Mail Server

The mail server consists of a POP3 and an SMTP server and client. The POP3 clients get emails on a regular basis and store it in a directory called the spooling directory. The POP3 server allows Outlook to get those mails from that directory. The SMTP server is used by Outlook to send mails, which will either be sent to the recipient on the Internet or transmitted internally by storing it in a spool directory.

Using a mail proxy server

A mail proxy server is used for internal and external mail transport.

Every mail sent to the mail proxy server is examined if it can be submitted internally. Internally transmitted mails are transported to the users mailbox without connecting to the Internet; external mail is stored in a send queue and gets transported the next time an Internet connection is established.

The mail proxy server receives incoming mail by querying POP3 accounts or via SMTP and submits them to the users mailbox. Incoming mail can also be received via SMTP pushing (see later)

Steps required to use the OLWorkgroupFolders mail proxy

Step to be performed on the server

The mail server must be installed on a computer with Internet access.
All mail accounts (POP3 accounts) are set up on the mail server.
A user account is set up for every user containing its mail account and email address

Steps to be performed on the client

The Internet email account on the clients must be modified to point to the computer running OLWorkgroupFolders

The user name and password must be changed to be one of the users stored in the data base in OLWorkgroupFolders

OLWorkgroupFolders requires client authentication on outgoing emails. If the client is not capable of authentication, its ip address can be entered in trusted hosts. (See below)

Internet connection set-up (OLW)

On Outlook 2000 or less, the mailboxes may be stored on the server. If at least one mailbox is stored on the server, the button must be clicked. Outlook XP has a different handling for emails, which causes this function not to work with Outlook XP.

Mail Proxy

The mail proxy is a server, which works between the Outlook clients and the Internet. It gets the mails from your email providers and sends mail over the Internet. Email to addresses known to the server is transported internally without using the Internet. Multiple users can share the same POP3 mail account; the server will distribute the emails according to the recipient names given in the email.

The advantages of using a mail proxy are

• Internal emails are not routed through the Internet.
• If a dial up connection is used, every dial in costs money. The mail proxy dials in on a regular basis, if any Outlook client is getting mails. Even if the clients check their mailboxes every minute, the proxy checks in another interval, for example every hour.
• Mail, which arrives via one single POP3 account, can be distributed internally to the recipient’s mailbox.
• Mail can be forwarded, for example to a hotmail account, so a traveling user is able to read internal and external email from anywhere in the world.