti-Virus Server.

To Enable Logging (Defaults to the Windows NT Event Log)

1.	Open the symcscan.cfg file and scroll down to the Logging section.

2.	Select the types of messages that you want to log and change their value from 0 to 1.

3.	From the File menu, Select Save.

Related Topics

Specifying What to Log

Viewing Log Files


Specifying What to Log

IMail Anti-Virus logging consists of three types of logs: Information, Warnings, and Errors. You can go into the configuration file to enable or disable certain types of logging. The logging options available in the configuration file are listed and explained in the table below.

To activate a logging option in the configuration file, type 1. To deactivate a logging option, type 0.

The first three options are all inclusive. For example, if you enable LOGAllErrorsEnable, all errors will be logged. You do not need to enable the other error options.

To individually set logging options, enable or disable the following entries:


Error Codes in the SMTP Log

The table below contains possible error codes that will be used to identify failures in the IMail Anti-Virus scanning process. These error codes will appear in log lines contained in the SMTP32 Log.

Example Log Lines with Error Codes

08:23 10:39 SMTP-(00000164) Failed to initialize Virus Scanner, code=1

08:23 16:28 SMTP-(0000012E) Error From Virus Scanner, code=1


Customizing IMail Anti-Virus Settings

There are many settings for IMail Anti-Virus Server that can be configured through the symcscan.cfg file located in C:SYMCScan. Some of settings that you can change include:

•	the Bind address for IMail Anti-Virus Server

•	the port number that IMail Anti-Virus Server runs on

•	inserting a customized message In files that have been repaired

•	what type of information to log

•	location of IMail Anti-Virus Server log files

•	the list of file extensions to scan

•	For more information on configuring the above options and many more, see the IMail Anti-Virus Setup Guide.


File Extensions

IMail Anti-Virus Server is automatically configured to scan for the file extensions listed in the following table:

This list of file extensions is located in the configuration file symcscan.cfg under the ExtensionList= entry. You can add or delete file extensions from this entry. If you want IMail Anti-Virus Server to scan all files regardless of the extension, then type a # at the beginning of the ExtensionList= line. For more information on customizing the extension list see the IMail Anti-Virus Setup Guide.


Viewing Log Files

IMail Anti-Virus Server logs to the Windows NT Event Log.

To view the Windows NT Event Log:

1.	Open the Event Viewer

2.	Under Log, click Application.

3.	Click any CarrierScan Server event listed in the Application Log to view that log entry.


Inserting a Customized Message into a Repaired File

When an e-mail message is repaired because it was infected with a virus, the clean file is then sent on to the recipient. By default, IMail Anti-Virus inserts one of several message lines within the original message to inform the recipient if the actions taken.  The default text that is inserted indicates that an attachment contained a virus and was either repaired or deleted because it could not be repaired.

If you would rather customize this message, you can do so.  To customize any or all of these inserted messages you will need to change the entries in the configuration file (symcscan.cfg), located in the C:SYMCScan directory. Simply open this file and change any of the messages in the 2000 level, and Save the file before closing.

Using a customized file for Anti-Virus Messages

If you prefer to come up with your own message file, you can do so, but you still need to edit the configuration file to tell IMail Anti-Virus where to look for the new message file. Do this by opening the symcscan.cfg file and scrolling down to the StringFile entry. This entry specifies the file containing the anti-virus messages. Enter the new file and file path here and Save the configuration file.


Getting to the Anti-Virus Tab

Select the "localhost" folder in the left panel, and click on the Anti Virus tab in the right panel.


Anti Virus

A utility that scans a network, disk, or in IMail Server's case mail messages, and looks for viruses and worms. It does this by comparing file extensions against a stored virus list. This stored list should be updated periodically to assure that it catches the most recent known viruses.


Viruses

A virus is an executable program or code that infiltrates your computer or network and begins running. Viruses can replicate themselves and use up valuable memory space. Other more harmful viruses can destroy programs and may possible shut down your system. Viruses have the ability to spread across an entire network of many computers.


Worms

Worms are different from viruses because even though they can replicate, they cannot attach themselves to other programs. Worms are most commonly transmitted through e-mail. When computer receives an e-mail message with a worm in it, the worm automatically sends itself to everyone in that computer's address book.


Trojan Horses

Trojan horses are executable programs that are disguised as other programs. These executables then give the originator information about the infected computer's operating system, and sometimes gives them the ability to access it remotely.


Outbound Delivery Rules
Outbound Delivery Rules: Outbound Rules Tab

Getting to the Outbound Rules tab

Outbound delivery rules filter messages that are being sent out through IMail Server to non-local addresses and can only be created at the domain level.  The Outbound Rules tab displays information about each outbound rule that has been set up for the mail host. Outbound delivery rules for the mail host are stored in the orules.ima file, which is located in the Host directory.

Creating an Outbound Delivery Rule for a Mail Host

1.	From the Outbound Rules tab, click Add. Using the Rules Dialog box, configure the rule as desired. If you need help, click the Help button located on the Rules dialog box, or see Rules Dialog . When you are done creating the rule, click OK.

Notice that a placeholder called New Rule is placed in the Active Rules list just under the selected slot (if any). You cannot name delivery rules. Rules are identified in the Active Rules list only by their sequence in the list. To identify a delivery rule, highlight one of the slot identifiers (e.g., rule1, rule2) and read its contents in the bottom text box.

2.	In the Active rules list on the Outbound Rules tab, select the rule you just created. The rule syntax will appear in the second text box.

3.	In the lower section of the Outbound Rules tab, select the action you want to occur when a message is caught by the rule. You can choose only one of the following actions:

•	Send. Processes the message as normal by sending it to the addressee.

•	Send with Copy to.  Processes the message as normal by sending it to the addressee, and also sends a copy to the address that you entered in the Addresses text box.

•	Delete. Deletes the message.

•	Redirect to. Does not send the message to the addressee. Instead, the message is sent to the address that is entered in the Addresses box.

•	Bounce. Bounces the message back to the sender, without delivering it.

Note: If you choose either Send with Copy to or Redirect to, you must also enter an address in the Address text box.

4.	When you are done, click Apply to save your changes.

Once the screen is refreshed, the delivery rule, previously identified as New Rule, will appear in the format Rule# to identify its sequence in the Active Rules list. Any existing delivery rules are renamed to reflect the new sequence

Editing an Outbound Delivery Rule

1. 	To edit an existing delivery rule, select the rule from the Active Rules text box, and click Edit.

2. 	Edit the rule as desired and click OK. On the Outbound Rules tab, click Apply to save your changes.

Changing the Processing Order of Outbound Rules

Rules are processed in the order that they are displayed in the Active Rules text box. To change the processing order of the rules in the list, select a rule from the Active Rules text box and click Move Up or Move Down.

Deleting an Outbound Delivery Rule

To delete a rule, select the rule from the Active Rules text box. Then click Delete. You must then click Apply to save your changes.

Related Topics

Testing a delivery rule

Storing Search Text in an External Text File

Delivery Rule Syntax

Rules Dialog

Adding Multiple Conditions to Rules


IMAP Advanced Tab
Advanced IMAP Options: Advanced Tab

Getting to the IMAP Advanced tab

When logging on to IMAP4, the service returns a welcome message that identifies the mail server version and vendor. You can use the IMAP Advanced tab to change the service welcome message, if for example, you wanted to hide the mail server version and vendor information.

Hello Message. Enter the text you want to be displayed in the IMAP service welcome message.  The text is limited to 400 characters or less. If over 400 characters are entered, the default message is used. To intentionally revert back to the default message, clear this field.

