Available client software: Mozilla Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail.

The most common and universal way to connect to FacStaff is through web-mail.  Simply take any web browser and navigate to the URL:

https://webmail.sas.upenn.edu  (Just like before)

The default choice of server is "mail.sas.upenn.edu", that choice will not work for FacStaff users.  Be sure to select "facstaff.sas.upenn.edu" from the server drop down list, (The second choice).  After that enter your PennID and new FacStaff password that was created when the migration was approved (not your old SAS e-mail password).



One thing that is different about the FacStaff web-mail experience is managing the your account settings.  Normally one would use the "Manage Account" option on the bottom of  the "Welcome to SAS Webmail" page, this does not apply to FacStaff. FacStaff has it's own URL for managing Web-Mail settings.

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/facstaff/accounts  (No https://)


The Mozilla Thunderbird Client Software.  

Mozilla Thunderbird (T-Bird) is freely available under open-sourced licensing and can be downloaded at Penn's Computing Support page or for a more recent build point your browser to http://www.getthunderbird.com.  Mozilla Thunderbird is also available on the University's PennConnect CD.  The software is available for Microsoft Windows XP, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 (Thunderbird 2.0.0.23)

1.  Download and install the software.  The department LSP may have to assist during this part.
2.  Open Thunderbird from the desktop or start menu icon.



3.  A new installation of T-Bird will have an account creation Wizard open when the program is run for the first time.  It is here that the settings for FacStaff will be entered.  This can be done by any user, although an LSP may be help with some of the grainier details.  If the wizard detects another e-mail program in use on your PC it will ask if that program's mail and settings should be imported.  Importing is a great idea as it will take all mail, contacts, and settings over to T-Bird.  This tutorial will show a clean installation of T-Bird with no imports.  NEXT



4.  The default setting is the correct setting, choose "E-Mail account".  Note the new ability to directly connect to GMail accounts, NEXT.

 5.  The steps provided by the wizard are straight-forward and simple.  Here, just provide your full name and your e-mail address.  The "Your Name:" is what will appear to recipients of your messages.  NEXT

6.  The next step goes into some technical information regarding server type and name.  FacStaff supports only IMAP connections, so that is an easy choice.  

7.  Setup will then ask for the username that will be used to authenticate to the server.  The username is the part of your e-mail address before the "@" symbol.

8.  The account name is what T-Bird will call your FacStaff account.  Thunderbird is capable of containing numerous different account at the same time.  The name helps distinquish one account from another.  Enter anything you feel may be appropriate, I chose to use the "protocol-server name" convention.  NEXT



9.  That's it for the wizard!  However, there is still more work to be done after the fact. FacStaff requires encrypted connections via "SSL" (Secure Sockets Layer), and there is a few other settings we should configure as well.  Verify the information the summary window presents is what was entered, and choose next.  If you do not like what you see, choose "Back", otherwise FINISH.



10. The main window of T-Bird will open and you should see a prompt asking whether or not T-Bird should be the default e-mail program.  The answer is up to you, but I usually choose to not display the prompt again by selecting "Do not display this dialog again".  



11.  FacStaff requires an SSL connection, and this has not been set up yet.  Just hit and "OK" to dismiss the password prompt.  Try not to get confused by the address the prompt is prestenting, you have not entered your e-mail address wrong.  



12.  From within T-Bird's main window, navigate to the "Tools" menu at the top, and then to the "Account Settings" option at the bottom of the menu.  There is a decent amout of work to be done in this area, but if it is done correctly, it need only be done once.  Select the top-left part of the window that is in bold-face type and named after your account.  These are your basic account settings, in addition to where changes can be made to your account after the wizard has been completed.  The check box "Attach this signature:" has also be been enabled.  This setting is not enabled by default, and T-Bird has an odd but practical way of handling signatures.  To create a signature, navigate to "My Documents"  and create a text file in Notepad with the signature as it should appear in any new message.  Save the text file with the default extension of ".txt", and navigate to that file with the "Choose" button in T-Bird.  To continue, select the "Server Settings" under where it lists the name of your e-mail account (example: IMAP FacStaff).



13.  The server settings goven how T-Bird will connect to the e-mail server (FacStaff) and get the mail.  FacStaff uses "Secure Sockets Layer" (SSL) to encrypt the connection between T-Bird and the FacStaff  server.  If SSL is not enabled every connection attempt will fail.  The account setup wizard did not offer the chance to enable SSL, so it must be done here.  SSL uses port 993 for it's connection be sure that is changed from the default port 143.  To enable SSL, simply check the box "Use secure connection" and everything else should fall into place.  All other settings are optional, the illustrated example here is based on my personal preferences.  

14.  The "Advanced" settings will specifically configure how IMAP will be have with the FacStaff mailbox.

15.  Time to configure how messages composed using T-Bird will be formatted .  To do this, select "Composition & Addressing" under "Copies & Folders".  The feature that we'll focus on here is setting up the Penn Directory.  Penn Directory allows T-Bird to search an online database of Penn employees and students.  This allows an e-mail address to be found by entering a part of the recipient's name in the "To:" area of the message.  Get started by selecting "Edit Directories", this will produce an empty "LDAP Directory Servers" window.  Select the only option, "Add" to invoke the "Directory Server Properties" window.  Simply fill out the windows according to the values listed in graphic below.  CAREFUL, the values are case-sensitive. SSL is not necessary in this case, but could be enabled for additional security.



The "P" in "ou=People, dc=upenn, dc=edu" has to be capitalized!

16.  The "Copies and Folders" settings page is for configuring how sent mail is handled and processed by Thunderbird.  The defaults settings are to store sent mail, drafts and templates on the IMAP store of the server.  That option is fine, but in may not be suitable for all users.  Sent mail only needs to be stored on the server if the user will be accessing it from more than one computer.

17.  The "Composition & Addressing" setting determines how and what format mail is sent.  The choices are HTML or plain-text  I do not recommend the use and receipt of HTML-based e-mail due to security vulnerabilities involved.  The next settings dictate where the signature will be placed in reply messages.  I choose to starat my reply above the quoted message and to place my signature below my reply and not below the entire message.  Finally, the addressing section allows us to activate the Penn Directory setting we configured earlier on step 15.  Select "Use a different LDAP server:" and select "Penn Directory" from the drop-down menu.

18.  A new feature of Mozilla Thunderbird 2 is enhanced junk mail protection.  Junk mail is now manged from a section in the "Account Settings" dialog box.  I have elected to enable all settings and see if Thunderbird starts to mark any important messages as junk.  The filters that e-mail programs use must undergo a period of "training" to learn what is junk and what is not.

19.  The last part is to make sure our outgoing (SMTP) server is set properly.  SMTP (Send Mail To People)  is used for sending mail only, not receiving.  Thunderbird now supports the use of multiple SMTP servers.  Earlier versions supported only one server for all accounts.  To configure the SMTP settings select the last option "Outgoing Server (SMTP)" in the "Account Settings" window.  The outgoing and incoming servers for FacStaff are the same, "facstaff.sas.upenn.edu" , and SMTP uses port 25.  The "Use name and password" feature must be enabled if connections are going to be made from off-campus.  



20.  That's about it.  Okay, through the Account Settings dialogs and return to T-Bird's main interface.  Select, "Get Mail", and you'll be prompted to enter your password.  The option is convenient and quick, but it is also just as convenient and quick for hackers too.  If all has been setup correctly, FacStaff will synchronize your mailbox with what is on the server.  The synchronization process will take a few minutes, so do not get alarmed if your inbox does not appear immediatley.


Mac OS X (10.4.11 with Thunderbird 2.0.0.23)

1.  Obtain and install the Mozilla Thunderbird.  The department LSP may have to assist during this part.
2.  After T-Bird has been installed, open the "Applications" directory from the "Go" menu.  The icon will identical to the icon used in Windows.

 
3.  Thunderbird tries to import e-mail settings from other programs before it will walk the user through setting up a new account.  What are we creating is the first configuration question asked, choose "Don't import anything".  Continue.



4.   The steps for T-Bird on the Mac are similar to Windows XP, just prettier.  Mozilla Thunderbird is an e-mail application, but it can provide other services as well.  We want to select "Email account" then, Continue.



5.   The next step goes into some basic information regarding your e-mail address and  proper name.  Continue.



6.  FacStaff supports only IMAP connections, so that is an easy choice.  The wonderful folks who set up facstaff also made the incoming and outgoing server the same value.  Both values are the same; "facstaff.sas.upenn.edu".  Continue.




7.  The username your account is known under is what the wizard will ask for next.  The username is usually the part of your e-mail address before the "@" symbol.  Continue.

8.  The account name is what you would like T-Bird to call your FacStaff account.  Thunderbird is capable of containing numerous different accounts at the same time.  The name helps distinquish one from the other.  Enter anything you feel may be appropriate.  Continue.