Warning: The default, advanced settings should be appropriate for most installations. If you need to change these settings, be aware that they can change the operation of the server.


POP3 Advanced Tab
POP3 Advanced Options: Advanced Tab

Getting to the POP3 Advanced tab

When logging on to POP3, the service returns a welcome message that identifies the mail server version and vendor. You can use the POP3 Advanced tab to change the service welcome message, if for example, you wanted to hide the mail server version and vendor information.

Hello Message.  Enter the text you want to be displayed in the POP3 service welcome message. The text is limited to 400 characters. If over 400 characters are entered, the default message is used. When APOP is enabled, if the message plus the timestamp exceed 400 characters, the message will be truncated. To revert back to the default message, clear this field.

Warning: The default, advanced settings should be appropriate for most installations. If you need to change these settings, be aware that they can change the operation of the server.


SMTP Advanced Tab
SMTP Advanced Options: Advanced Tab

Getting to the SMTP Advanced tab

Maximum recipients per message. Default The maximum number of addresses that can receive a single message.

Delay between recipients. Default Sets a delay (in milliseconds) between recipients within a message for relayed external mail. This prevents spammers from taking all of your CPU time. However, it also makes your server a little slower.

Port. Default Enter the port that the SMTP service listens on.

Mailbox delimiter. Default Enter the character that will be used to delimit the mailbox name in a user ID.

Note: Before changing the mailbox delimiter, check for existing usernames and aliases that contain the new delimiter character. If they contain the new delimiter, their incoming mail will be undeliverable or delivered to another user, whose username matches the portion of the address preceding the new delimiter.

Host delimiters. Default Enter the character(s) to use to delimit the host name.  Each character is seen by IMail Server as equivalent to the @ in e-mail addresses. Any of the defaults can be used between the user ID and the virtual host name in the POP3 or IMAP4 login user ID.  To change the default characters, enter the string of characters here.  Note: The @ character is required by IMail Web Messaging.

Delivery Application. To replace the delivery application with an external program, enter the full pathname of the file here.

Hello Message. Values Use this option to change the text of the SMTP service welcome message.

Disable SMTP "AUTH" reporting.  If this is selected, SMTP authentication is disabled.

Refuse Null Senders. If this is selected, IMail Server refuses to accept mail if no address is specified in the "MAIL FROM" line of an incoming message (the null address (<>) is used).

Warning: The default settings on this tab are appropriate for most systems. If you change these settings, be aware that they can negatively affect the operation of the server.


Welcome Message

When logging on to SMTP, POP3, or IMAP4, each service returns a welcome message that identifies the mail server version, vendor, and operating system.


Getting to the Outbound Rules Tab

In the left panel, select the mail host you want to create the rule for. In the right panel, click on the Outbound Rules tab.


Example: Allowing Ampersands as Host Delimiters

To use ampersands, enter @ # $ % * in the Host Delimiters text box.


Full Mailbox Notification

When a user's mailbox gets to within a certain percent of being full, they will receive a notification e-mail letting them know. The text for the notification e-mail is taken from the notify.txt file, which is located in the IMail Top directory. If the notify.txt file does not exist, a standard full message will be sent to the user.


Getting to a User's General tab

Select and expand the mail host in the left panel, the "Aliases", "Lists", and "Users" folders appear. Expand the "Users" folder, and select the desired user ID.


Suspend User Account

The suspend user account option is an added security feature for IMail Server. This option automatically becomes enabled when a user's web access becomes suspended. Web access is suspended for a user when they fail to login in with the correct User ID or password. The number of login attempts allowed is set by the Administrator in the" User Login Suspend" section of the Web Options tab. If you want to re-enable web access for the user, clear the Suspend User Account checkbox.

Note: You cannot suspend a user account by enabling the Suspend User Account option. If you want to suspend a user account, then select Account Access Disabled


Getting to the General tab

Select the mail host in the left panel, and the General tab appears.


Getting to the Attributes tab for a User

Expand a host name in the left panel, expand the "Users" folder, select a user, and click the Attributes tab. The LDAP properties appear.


Getting to the Pager Definition Dialog

Expand the mail host folder and select the Aliases folder in the left panel; then click the Add Alias button.  Observe that the New Alias dialog box appears. Proceed with the setup of the alias until you reach the Pager Definition dialog box.


Getting to the POP3 Advanced tab

Select localhost from the left panel and expand the Services folder. Click on the POP3 service and select the Advanced tab.


Getting to the IMAP Advanced tab

Select localhost in the left panel and expand the Services folder. Click on the IMAP4 service and select the Advanced tab in the right panel.


Getting to the SMTP Advanced tab

Select localhost from the left panel and expand the Services folder. Click on the SMTP service and select the Advanced tab.


Getting to a User's Directory tab

Expand a mail host name and the Users folder in the left panel. Click on the desired user ID and select the Directory tab.


Getting to the Vacation tab

Expand a host name in the left panel, expand the Users folder, select a user, and click the Vacation tab. The Vacation Message properties appear.


Multiple Conditions
Adding Multiple Conditions to Rules

Multiple conditions can be created for both inbound and outbound rules.  By using multiple conditions, you can often combine multiple rules into one, thus, saving time and creating a more compact rules file. Sometimes, a rule with only one condition is adequate to fulfill your requirements. However, there are times when you may want to create more complex rules, in these cases, you may want to use multiple conditions. Example

To add a rule with multiple conditions:

1.	Follow the steps to creating a rule as described in Creating an Inbound Rule or Creating an Outbound Rule. Then, while on the rules dialog, create the first condition for the rule and click Add Condition.

2.	Click either the "Insert AND" or the "Insert OR" button. Click the Insert AND button to state that all the rule conditions must be met in order for the message to be trapped. Click the Insert OR button to state that at least one of the conditions must be met in order for the message to be trapped.

3.	Create the second condition as you did the first, then click OK.

4.	Continue adding conditions until you are satisfied with the rule, and then click OK.

5.	When you return to the Inbound or Outbound Rules tab, do one of the following:

•	If you created an inbound rule and are on the Inbound rules tab, enter a mailbox or address that you want the rule to be sent to.

•	If you created an outbound rule and are on the Outbound Rules tab, select one of the rule actions listed at the bottom of the tab.

6.	When you are finished creating the rule, click Apply to save your changes.

Editing a Condition

1.	Select the condition of the rule that you want to edit from the Final Rule text box.

2.	Make the desired changes to the options and click Update Condition.

Changing the Processing Order of Conditions

Conditions are processed in order, from top to bottom, as Boolean expressions. To change the processing order of a condition, select the condition in the Final Rule text box and click either the Up or Down button.


Getting to the General Tab for an Alias

Expand the mail host name and the Aliases folder in the left panel. Select the alias from the list of aliases. The General tab appears in the right panel. The appearance of this tab depends on the type of alias that is selected.


Getting to the General tab for the localhost

Select the "localhost" folder in the left panel, and the General tab appears.


Customizing the Notification Message

The e-mail message that is sent to the user is configurable. The text for this message can be customized by creating a Notify.txt file that is placed in the top directory of the domain. If there is no Notify.txt file, the notification will contain the standard text as follows:

"User<!--imail.user--> Host <!--imail.host--> Your mailbox is nearly full, please remove some messages. If you have any questions, see your system administrator."

The above two tags will be replaced with the User ID and the domain.


Getting to the Default Settings for Users

Double-click the "localhost" folder in the left panel, and expand the mail host. Select the "Users" folder in the left panel.


Set Reply To

This sets the domain portion of the Reply To address to be the same for all users on the current domain.


Export Users to File

Exports a list of users for the domain to a text file called Users.txt, which is then placed in the IMail Top Directory.