9.  Congrats!!! That is about it, these steps were very similar to configuring T-Bird on Windows  However, there is still more work to be done. FacStaff requires encrypted connections via "SSL", and there is a few other settings we should configure as well.  Verify the information the summary window presents is what was entered, and choose next.  If you do not like what you see, choose "Back", otherwise FINISH.

10.  Immediatley, Thunderbird may prompt asking if it should be the default e-mail program.  I usually make it the default mailer, but the choice is optional.

SSL is required, but this will be fixed in the next step...

11.  From within T-Bird's main window, navigate to the "Tools" menu at the top, and then to the "Account Settings" option at the bottom of the menu.  There is a decent amout of work to be done in this area, but if it is done correctly, it need only be done once.  Select the top-left part of the window that is in bold-face type and named after your account.  These are your basic account settings, in addition to where changes can be made to your account after the wizard has been completed.  The check box "Attach this signature:" has also be been enabled.  This setting is not enabled by default, and T-Bird has an odd but practical way of handling signatures.  To create a signature, navigate to "Home"  then "Documents" and create a text file with "Text".  Create the file so that the contents are what you would like the signature to indicate, and navigate to that file with the "Choose" button in T-Bird.  To continue, select the "Server Settings" under where it lists the name of your e-mail account (example: SASC FacStaff).

12.  The server settings goven how T-Bird will connect to the e-mail server (FacStaff) and get the mail.  FacStaff uses "Secure Sockets Layer" (SSL) to encrypt the connection between T-Bird and the FacStaff  server.  If SSL is not enabled every connection attempt will fail.  The account setup wizard did not offer the chance to enable SSL, so it must be done here.  SSL uses port 993 for it's connection be sure that is changed from the default port 143.  To enable SSL, simply check the box "Use secure connection" and everything else should fall into place.  All other settings are optional, the illustrated example here is based on  personal preferences.  

13. Next, the "Copies & Folders" section is going to allow us to configure where our sent messages are akept in addition to any drafts and templates. I tend to keep my sent messages and my drafts on the local computer. Users who utilize multiple computers to access their mail, might appreciate storing their sent items and drafts on the server. This setup would allow access from anywhere including web-mail.  The "Drafts" folder under "Local Folders" must be created before mapping the "Templates" folder.  

14.  Time to configure how messages composed using T-Bird will be formatted .  To do this, select "Composition & Addressing" under "Copies & Folders".  As a security measure, I disable HTML e-mail. All sorts of mal-ware and spy-ware arrive over HTML e-mail. The feature that we'll focus on here is setting up the Penn Directory.  Penn Directory allows T-Bird to search an online database of Penn employees and students.  This allows an e-mail address to be found by entering a part of the recipient's name in the "To:" area of the message.  Get started by selecting "Edit Directories", this will produce an empty "LDAP Directory Servers" window.  Select the only option, "Add" to invoke the "Directory Server Properties" window.  Simply fill out the windows according to the values listed in graphic below.  CAREFUL, the values are case-sensitive.



The "P" in "ou=People, dc=upenn, dc=edu" has to be capitalized!

15.  A new feature of Mozilla Thunderbird 2 is enhanced junk mail protection.  Junk mail is now manged from a section in the "Account Settings" dialog box.  I have elected to enable all settings and see if Thunderbird starts to mark any important messages as junk.  The filters that e-mail programs use must undergo a period of "training" to learn what is junk and what is not.

16.  The last part is to make sure our outgoing (SMTP) server is set properly.  SMTP (Send Mail To People)  is used for sending mail only, not receiving.  To configure the SMTP settings select the last option "Outgoing Server (SMTP)" in the "Account Settings" window.  The outgoing and incoming servers for FacStaff are the same, "facstaff.sas.upenn.edu" , and SMTP uses port 25.  The "Use name and password" feature must be enabled if connections are going to be made from off-campus.  The values here have been provided for demonstration purposes.



17.  That's about it.  Okay, through the Account Settings dialogs and return to T-Bird's main interface.  Select, "Get Mail", and you'll be prompted to enter your password.  TRY not to save your password inside of T-Bird.  The option is convenient and quick, but it is also just as convenient and quick for hackers too.  If all has been setup correctly, FacStaff will synchronize your mailbox with what is on the server.  The synchronization process will take a few minutes, so do not get alarmed if your inbox does not appear immediatley.

 

Microsoft Office Outlook 2003/2007

Microsoft Oulook 2003 is available with all versions of the Office 2003 application suite. Microsoft Outlook 2007 is available with all versions of Office 2007, except the Home and Student Editions.  Unfortunatley, Microsoft Office and Outlook are not "Free-ware". Office is one of the most popular and profitable products for Microsoft. The University has active licensing agreements covering use by SAS faculty and staff on all allocations and refurbished computers. Microsoft Office is not available on the PennConnect CD and cannot be downloaded from the "Supported Products"page. Microsoft Outlook 2003 can only be installed on Windows 2000 or Windows XP, Outlook 2007 can only be installed on Windows XP or Windows Vista. All current allocations PCs are imaged with copies of Microsoft Office 2003 Professional Edition. Past versions of Outlook suffered from poor security and a lack of reliability. In the 2003/2007 editions of Outlook, Microsoft took giant strides to fix the past issues and provide a very competitive communications program.

The following example comes from an installed version of Outlook 2003 from an SASC/DCS imaged Windows XP computer.

1. Start by navigating to The "Microsoft Office" folder from "Start", "All Programs", and choose "Microsoft Office Outlook 2003".

2. The first time Outlook is run under a new Windows user profile, the "New Account Wizard" will open and walk the user through the configuration process for a new e-mail account. The first thing Outlook will ask is whether or not it should import any settings from other e-mail applications. This case has Outlook sharing Windows with Eudora. Normally, this would be a great idea to pursue. The example here is for a clean configuration of Outlook 2003 to Factstaff. Choose, "Do not upgrade" and Next.

3. Obviously, the next screen prompts for the type of task at hand. The goal here is to create an e-mail account that connects to FacStaff. Choose, "Yes" and then Next.

4. What type of e-mail of account? FacStaff only supports IMAP connections. POP3 can be used with Comcast or Verizon e-mail accounts. HTTP can be used to connect Outlook 2003 to any "Hotmail" account. We need to choose IMAP and the Next.

5. With IMAP chosen, Outlook 2003 next prompts for the settings that it should use to connect to FacStaff. The settings for connecting to FacStaff remain the same, the differences lie in how those settings are applied in the various e-mail applications. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate information. Keep in mind that the incoming and outgoing server names are the same, "facstaff.sas.upenn.edu". Do not choose next yet! Our connection must be set to use SSL when checking mail. To do this, click the "More Settings ..." button.

6. These further settings get at the real settings for Outlook 2003 using IMAP. The "General" settings really do not affect how Outlook will operate, but they offer consistency in the configuration. Complete the fields with the appropriate information. The "Mail Account" is the name that Outlook will use to refer to your FacStaff connection . "Other User Information" is for personal/professional info that can be seen by the recipients of your messages. Next, select the "Outgoing Server" tab.

7. The outgoing server (SMTP) is the connection that is used to send mail from Outlook to the rest of the world. Set it to authenticate using your e-mail username and password, the same credentials that are used to receive mail. Secure Password Authentication is not necessary and will foil any connection attempt. The "Connection" tab need not be set. If we were setting Outlook to connect via a dialup connection, then modification would be necessary. Choose the "Advanced" tab.

8. Port configuration is what will tell Outlook how to connect to FacStaff. SSL is required and SSL uses port 993 for all incoming connections. Think of a port as a "channel" that data travels over in transit. SMTP does not require the use of SSL to send mail out through FacStaff. The "Root folder path:" can remain unconfigured and empty. Click "OK", then from the "E-Mail Accounts" page choose Next.

9. Finish the wizard, and upon completion Outlook will prompt for a password. It would be best NOT to save it in the application's configuration.

10. A successful configuration will result in Outlook synchronizing all of the IMAP folders from FacStaff. Depending on the number and size, this can take some time. Just be patient...

Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Screen-shots placed under the captions depict that specific operation. 

1. Select and open Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 from the Start/Logo Menu or desktop shortcut. 

2. Outlook, if previously not configured, will start an “Outlook 2007 Startup” wizard.  Choose “Next>”.

3. “Would you like to configure an e-mail account?”  Yes, as silly as that sounds, MS Outlook can be configured to do other tasks as well.  Choose “Yes” and “Next>”.

4. Enter the information regarding your e-mail account.  If you are unsure about some of the details, consult your LSP.  THEN, check the “Manually configure server settings or additional types” checkbox at the bottom of the window.  Choose “Next>”.

5. “Choose E-mail Service”, FacStaff does not use Microsoft Exchange and HTTP is used only when accessing the inbox via web-mail.  Choose “Internet E-mail” then “Next>”.