Delete Msgs By Date

To Delete Messages for all users by date

1.	Expand a host and select the Users folder.

2.	Click on the Delete Msg's by Date button and do one of the following:

•	To delete messages by the number of days old they are, select the Number of Days option. Then enter the number of days that a message can be before being deleted.  For example, if you enter 10, all existing messages that are more than 10 days old will be deleted.

•	To delete messages in a user's folder that are older than a specific date, select the Date option. Then select the date after which all messages will be deleted, by selecting the month from the list box and entering the day and year in the form of DD\YYYY.  All existing messages that are dated after this date will be deleted.

To Delete Messages for a specific user by date:

1.	Select a user ID and click on the Directory tab.

2.	Right-click a mailbox and select Delete Messages by Date. Enter the number of days old or a specific date. Messages are deleted automatically when they reach the specified number of days old or the specified date. Note that there are two IMail Server utilities that can delete old messages. For more information, see Appendix C, Command Line Applications in the IMail User’s Guide.


Installing Patches and Upgrades

If a software patch is created to fix a bug in the currently shipping version of a product, Ipswitch will make the patch available on our web site.

Product upgrades to extend capabilities are also made available on our FTP and web sites. A valid service agreement for IMail Server includes major product upgrades for twelve months.

To download software from the Ipswitch web site:

1.	In your web browser, go to:www.ipswitch.com/support/patches-upgrades.html.

2.	Click the IMail Server link.

3.	Read the introductory information about patches and upgrades at the top of the page.

4.	Select the appropriate patch or upgrade.

5.	Follow the instructions on your screen.


IMail 25 Overview
IMail Server 25 Overview

The IMail Server 25 version has all of the functionality of the regular IMail Server, except that it provides for a limited number of users and lists.

User Limits in IMail Server 25

The IMail Sever 25 version has a user limit of 25. This limit is composed of the total number of users, not including the root for the primary host, and the total number of list-server mailing lists. For example, if you have 20 users and 5 list-server mailing lists, you have met the limit of 25 and will not be allowed to create new users or lists. When the limit of 25 has been met, the Add List and Add User buttons will be disabled. In addition, the right-click menu options of Add List and Add User will be disabled if the limit of 25 has been met.

Remote Connection with IMail Server 25

If a remote machine attempts to connect to the IMail 25 server, the remote admin will not be able to add new users or lists if the 25 user limit on the server machine has been met. The information for subsequent users and lists will not be saved when their screen is refreshed.

Options Not Available in IMail Server 25

There are several options in the IMail Administrator interface that are non-functional for the IMail 25 version. If you attempt to change these options, the settings will not be saved when the screen is refreshed. The options are:

•	Max Users located on a mail host's General tab.

•	Max. Concurrent Users located on the Web Messaging Server tab.


Max Mailbox Msgs Example

If the Max Mailbox Msgs option is set to 5, and the user's main mailbox already has five messages stored, then the next message sent to the user's main mailbox is bounced. However, if the next message is sent to a sub-mailbox instead, the message will be delivered as long as there are less than five messages currently stored in the sub-mailbox.


Full Mailbox Notify Example

For example, if 80 is entered in this box, the user will receive an e-mail when their mailbox is 80% full. The user will get a maximum of one message a day, for three days.


Example Entry for Host Alias

If the mail host name is mail.domain2.com, you can set an alias of domain2.com so that IMail Server accepts mail addressed to fred@mail.domain2.com and also fred@domain2.com.


Examplr Entry for Reply To
Example Entry for Reply To

If the complete e-mail address is Stephanie@mail.ipswitch.com, you can enter Stephanie@ipswitch.com.


Rule with Multiple Conditions Example

If you want all e-mails from your supervisor containing information about "project updates" to be sent to a specific mailbox in your account, you would set a rule with two conditions: 1) the message must be from your supervisor; and 2) the message must contain the words "project updates" in the subject or message body of the e-mail.


Queue Manager Tab

Getting to the Queue Manager tab

The options on this tab allow you to control the SMTP delivery process. Adjusting the following options based on the needs of your system ensures that all messages are delivered as quickly as possible.

Delivery Threads. (Values) The total number of threads that will be used to deliver messages. Each thread processes one message at a time.

Maximum retry threads. (Values) The maximum number of delivery threads that can be used at one time when the system retries to deliver messages in the queue.

Listen Pipes. (Values) The number of pipes that the queue manager opens in order to listen for files being dropped in the queue by other processes.

Retry timer (minutes). (Values) This is how often, in minutes, the queue manager will attempt to re-deliver messages that failed to be delivered on previous queue runs. This option works in conjunction with the "tries before returning to sender " option on the SMTP tab.

Daily Report Address. Enter the e-mail address to which a daily count report will be sent. If no address is entered, no report will be sent.

DNS Cache Options

The DNS cache is an internal cache of positive DNS queries. The cached DNS response will remain active for the length of time specified in the time to live (TTL) for the DNS record.

•	Enabled (enabled by default). Select this option to enable the DNS cache. Enabling this option will improve delivery performance since positive queries will be cached and reused.

•	Max Entries. (Values) The total number of entries allowed in the DNS cache. The DNS cache is a first in, first out list, so the list is updated as new DNS queries are performed.

•	Clear Cache. Click this button to clear the DNS cache in the queue manager. This is usually not required. When to Use.

Failed Domain Skipping Options

Failed Domain Skipping occurs when IMail Server tries to deliver a message but cannot connect to the domain. The domain is added to a list of failed domains (skip list), and all recipients for that domain will be skipped for the amount of time entered as the Skip Time.

•	Enabled. Select this option to enable Failed Domain Skipping. This option is enabled by default.

Tip: Enabling this option is recommended since it increases performance when many messages are destined for un-reachable hosts.

•	Max Entries. (Values) The total number of entries allowed in the skip list. This is a first in, first out list that is updated as new domains are added.

•	Skip Time. (Values) The amount of time, in minutes, that failed domains will remain in the skip list before it is removed.

•	Clear skip list button. Click this button to clear the current skip list from memory. This is usually not required.

Stop/Start button. Use this button to stop and start the Queue Manager service.

Note: After making changes to any of the above options, you must stop and restart the Queue manager service for the changes to take effect. You should restart the Queue Manager service immediately since it is a component of the SMTP delivery process and stopping it may cause mail to be undeliverable.

Related Topics

Queue Manager Overview


Getting to the Queue Manager tab

1.	In the left panel, expand the "localhost".

2.	Expand the Services folder and click the Queue Manager service.

3.	The Queue Manager tab is displayed in the right panel.


Getting to the Manage Mail Queue Dialog Box

The Manage Messages in the mail queue dialog box may be accessed via the localhost folder.  Once in the localhost folder, click the View Queue button on the General tab.


Overview

The Queue Manager service allows you to control the flow of messages through the queue by setting options based on your system's needs.  The queue manager regulates the SMTP32 processes (or threads) so that the maximum is not exceeded. This ensures that all messages have a delivery attempt so that they are not delayed by being bumped to a queue run delivery on heavily loaded systems.

The Queue Manager processes files according to priority, with files that have had no delivery attempt being first.  Files that need to be retried are then processed based on the time that they were placed in the spool.

Warning: The Queue Manager service is a component of the SMTP delivery process. Disabling this service may stop or delay mail delivery.

Related Topics:

Configuring the Queue Manager


Pipe (definition)

A pipe is a connection between two programs or services through which information is passed from one process to another. Example: The output of the first process is transferred to the second process, which accepts it as input. The information in the pipe is then stored by the system until the second process receives it.


Retry (definition)

A "retry" is when the queue manager attempts to reprocess messages that failed to be delivered on previous attempts.


Queue (definition)

The mail queue, also known as the spool, is a directory that stores mail messages that are waiting for delivery. Files in the queue include incoming messages, outgoing messages, attachments, and error messages. The queue releases messages one at a time in the order that they were received.


Max Entry Values
Max Entry Value Range

The default is set to 200, but you can enter any value between 5 and 5000.


Value Range for Max Entries
Values for Max Entries (Failed Domain Skipping)

This option is enabled by default with a value of 500. You can enter any value between 5 and 5000.


Value Range for Skip Time
Values for Skip Time

The default is set to 30, but you can enter any value between 2 and 240 minutes.


Value Range for the Retry Timer
Values for the Retry Timer

This option is set to 30 minutes by default. The minimum value for this option is 10 and the maximum value is 120.


Value Range for Delivery Threads
Values for Delivery Threads

This option is set to 30 by default. The minimum value for this option is 5.

You may need to increase the number of SMTP processes if you have a large number of users who subscribe to list server mailing lists. If you do need to increase this value, you should do so in small increments.

Keep in mind that as you increase the number of SMTP processes, you are increasing the processing load on your mail server.


Value Range for Listen Pipes
Values for Listen Pipes

This option is set to 4 by default. The minimum value for this option is 2 and the maximum value is 20.  A value of 4 should be sufficient for most servers, but can be increased for better performance on busy servers.  To determine if you need to increase this number, you must examine the log files. If, prior to a queue run, you find log lines that say "Adding Queue file XXX", this means that the queue manager has found files it was not notified of before. In this case, you should increase the number of listen pipes.


Value Range for Maximum retry threads
Values for Maximum retry threads

This option is set to 15 by default. The value for this option cannot be greater than the number of delivery threads and cannot be less than 2.


Values for Max Entries (DNS Cache)

This option is enabled by default, with a value of 200. You can enter any value between 5 and 5000.


When to Use

If you change the DNS address and the Time To Live is set to 1 day, but you want to see the changes now instead of tomorrow, click this button.


Daily Count Report

Through the use of the queue manager, IMail Server has the ability to compile and send daily reports that detail server activity. These reports are sent once a day, 30 seconds after the date changes, to the e-mail address specified in the Daily Report Address text box located on the Queue Manager tab.

The following counts are included in the report:

•	SpamContent-The number of statistical filtering matches.

•	SpamPhrase- The number of phrase filtering matches.

•	Virus- The number of viruses caught by IMail Anti-Virus.

•	LocalDeliver- The number of local deliveries.

•	RemoteDeliver- The number of remote deliveries.

Example Report

Date:     Fri, 3 Jan 2003 08:50:47 -0500
Message-Id: <7002211132.AA00253@Host1.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
From:  "Postmaster" <postmaster@Host1.com >
Sender: <postmaster@Host1.com>
To:  user@Host1.com
Subject:  IMail Daily Report

SpamContent        293
SpamPhrase        256
Virus        5
LocalDeliver        1281
RemoteDeliver        592


Additional Resources

The following is a list of resources that you can use to get help with IMail Server:

•	Release Notes (ntimsvc.txt). The release notes, located in the IMail top directory, provide an overview of the changes, known issues and bug fixes for the current release. They also contain template additions and modifications, and special instructions for upgrading and external database configurations.

•	IMail Tag reference (Tags.doc). This document, located in the IMail top directory/web folder, lists all IMail tags used in the web messaging templates, and how to use them.

•	IMail Statistics Tag Reference (Stattags.doc).  This document, located in the IMail top directory/Web folder, lists all IMail tags that are associated with statistical features, such as the overall system statistics and the statistics for logged in users.

•	Web Calendaring tags Reference (iwebcaltags.doc). This document, located in the IMail top directory/web/calendar folder, lists all IMail tags used in web calendaring, and how to use them.

•	Upgrading Customized Templates document (upgrade6to8.txt). This document, located in the IMail top directory/Web/Upgrade Help, explains how to upgrade web messaging templates, to include the functionality for version 8, without overwriting the files. This is useful if you have customized your files and want to add the new functionality without losing your customizations.

•	Readme.html. This document, located in the IMail top Directory/ Web/Upgrade Help folder, lists all web messaging and web calendaring template changes for the current release, including new templates.

•	IMail Getting Started Guide. This booklet contains the installation instructions for IMail Server, information to plan your installation, and an appendix that gives a brief explanation of DNS. This book is also available in pdf format in the IMail top directory.

IMail Support Center

The IMail Support center provides a multitude of IMail Server resources including the following:

•	HTML and pdf versions of all printed guides

•	DNS help

•	A Knowledge Base of technical information about our products.

•	A Web Messaging Template gallery.

•	A utilities page that contains a list of useful programs that enhance IMail Server.

•	Technical support information, such as e-mail support forms, and service agreement and licensing information.

•	Sign-up form for the IMail Server discussion list, which gives you an opportunity to interact with other IMail Server customers to share tips and tricks.

You can access the IMail support center by going to the following address:

http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/index.asp

Visit Our Web Site

For more information about Ipswitch products, to find evaluation versions, or to purchase our products online, visit the Ipswitch web site at: http://www.ipswitch.com


Import NT Users

If a host uses the IMail Database for user mail accounts, you can import users from the NT Database to add them to the IMail Database. When you do this, the imported users are not linked to the Windows NT Database and the NT passwords are not imported. Note that this differs from actually using the Windows NT Database.

Imported Windows NT users have the same user IDs as in the NT Database, but each is given a default password of password. However, by default, IMail won’t accept user names with the ampersand (&). If any user names have an ampersand character, see "Allowing Ampersand in Windows NT User Names" on page 231.

To import NT users:

1.	In the left panel, expand the mail host, and then select the "Users" folder.

2.	In the right panel, click the Import NT Users button. The Import NT Users dialog box appears that lists the users in the Windows NT Database.

3.	Do one of the following:

•	To add user and passwords one at a time, select a user, enter a password, and click Add Selected Users. Repeat for each user that you want to add.

•	To add a number of users at one time with the same initial password, select the users you want to add, set the initial password for all the selected users, and then click Add Selected Users. The password must be between 3 and 15 characters.

4.	When you are finished importing users, click Exit.

Note: If you are running the IMail Server 25 version, see the  IMail 25 Overview for information on how users are counted.


Values for Maximum recipients per message

The default is zero.


Mailbox delimiter defaults

If nothing is entered, the default delimiter of - (dash) is used.


Delay between recipients (default)

The default is zero.


Default SMTP Port

The default SMTP port is 25.


Default Host Delimiters

By default, the characters used are: @ % * : $ and &.


Values for SMTP Hello Message

The text is limited to 400 characters or less. If over 400 characters are entered, the default message is used. To revert back to the default message, clear this field.


Adding an Alias (addalias.exe)

Addalias.exe is a utility for adding batches of aliases stored in a text file, or for modifying or deleting aliases on the IMail system. You also now have the ability to import an existing Windows NT group into IMail and creating a group alias. If you invoke addalias with no command line options (by typing only addalias at the MS-DOS prompt), you can manually input command lines, pressing Enter after each line. If you do this, press CTRL-Z to exit the utility when you are done.

Basic Command Syntax

addalias [-h hostname] [-cX] [-{a|d|m}] alias[=destination]

Note to Windows 2000 and Advanced Server Users: The ability to import NT groups as an alias only works for local and global groups. It does not work with Microsoft Active Directory Services(ADS) Universal groups.

Examples

Adding an Alias to the Primary Host

Adding an Alias to a Specific Host

Deleting an alias

Import an NT Group as a Group Alias

Return codes

Addalias returns 1 if it performed at least one of the requested operations; it returns 0 if it failed.