6. Please, fill-in the correct user-related information regarding the e-mail account.  Full name, user name, password, server name and type all must be correct, if there any doubts, consult your LSP.  FacStaff is an IMAP server with the incoming and outgoing settings to the same value “facstaff.sas.upenn.edu”.  DO NOT check the box titled “Require login using Secure Login Authentication (SPA)”.  However, click the button titled “More Settings…”




7. The “More Settings…” option delves deeper into Outlook’s configuration.  Additional information must be provided, starting with the “General” tab.  Simply fill-out the necessary information.  (My e-mail address is switched intentionally).  Choose the “Folders” tab when finished, DO NOT click OK yet.




8. On the “Folders” tab we must elect to save sent items to Outlook, locally.  The reason is because we have not connected to FacStaff and synchronized the account.  This setting can be changed after initial setup to allow sent messages to be stored on the server instead of in Outlook, locally. 

9. The “Outgoing Server” and “Connection” tabs can be left at their default settings for right now.  Off-campus access to FacStaff must have SMTP authentication configured, on-campus access does not require SMTP authentication.  The “Advanced” tab is the most important part of FacStaff’s IMAP configuration.  FacStaff requires the use of SSL over port 993, and the Root folder path must be set to “INBOX” (All caps without the quotes).  Click “OK”, which places the wizard back to the “Add new E-Mail Account” page. 

10. Click the “Test Account Settings…” button.  Outlook will attempt to connect to FacStaff and send a test message to your account.  All should proceed successfully, if not, go back a re-check all configuration settings against the examples listed in the document.




11. Success!  The wizard finishes by displaying a “Congratulations!” window.  Clicking on “Finish” will open the Outlook program and the account’s inbox.  Full IMAP synchronization will occur at this point, so there may be a few minutes before all of the messages and folders are listed.


 

12.  Going back… Configure MS Outlook to save sent messages on the server and not locally.  The account settings must be re-opened and modified.  Navigate to “Tools”, “Account Settings” and select the account.  Choose “Change”.




13. Once again, select the “More Settings…” button from the “E-mail Account Settings” page.  From there, choose the “Folders” tab and change the setting to the second option and select “Sent Messages”.  Click OK and close/re-open Outlook.  All sent messages should now be stored on the server.

Apple Mail (Mail.app) versions 2.x.x (OS X 10.4.11) and 3.x.x (OS X 10.5.8)

Mac OS X has one of the most simple built-in e-mail clients around in "Mail.app".  Configuration is actually part of installing the operating system, but since most Macs come preinstalled, mail setup is usually done the first time the Mac is started.  This procedure will detail how to configure Apple Mail to connect to FacStaff after the Mac has been initially configured.  

Apple Mail Client v.2.1.1 (Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger")

1. Apple Mail (Mail.app), is the default mail program for Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger".  When run for the first time, unconfigured, Mail.app will start an account creation wizard.  Click "Continue" to proceed.

2.  Select the proper account type for facstaff, IMAP, and provide the correct information.  Click "Continue".

3.  Clicking continue will make the wizard test the server specified, and produce an incoming connection security prompt.

4.  The next step is to specify the outgoing server, or SMTP server.  Luckily the incoming and outgoing values are the same, facstaff.sas.upenn.edu, click "Continue". I elect to use authentication while on and off campus.  This way, there will be no SMTP problems when sending mail from off-campus.

5.  A summary page will appear listing the options chosen during the wizard.  Be sure your summary matches the picture before proceeding, click "Continue".

6.  Congrats! The wizard is complete, but we are not finished yet.  Click "Done".

7.  The Apple Mail 2.1.1 inbox.  I have made some changes to my layout and appearance, so if your copy looks different from the screen-shot, that is alright. Some of the changes I have made include removing the message preview section at the bottom of the window.  Sorting the messages by placing the most recent message at the top of the list instead of the bottom, and customizing the toolbar by adding items and removing the graphical icons.

8.  The final step is to configure the "IMAP Path Prefix".  This step is not a necessary step, due to the fact that Apple Mail seems to be working, but it is best to preserve the consistency of settings specified by Workstation Services (WKS).  To begin, choose "Mail" then "Preferences..." from the main menu.  Select the "Accounts" button from the resultant window's menu.

9.  Choose the "Mailbox Behaviors" tab to select options for handling sent messages and draft messages.  Most folks prefer to leave a copy of sent messages on the server.  This will allow the messages to be accessed from any computer, the same will go for any draft messages.  This is Mail.app's default setting.