Using a Text File

Instead of entering commands at the MS-DOS prompt, you can use a text file to input multiple commands for one execution. You can use this technique to add aliases to your IMail system from another mail system if the other mail program can create a delimited text file of aliases.

Example


Adding a Virtual Host
Adding a Virtual Host (adddomain.exe)

Addomain.exe is a utility for adding virtual hosts. It can be used to simply add a single host, but is especially useful in a batch file to add multiple hosts.

Basic Command Syntax and Examples

 adddomain -hHostname -iIPAddress -tTopDir

     [-a Aliases -uIM | NT -x MaxMBXSize -s MaxMBXMsgs -rMaxUsers

adddomain -hHostname -m

     [-tTopDir -aAliases -xMaxMBXSize -sMaxMBXMsgs -rMaxUsers]

adddomain -hHostname -delete

adddomain -fFilename

Adddomain.exe supports the following command line options:

 Note: AddDomain.exe does not warn when assigning already claimed IP addresses to new hosts. Assigning an already used IP address to another host will orphan the original host without warning.


Adding Users (adduser.exe)

Adduser.exe is a utility for adding, modifying, or deleting users, but can only be used if the domain is based on either an IMail database or on an external database. (Adduser.exe cannot be used to add users to domains which use the Windows NT database.)

You can use adduser.exe to add users whose user IDs and passwords are stored in a text file. Passwords must be between 4 and 15 characters.

If you invoke adduser with no command line options (by typing only adduser at the MS-DOS prompt), you can then manually input command lines, pressing Enter after each line. If you do this, press CTRL-Z to exit the utility when you are done.

Note: Using the adduser.exe utility to create users does not apply the default user settings as defined in IMail Administrator.

Basic Command Syntax

Adduser.exe [-h hostname] [-k userid] [-m userid] [-u userid]

       [-p password] [-n name] [-f filename] [±chgpass] [±web]

        [±active] [±info]

Return codes

Adduser.exe returns 1 if it performed at least one of the requested operations; adduser returns 0 if it failed.

Disabling Web Options

New users have all Web options enabled unless you disable one of the Web options (-/+chgpass, -/+web, -/+active, -/+info) in the command line. Modifying a user does not change the user’s Web options unless you include at least one of the Web arguments in the command line: if you include any web argument, then all Web options are enabled except those you specifically disable.

Examples

Adding a User ID

Deleting a User ID

Related Topics

Using a Text File

Command Options


Deleting Old Messages (immsgexp.exe)

Immsgexp.exe is a utility that deletes messages older than a specified number of days.

Basic Command Syntax

immsgexp -t startdirectory -d #of_days_to_save

Any mailbox found beneath startdirectory will be scanned and any message older than #of_days_to_save will be deleted. A log of exYYMMDD.log (or exYYMMDD.### if .log already exists) will be created and log which directories/mailboxes were scanned, how many messages were deleted, and the amount of disk space saved (by file and directory).

Examples

The following command deletes all messages in the c:imail directory that are more than 60 days old.

immsgexp -tc:\imail -d60

The following command deletes all messages in the "spam" mailbox, located in the c:imail directory that are more than 60 days old.

Immsgexp –tc:\imail –mspam –d60

immsgexp.exe supports the following command line options:


Populating the LDAP Database (ldaper.exe)

LDAPER.EXE populates the LDAP database for all users on a particular host. It does this by placing the specified information on the General tab of user properties into the LDAP database. This is handy when you have added a large number of users at once using ADDUSER.EXE.

Basic Command Syntax

ldaper [options]:

Ldaper.exe supports the following command line options. Options can be prefixed with a hyphen or a forward slash.


Sending Mail to All Users (mailall.exe)

Mailall.exe is a command line utility that sends mail to all users on a particular host or on all hosts on the IMail system.

Basic Command Syntax

mailall -h hostname|ALL> -f sender -d [-s Subject] <FullPathToMessageFile>

Examples

mailall -h myhost -f admin@myhost -s"Admin note" C:\mailnotes.txt

The above example sends the file mailnotes.txt to all users on myhost. The message is from admin@myhost; the Subject is Admin Note.

Alias1=|mailall -h myname -d

The preceding example creates a program alias that is used to send mail to all users on the myname host. Then, you can send a message to Alias1@myname.com, and it will go to everyone on the myname host.


Backing Up IMail Registry (regback.exe)

Regback.exe backs up the SOFTWARE\Ipswitch\IMail registry key and all its sub-keys.

Basic Command Syntax

regback [options]

Regback.exe supports the following command line options. Options can be prefixed with a hyphen or a forward slash.

*The filename must be eight characters or less and can have up to a three-character file extension. Any file name or file extension exceeding the maximum number of characters will be truncated to the maximum number of characters. If a filename is omitted, regback.exe used the default imyymmdd.reg where yymmdd is the two-digit current year, month, and day.


Cleaning the Spool Directory
Cleaning the Spool Directory (isplcln.exe)

Isplcln.exe deletes all files in the spool directory that are older than a specified number of days.

Basic Command Syntax

isplcln -n x -l y

where x is the number of days old a non-log file has to be before it is deleted, and y is the number of days old a log file has to be before it is deleted.

Note that isplcln.exe deletes all files in the spool directory based on the parameters supplied without regard to whether a file is locked or not.

Example

isplcln -n 5 -l 30

The above example deletes all non-log files that are five days old or older and delete all log files that are thirty days old or older.


Adding an Alias to the Default Domain
Adding an Alias to the Default (primary) Host

The following examples add an alias of newalias to the default(primary) host which resolves to email.

addalias -c: -a newalias:email

addalias -a newalias=email

addalias -c: newalias:email

addalias newalias=email

addalias newalias email


Adding an Alias to a Specific Domain
Adding an Alias to a Specific Host

The following example adds an alias of newalias to the host named secondhost.com and resolves to email.

addalias -h secondhost.com -a newalias email


Deleting an Alias

The following examples delete an alias.

addalias -d oldalias

addalias -h another.net -d alias1


Import an NT Group as a Group Alias

This option is only for hosts using the Windows NT database. Global groups will be ignored if the server is not a Primary Domain Controller(PDC).

The following example takes an existing Windows NT group and converts it into an IMail group alias.

addalias -h NThost.com -i groupname

Note to Windows 2000 and Advanced Server Users: The ability to import NT groups as an alias only works for local and global groups. It does not work with Microsoft Active Directory Services(ADS) Universal groups.


Addalias Text File Example

You could create a text file named test.txt that contains the following lines.

test1=me

test2=test1

test3=test2

-h virtual001 test1=me

test3=me

-m test2=him

-d test3

At the MS-DOS prompt, you enter:

addalias < test.txt

The < symbol tells addalias to use test.txt as output.

You then get the following messages:

current host is wks003.augusta.ipswitch.com

added [wks003.augusta.ipswitch.com] test1 -> me

added [wks003.augusta.ipswitch.com] test2 -> test1

added [wks003.augusta.ipswitch.com] test3 -> test2

current host is virtual001

alias exists [virtual001] test1 -> someone

added [virtual001] test3 -> me

modified [virtual001] test2 -> him

deleted [virtual001] test3 -> me


Adding a User ID

The following examples add a user ID of test01.

Adduser -h myhost.com -u test01 -n "ms test" -p yourpass

Adduser -u test01 -n "mr test" -p nopass

Adduser -u test01

Adduser test01


Deleting a User ID

The following examples delete a user ID.

Adduser -k -u test01

Adduser -h another.net -k test01


Using a Text File(adduser.exe)

Instead of entering commands at the MS-DOS prompt, you can use a text file to input multiple commands for one execution of adduser.exe. You can use this technique to add users to your IMail system from another mail system if the other mail program can create a delimited text file of user ids, passwords, and user names.

Let’s suppose you want to add four user IDs (userid, smith, test1, and jones) to the wks013 server. Adduser.exe assumes that if there are no arguments in a text file, then the information on each line is userid, password, and full name – in that order.

For example, you could create a text file named addfour.txt that contains the following lines:

userid,password,full name

smith,whypass,Mrs Smith

test1,,Mr Smith

jones,okpass,Tom Jones

At the MS-DOS prompt, you enter:

Adduser -h wks013.augusta.ipswitch.com -f addfour.txt

You then get the following messages:

current host is wks013.augusta.ipswitch.com

OK: added userid to host wks013.augusta.ipswitch.com

OK: added smith to host wks013.augusta.ipswitch.com

OK: added test1 to host wks013.augusta.ipswitch.com

OK: added jones to host wks013.augusta.ipswitch.com

Note that the user named test1 will have "password" (the default) as his password.

Example File


Example Text File (Adduser.exe)

#Entries below default to Primary domain automatically.

#Adds user test100 with password nopass, and full name Mr. Test100

test100,nopass,"Mr. test100"

#adds user test101 with password nopass, name of Ms. Test101,

#has ability to #change own password, access from web,

#account is not disabled, user info is accessible from outside.

-u test101 -p nopass -n "Ms. test101" +chgpass +web +active +info

#Add user killthisone

-u killthisone

#Remove user killthisone

-k killthisone

#Change domain(host)

-h virtual001

#Change delimiter from default(,) to a (+).

-c+

#Add user test100 with password of password and name of Mr. Test100

test100+password+"Mr. Test100"

#Modify user test100 with new name of Mrs. Test100

-m -u test100 -n "Mrs. Test100"

#Change domain(host)

-h virtual002

#Change delimiter back to default

-c,

#Add user test101 with password nopass and name Mrs. Test101

test101,nopass,"Mrs. test101"

#Add user test103 with default password, with default name test103, has #ability to change own password, access from web, account is not disabled, user #information is accessible from outside.

-u test103 +chgpass +web +active +info

#Add user test104 with default password, with default name test103, has #ability to change own password, access from web, account is not disabled, user #information is not accessible from outside.

-u test104 -chgpass +web +active -info

#Modify user test103 so user information is not accessible from outside.

-m test103 -info

Results from running file above:

current host is mail.some.where.com

OK: added test100 to host mail.some.where.com

OK: added test101 to host mail.some.where.com

OK: added killthisone to host mail.some.where.com

OK: User "killthisone" removed from " mail.some.where.com ".

INF: current host is virtual001

OK: added test100 to host virtual001

OK: user test100 modified in virtual001

INF: current host is virtual002

OK: added test101 to host virtual002

OK: added test103 to host virtual002

OK: added test104 to host virtual002

OK: user test103 modified in virtual002


adduser.exe Options
Adduser.exe Command Options

Command Option	What it Does
-h hostname	Use the -h argument to specify the user’s virtual host, where hostname is the name of the host. The primary IMail host is used if no host is specified. (When you use -h in a text file, it affects all lines in the file.)
-k userid	Use the -k argument to delete a user id, where userid is the id you want to delete. Only one user id may be deleted in a single command line.
-m userid	Use the -m argument to modify a user id, where userid is the id you want to modify. Only one user id may be modified in a single command line.
-u userid	Use -u to add a user id, where userid is the id you want to add. Only one user id may be added in a single command line.
-n "name"	Use -n to specify the full name of the user in double quotes. where name is the user’s full name.
-p password	Use -p to specify a password for the user, where password is the user’s password. If you omit this parameter, the user’s password is 'password.'
-q	Use -q to disable alias duplicate check.
-cX	Use -c to specify an alternate delimiting character where X represents the delimiting character. This tells adduser.exe to replace the default delimiter (a comma) with the specified delimiter. A space is not allowed. (When you use -c in a text file, it affects all lines in the file.)
-f filename	You can put multiple commands into a text file for one execution of adduser.exe. Use the -f argument to specify the name of the file containing the adduser.exe commands. (All commands are valid for the text file, but note that -h and -c persist across multiple lines).
-chgpass	Use -chgpass to disable the user’s ability to change password.
+chgpass	Use +chgpass to enable the user to change password.
-web	Use -web to disable the user’s ability to use Web messaging.
+web	Use +web to enable the user to use Web messaging.
-active	Use -active to disable the user’s ability to log on.
+active	Use +active to enable the user to log on.
-info	Use -info to disable display of the user in whois, finger and LDAP queries.
+info	Use +info to enable display of the user in whois, finger and LDAP queries.
-?	Use -? to see a summary of argument options.
# : ;	Comments (for use in a text file)


What Is Web Calendaring?
What Is IMail Web Calendaring?

IMail Web Calendaring allows users to store schedules, set appointments, and send e-mail date reminder information using a web browser.  Users can log on to IMail Web Calendaring and perform their calendar activities using Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher and Netscape version 4.0 or higher.

Related Topics

What Users Can Do In IMail Web Calendaring

Web Access For IMail Web Calendaring

Customizing The IMail Web Calendaring

IMail Web Calendaring With Advertisements


What Users Can Do With Web Calendaring
What Users Can Do With IMail Web Calendaring

IMail Web Calendaring provides users with a web interface that gives them the ability to schedule tasks, record notes, set appointments, and receive e-mail reminders that contain the date, time, and description of the appointment. They can also send e-mail requests to other people to invite them to scheduled appointments.

Users can connect and log on to IMail Web Calendar using their IMail user ID and password.

Users can start IMail Web Calendaring by entering the web server's address in their browser's address field.  This web address consists of the host name of the IMail Server host and a web server port number.  The default port number is 8484.  For example, if your IMail Server mail host is named mailhost1.ipswitch.com, then the web address is: http://mailhost1.ipswitch.com:8484.

Users can bookmark the address in their web browser.

Once logged in, users can set appointments, schedule tasks, and send e-mail reminders.  Online help is available from the IMail Web Calendaring pages.

Related Topics

Setting Access To IMail Web Calendaring


Web Address For Web Calendaring
Web Address For IMail Web Calendaring

By default, the Web Calendaring server is assigned a web address that consists of the host name of the IMail Server host and a web server port number. The default port number is 8484. For example, if your IMail Server host is named mailhost1.ipswitch.com, then the Web address will be:

http://mailhost1.ipswitch.com:8484

Your users can get to the IMail Web Calendaring logon page by entering the address in their browser’s address field.  Users can bookmark the address (save it as a Favorite site) in their browser.

If you are not running another web server on the same host, you can set the port number to the normal HTTP (web) server port of 25. In this case, users do not have to specify the port with the web address. For example, you could enter: http://mailhost1.ipswitch.com

Note: If you use a non-standard port number (anything other than 25), users will need to specify the port in the logon web address.

Note that some firewalls may block the 8484 port, in which case you need to change the port number.

Related Topics

Configuring the IMail Web Calendaring Server

Setting Access To IMail Web Calendaring


Configuring the Web Calendaring Server
Configuring the Web Calendaring Server: Web Calendaring Server Tab

Getting to the Web Calendaring Server tab

The Web Calendaring server is installed on the host where the IMail Server software is installed.

1	In the Web Server Port text box, enter a port number.

This is the port on which the Web Messaging server operates. If you change the port, the Web Calendaring server must be stopped and restarted. By default the web port is set to 8484. If your mail system had a name of mail.domain.net, you will access the mail system with the following address: http://mail.domain.net:8484/. The port that is used may be changed to any unused port.  If you do not have another web server on the same system, you can use the normal web port of 25.  Then your address would be simply http//mail.domain.net.