10.  The final step is to select the "Advanced" button to configure the IMAP Path Prefix.  The only setting that must be modified is the "IMAP Path Prefix:", set the prefix to "INBOX", and leave all other settings at their defaults.  

11.  Choose the "General" button to back out of the Accounts section.  Mail.app will prompt, asking to save settings.  Simply click "Save" and close/re-open Mail.app. 

 

Apple Mail Client version 3.2 (Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard').

The latest iteration of 'Mail.app', which ships with OS X 10.5, is a minor revision of it's predecessor. Setup is very simple and concise. If one has a .Mac account and has configured their Mac to use the account, setup is almost transparent. This tutorial will cover the setup for a FacStaff account from a copy of Mail that has not been previously run.

1. Open Mail from the 'Applications' directory and choose the 'Mail' menu item and then the 'Preferences...' sub-menu item. Choose the 'Accounts' button in the Preferences window. Click the plus (+) marqued button at the bottom left-hand corner of the window. A wizard will open. Fill-out the full name associated with the e-mail address, the actual e-mail address, and the facstaff e-mail password. Click 'Continue' to proceed.

2. The next window asks for the server's (Facstaff) incoming mail settings. FacStaff is an IMAP server, which uses SSL to secure connections over port 993. The full server name for FacStaff is 'facstaff.sas.upenn.edu'. The SSL feature requires users to authenticate and to make sure the proper mailbox is found during the connection. Enter the part of the e-mail address which preceeds the 'at' symbol (@) for the 'User Name:' field, also know as one's 'Penn Name'. The 'Description:' field is used to notate the account on the left-hand side of the Mail.app window. If no description is chosen the incoming server name will be used. The password asked for is the same one requested in the previous window, the user's facstaff e-mail password. Click 'Continue' when finished.

3. Outgoing Mail Server settings are the same as they were for incoming settings. The outgoing server name is the same as the incoming mail server. If the user is going to be using the copy of Mail.app from off campus, then the 'Use Authentication' box should be checked and the same User Name and Password entered from the incoming server settings page. I use authentication for all connections to facstaff, both incoming and outgoing, whether I am on or off campus. Click 'Continue' to proceed.

4. Account Summary displays a list of the chosen options selected thus far. Note the example image, and specifically, the Incoming Mail Server field. The incoming server is configured as 'mobile.sas.upenn.edu' instead of the prescribed, 'facstaff.sas.upenn.edu'. Mobile.sas is an alias address which can be used for accounts that may have more than one connection open to facstaff at the same time. The IMAP protocol does not work at it's best with simultaneous connections open to the same mailbox. This feature is compounded with the fact that facstaff is a clustered server and not a single entity. If that is the case for the user account mailbox being configured, make sure that ALL user connections to facstaff use 'mobile.sas.upenn.edu'. Mobile's address will not be effective if it is used on only one connection. The key to this window is to make sure that 'SSL' is enabled on both incoming and outgoing connections, or else the connection will fail. Once the connection requirements are met, click 'Create'.

5. Mail.app accounts can be further configured from the 'Preferences...' windows in the 'Accounts' tab. Select the account that is to be configured and the settings will appear in one of three panes to the right. The 'Account Information' tab can set user information, account description, as well as incoming and outgoing server settings.

6. The 'Mailbox Behaviors' tab configures more IMAP-specific settings for the e-mail account. I tend to keep my IMAP-related mail items on the server. FacStaff has no official quota and basing my items on the server offers them from whichever IMAP connection I make and from wherever I choose to make it. None of my important is stored on my computer, so in a case of hardware theft or failure, no mail-related items are lost. Address books cannot be stored on the server in this way. The 'Notes' feature is new to Mail.app and OS X Leopard, it does just what the name-sake indicates. If left unchecked, a folder will be created under the IMAP\INBOX directory called 'Apple Mail To Do', but the folder will not be visible from with-in Mail.

7. The 'Advanced' settings tab should not need any immediate configuration, just to make sure that the IMAP\SSL port is set to 993. Mail automatically detected and configured the SSL settings by querying the FacStaff server itself. Make sure everything is as it is indicated in the image below and close the Accounts window.

8. The inbox will now sync with the copy of the user's mailbox on FacStaff. Depending on how much mail is located on the server, the process could be quick or slow. Be patient... That's it!

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This page was last updated on September 16, 2009.