Note:  If you use a non-standard port number (anything other than 25), users will need to specify the port in the logon web address.

2	Enter the Web Files Directory.  This directory contains the files used to create web pages for IMail Web Calendaring.  If you change this directory, you must then stop and restart the web server.

3	Optionally, change the Max Work Threads.  Use this setting to constrain the load on your web server.  This value sets the maximum number of work threads that can be used simultaneously by IMail Web Calendaring.  If an HTTP request requires a work thread and the maximum has already been reached, Web Calendaring returns a "server not available" message.  This option does not require that Enable Thread Pooling is turned on. The default value is 64.

4	Turn on Ignore source address in security check if you want the web server to ignore the IP address that requested the page.  This can be useful with firewalls and service providers that use dynamic IP addresses (such as AOL). (Normally, the web server checks the IP address that requested the page against the IP address from which the user logged on.)

5	Optionally, turn on Enable Keep Alive if you want to create a persistent TCP connection between the Web Calendaring server and a browser (if the browser supports it). If this option is turned off, the server closes the TCP connection after each response.

Normally, the connection between a browser and a web server is valid only for a single request/response pair. Using Enable Keep Alive can improve performance by reducing overhead per request, but it also means that less resources are available for other processes, such as creating new connections.

Note: If you use Enable Keep Alive and Enable Thread Pooling, then the number of simultaneous connections allowed to the server will equal the Max Work Threads. Thus, you will be limiting the number of connections allowed.

6	Turn on Auto Restart Server on Apply. If this is selected, the web server will be stopped and restarted automatically when you press Apply (if you changed anything requiring the server to stop and restart). Ipswitch recommends that you select this option.

7	Turn on Enable SSL to use the Secure Sockets Layer to encrypt communications with the Web Calendaring clients. This sets the IMail Web Calendaring server to accept SSL connections in addition to normal connections.

Note: You must first confirm SSL before you can use it.

8	 If you enabled SSL, enter the Web SSL Port on which the Web Calendaring server listens for an SSL-based HTTP request. If you used the default Web Server Port (8484), then you can assign any TCP port number here, the default is 8485. If you used the standard web server port (port 80), then set the SSL port to the standard SSL port 443.

Note: If you use a non-standard port number (anything other than 443), users will need to specify the SSL port in the logon web address.

Turn on Force SSL if you want to set the Web Calendaring server to accept only SSL-based HTTP connections; normal HTTP connections are not accepted.

9	Optionally, set Thread Pooling options.

IMail Web Calendaring can create a thread pool for handling HTTP requests (from the browser) on this TCP port. Using thread pooling reduces the overhead involved in creating and closing threads. However, if all threads in the pool are in use (your server is seeing heavy use), then an additional HTTP request will be denied. Also, threads reserved for use by IMail Web Calendaring are not available to other processes running on your server.

Enable Thread Pooling. Turn on this option to create a thread pool for handling HTTP requests from clients. IMail Web Calendaring creates up to Max Work Threads (default is 64) to process requests. If this option is turned off, IMail Web Calendaring creates a thread to handle each request (either persistent or normal) and after handling that request, destroys the thread.

Thread Exit. Turn on this option to close a thread after the HTTP request is processed completely. This option is used only when thread pooling is enabled. IMail Web Calendaring creates a replacement for closed threads on the next poll time, which is set in Thread Check Time. When this option is turned off, the thread is kept open and made available to process another request.

Thread Check Time. This is the interval (in seconds) used by IMail Web Calendaring to check the status of the thread pool. If the current number of work threads is less than Max Work Threads, new threads are created. This option is used only when thread pooling is enabled. The default value is 10 seconds.

10	 In the Web Server Status area, the current status of the web server is displayed. Click the Start/Stop button to start or stop the web server.

Related Topics

Setting Access To IMail Web Calendaring

Web Address For IMail Web Calendaring


Setting Access to Web Calendaring
Setting Access to IMail Web Calendaring

IMail Web Calendaring provides access to calendaring functions based on the user permissions granted in the user's properties. You can assign access to IMail Web Calendaring for each individual mail account, or globally for all users.

Note: User permissions setup for Web Calendaring also affect web access permission granted for IMail Web Messaging.  For example, if calendaring permission is removed for a user, the user will also be denied permission for IMail Web Messaging.

To set access to IMail Web Calendaring for an individual user mail account:

1	Expand the "localhost" folder, and double-click on the mail host folder to reveal the 'Aliases", "Lists", and "Users" folders.

2	Select the Users folder.

3	Select a user ID to see the user’s properties in the right panel.

4	Select Allow Web Access and then click OK to apply the change and close the window.

5	Click Apply to apply the changes.

To allow web access to all existing users:

1	Select the mail host, and then select the Users folder,

2	Click the Global User Changes button. The "Global Change User Properties" dialog box appears.

In the Allow Web Access section, select Yes, and then click the Change ALL accounts button to apply the change and close the dialog box.

If you change an option in the User Properties dialog box after you have set a global setting, the change overrides the global setting.


Overview of Customizing The Web Calendar
Overview of Customizing IMail Web Calendaring

The IMail Web Calendaring interface is comprised of web pages that provide access to appointment setting, scheduling functions, and e-mail reminder setting capabilities. You can create your own look and feel for the IMail Web Calendaring interface.

If you know how to edit HTML code, you can rearrange the components of a page, or change the text next to radio buttons or in hyperlinks, by editing web templates used to generate the web pages.

You can change the button colors and styles, and page background colors and styles by replacing the default graphics files with your own graphics files.

You can also set up IMail Web Calendaring to display online advertisements.


Web Calendaring With Advertisements
IMail Web Calendaring With Advertisements

IMail Web Calendaring supports online advertising. Ads are displayed on a portion of the screen while users are using IMail Web Calendaring. Ads are displayed at the top of whatever page the user is on.

For each ad, you enter HTML text/and or graphics, including hyperlinks.  IMail Server cycles through all of the ads you have added, changing the displayed ad every 30 seconds. . In addition, IMail Web Calendaring allows you to configure ads for each mail host. Thus you can have different ads for different hosts.

This feature is very useful to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other mail service providers who would like to sell online advertising space on their mail server. It can also be used to display messages on your intranet.

Related Topics

Which Web Calendaring Templates are Which Pages


Editing Web Calendaring Templates
Editing IMail Web Calendaring Templates

IMail Web Calendaring pages are based on "templates." You can use the web templates to change the "look and feel" of the IMail Web Calendaring interface. For example, you can change the placement of buttons, columns, and text boxes.

Before you edit a web template you should be aware of:

•	The structure of the web directories and how templates in the directories are processed

•	The basic syntax used in templates

 Web Templates and their Associated Web pages

Each page in the Web Calendaring interface has an associated web template that is used to generate that page. For example, the login.html template generates the Login page.

You can view and edit the HTML code for a web template by:

•	Opening the template in a text editor. We do not recommend using a WYSIWYG editor (such as Microsoft’s FrontPage) because they may alter the special tags used in the templates.

•	Select a mail host and then click the Web Calendaring Content tab. The list box shows the web files for the mail host. Each mail host can have its own customized Web calendaring interface. Select a file, and then click Edit. Any file in a mail host’s web directory overrides the default file (in [IMail Top Directory]\Web) with the same name.

You can view a Web calendaring page by:

•	Logging on to Web calendaring and selecting the menu option that displays the particular page.

•	Using Windows Explorer, go to the [IMail Top Directory]\web directory and double-click the web template. The file opens in a web browser. This will show you the pre-compiled version of the web page. It can be useful for getting a quick view of the page components. (Note that you must have your Windows NT file associations set up to open HTML files in your browser.)

For a complete list of the available templates and tags, see the templates.txt file in the [IMail Top Dir]\Web directory.

Related Topics

Which IMail Web Calendaring Templates are Which Pages

User Calendar Templates

Calendar Help Page Templates

Graphics Files in the Web Directory


Web Calendaring Templates and their Associated Web Pages
IMail Web Calendaring Templates and their Associated Web Pages

Each page in the IMail Web Calendaring interface has an associated web template that is used to generate that page.

You can view and edit the HTML code for a web template by opening the template in a text editor. We do not recommend using a WYSIWYG editor (such as Microsoft’s FrontPage) because they may alter the special tags used in the templates.

You can view a IMail Web Calendaring page by:

•	Logging on to IMail Web Calendaring and selecting the menu option that displays the particular page.

•	Using Windows Explorer, go to the [IMail Top Directory]\web directory and double-click the web template. The file opens in a web browser. This will show you the pre-compiled version of the web page. It can be useful for getting a quick view of the page components. (Note that you must have your Windows NT file associations set up to open HTML files in your browser.)

For a complete list of the available templates and tags, see the Iwebcaltags.doc file in the [IMail Top Dir]\Web directory.

Related Topics

Which IMail Web Calendaring Templates are Which Pages

User Calendar Templates

Calendar Help Page Templates

Graphics Files in the Web Directory


Which Web Calendaring Templates are Which Pages
Which IMail Web Calendaring Templates are Which Pages

The web template tables show the name of each template and the corresponding web page that it creates. Use one of the following tables to help you choose the template:

User Pages - includes templates for the logon, appointment setting, task scheduling, event and task editing, and calendar setting.

Administration Pages - includes templates for error pages that occur as a result on an improper function.

Help Pages – these are the help pages for IMail Web Calendaring functions.

Related Topics

Which IMail Web Calendaring Templates are Which Pages

User Calendar Templates

Calendar Help Page Templates

Graphics Files in the Web Directory


User Web Calendaring Templates
User IMail Web Calendaring Templates

These templates create the web pages that users see when performing calendar functions.


Web Calendaring Help Pages
IMail Web Calendaring Help Pages

These are help pages for the IMail Web Calendaring functions. Help buttons on the IMail Web Calendaring pages calls files that have a cs_ prefix.


Web Calendaring Files and Directory Structure
IMail Web Calendaring Files and Directory Structure

When you install IMail Server, you can choose to install a default set of IMail Web Calendaring files in the Web directory in your IMail top directory (usually c:\IMail\Web\Calendar). IMail Server uses this default set of files to create the IMail Web Calendaring interface for the primary mail host and also for any virtual hosts on the server.

 In the Web directory, you will see the following files:

•	.html — These files are the "web templates." Each template contains the HTML code used to create a particular Web Calendaring page. For example, the login.html file contains the code used to create the Logon page. For a complete list of the web templates and their associated pages in the Web Calendaring interface see Web Calendar Templates and their Associated Web Pages.

•	.gif — These files are used for graphics, such as logos, buttons, and icons. The .gif files are "called by" the web templates, or by a .txt file, where needed. So you can change the look of a logo, button, or graphic throughout the IMail Web Calendaring interface by replacing the associated .gif file. For a complete list of the graphics files see Graphics Files in the Web Directory.

•	.txt — These files contain ASCII text for the Welcome message. The .txt files are "called by" the web templates where needed. You can change the text in these files.

If you have one mail host or you want all mail hosts on the server to look the same, you can make your changes on the default files in the [IMail Top Directory]\calendar/web directory.

IMail Web Calendaring Directory Structure

   [IMail Top Directory]\     the IMail root directory specified at installation

   web\calendar\ *.html        the default web files, which apply to all mail hosts (primary and virtual)

Domain1\web\calendar\    any file in this directory overrides the default, applied only to Domain1

Domain2\web\calendar\    any file in this directory overrides the default, applied only to Domain2


Web Calendaring Template Syntax
IMail Web Calendaring Template Syntax

The templates used to create IMail Web Calendaring pages consist mostly of HTML code. Some templates also contain JavaScript code.

A specialized "tag" language is used within the templates to generate "dynamic" information, such as mailboxes and messages, at run-time — in other words, when a browser requests the information. You can use these tags to customize any Web Calendaring page, add pages of your own, or add or remove components of a page.

Tag Syntax

All tags start with the label !--ICAL. Within a template, an !—ICAL tag is always embedded in the standard HTML comment tag. For example:

<!--ICAL.UserId-->(UserName)

•	!--CAL.TagName, This type of tag returns a value, usch as the UserID of the currently logged on user, or the IMail Server host name.

•	!—ICAL.TagName.Value , whereTagName is the name of the web page item, such as a button, hyperlink, or check box. You cannot edit the TagName. For text that appears on a button, the TagName has the suffix Button, (for example: LogonButton, SaveButton); for text that appears in a hyperlink, the suffix is Link; for simple text tags, the suffix is Text. Value is the actual text that appears on the button, in the hyperlink, or next to the check box. You can edit the Value to change the text to whatever you want.

Types of Tags

You can use the tags to do the following types of operations.

Normal tags return a value or values. These tags are used to build dynamic information, such as the name of the logged in user, into the web pages.

Conditional tags check whether a condition is true or false, and then continue processing based on the answer. These tags use If-Then-Else constructs.

While tags populate a table, such as a list of messages in a mailbox. These tags use For-Each constructs.

Include tags let you name an HTML, ASP, CGI, INC, CSS or other file to be included at the tag location. If the file extension is .asp or .cgi, then the included file will be further parsed for !—ICAL tags.

For example, you can use the Include tag to include the standard HTML header in all files.

For a complete list of the available templates and tags, see the iwebcaltags.doc file in the [IMail Top Dir]\Web directory.


Changing Web Calendaring Buttons
Changing IMail Web Calendaring Buttons

You can change the text label on form buttons by modifying the label in the HTML code. To replace a button that is a .gif file , replace the existing .gif file in the default web directory with your own graphics file. You must use the same file name, unless you edit the .txt or web template that calls the graphic to use a different file name.

For example, to change the cancel button, called cancel.gif, replace this file in the default web directory with your own graphics file. You must use the same file name, unless you edit the .txt  or web template that calls the graphic to use a different file name.

  By default, all mail hosts use the graphics files in the default Web directory. If you want to use different graphics for different mail hosts, for example a different logo or background, you can copy any graphics file to a mail host’s web directory and customize the file for that mail host.

Note: Some of the buttons are .gif files and some are HTML "form" buttons. To change HTML form buttons, you must change the HTML code.

Related Topics

List of IMail Web Calendaring Graphics Files


Changing Web Calendaring Graphics Files
Changing IMail Web Calendaring Graphics Files

You can replace any of the graphics (.gif) files in the default web directory with your own files. If you have multiple mail hosts, you can replace a graphics file in any mail host’s web directory. You must use the same file name, unless you edit the .txt or web template that calls the graphic to use a different file name.

By default, all mail hosts use the graphics files in the default Web directory. If you want to use different graphics for different mail hosts, for example a different logo or background, you can copy any graphics file to a mail host’s web directory and customize the file for that mail host.

Related Topics

List of IMail Web Calendaring Graphics Files


List of Web Calendaring Graphics Files in Web Directory
List of IMail Web Calendaring Graphics Files


Getting to the Web Calendaring Server tab

Select the localhost folder in the left panel, then select the Services folder and click the Web Calendaring service.