Managing SENS Electronic Mail

Introduction

Electronic Mail, or "email", is a necessity of life in the University community. Important information about coursework, projects, and other subjects of academic interest, as well as personal business, are often conveyed using email, due largely to the ability of being able to read messages when it is convenient to do so.

In addition to the email services provided by CIT, SENS maintains two email systems, one for our Engineering users and one for our Natural Sciences and Mathematics users. The following sections describe how these resources can be used.

Be aware that your home directory quota can affect how much email you can save to folders other than your "Inbox". Also, please be aware of this statement from the SENS Policies and Practices page:

We do not enforce quotas on email inboxes as we don't want to cause people to lose incoming email. However, we will send you a message if your inbox gets to a size that we consider too large, and expect you to delete some items to reduce the size promptly. Account deactivation can result from ignoring this request.

Linking your SENS and ACSU Email Accounts

Since you may receive email at both your CIT account and your SENS account, it can be useful to link these two email accounts together. As a member of the SENS community, we recommend that you "forward" your CIT email to your SENS account. You can do this by following these steps:

First, make sure you don't have your SENS email forwarded to your CIT account, or else an ugly situation will occur when you follow the steps below. Log in to your SENS Unix account, and look for a file named ".forward" in your home directory. This is a "hidden" file, so it won't normally show up in listings generated by the "ls" command, so use the command "ls -l .forward." If the file exists, and contains the address of your CIT email account (ubitname@buffalo.edu or ubitname@acsu.buffalo.edu), delete it.
Go to the CIT email management site: http://ubit.buffalo.edu/mail/
If you are new to the University, and have not yet set up your CIT email account, you should do so now by clicking on the link titled "Activate your mailbox." When you are done, return to the main CIT email page for the steps below.
Click on the link titled "Forward your email."
Enter your UBITName and click the Submit button.
Next to the button labeled Submit Forward, fill in your SENS email address (ubitname@eng.buffalo.edu or ubitname@nsm.buffalo.edu). Then click the Submit Forward button.
If you have done this correctly, a confirmation page will appear stating that your email will now be forwarded.
You can now leave that web site, and your email will be forwarded to your Engineering/NSM account.
Important: To make sure that other people know which email account is your preferred one, go to the UB Online Phone Book (LDAP) Directory Update web page and change your mailing address accordingly.

Forwarding SENS Email to Another Account

Users are able to forward their ENG mail to another email account at any time simply by following the steps below. Please be advised that forwarding your mail will deactivate the spam filter and any vacation message you may have set on your account.

To forward your SENS email to another account, you will need to log in into your SENS account at either unix.eng.buffalo.edu or unix.nsm.buffalo.edu. We recommend using an SSH (Secure Shell) client as it is more secure than programs using older protocols such as Telnet. The "PuTTY" software, which is an SSH client for Microsoft Windows systems, is available at: http://ubit.buffalo.edu/software/win/

Once in your home directory, create a .forward file by entering the following commands:

setenv VISUAL pico (case is important)
pico

In the pico editor, type in your username and the email address you want to forward your mail to as follows:

newmailaddress (ex: js2@hotmail.com)
[press CTRL & X to exit]
[respond with Y - save changes]
[enter filename to write] .forward

To remove a forward, SSH into your ENG/NSM account and type: rm .forward

You will need to recreate the .forward file to forward your mail again.

Setting/Unsetting a Vacation Message

If you are on vacation, or on travel, it is nice to be able to have an automated reply sent to people who email you, so that they don't think you're ignoring them, or wonder if the message didn't get through.

Here are the steps to set up a "vacation" message, or to disable a previously enabled message:

Log on to one of the "unix.eng.buffalo.edu" timeshare systems, described on this page.
Type the command "vacation" and press return.
Follow the instructions. When editing the message, the special variable "$SUBJECT" will be replaced with the sender's subject line when the vacation program replies to them.
Send yourself a test message to make sure it's working properly.

General Email Client Notes

These notes apply to any email client software on any platform. In some cases they are generalizations, and subject to interpretation.

Email client software should be configured to use the IMAP network email protocol. Detailed instructions for some popular clients are included in sections following this one. We strongly discourage the use of the POP3 protocol.
For Engineering users, the name of the IMAP server is mail.eng.buffalo.edu.
For Natural Sciences and Mathematics users, the name of the IMAP server is mail.nsm.buffalo.edu.
The SENS IMAP servers support secure socket connections. If your email client software supports this feature, use port 993 and turn on the encryption option (in Microsoft Outlook, for example, this is in the "Advanced" tab under "Internet email Settings", and there will be a check box under the IMAP port option with the label "This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL)." If your email client does not support this feature, use port 143 and don't turn on this option, but be aware that your connection will not be secure.
Our email servers will only allow outgoing mail to be sent from computers either directly connected to UB's computer network or connected remotely via VPN or the dial-in modem pool. If you are using an ISP, you should use their email system for outgoing mail, and set the "Reply-To:" header in your email software appropriately. Note that we do not allow outgoing mail from OpenPort or ResNet connections.

Using Pine (Unix and Microsoft Windows)

CIT has an excellent page, located here, that describes how to configure and use Pine.

On SENS Unix systems, Pine will attempt to open your SENS IMAP folders instead of your CIT IMAP folders. For PC and non-SENS systems, and for other situations where this doesn't work, you will need to configure Pine manually. To do so, start Pine, and go to the "SETUP" menu. Change the variable "inbox-path" to the value "{mail.eng.buffalo.edu}INBOX" if you are an Engineering user, or to the value "{mail.nsm.buffalo.edu}INBOX" if you are a Natural Sciences and Mathematics user. Similarly, change the value of the variable "folder-collections" to either:

The Engineering Mail Server: {mail.eng.buffalo.edu}mail/[]

The Natural Sciences and Math Mail Server: {mail.nsm.buffalo.edu}mail/[]

Depending on the environment to which you belong. Quit Pine, start it again, and you should be able to enter your UBITName and SENS password and view your SENS inbox.

Using DtMail (Sun and HP Unix Workstations)

A picture of the CDE front panel, with the icons labeled.

DtMail can be configured to read email from your SENS account. To use DtMail, click on the DtMail icon on the Front Panel (shown above). To configure DtMail to read your SENS email, select Options from DtMail's menu bar, select Basic, and in the box near the bottom of the window labeled IMAP Inbox Server, enter either mail.eng.buffalo.edu for Engineering, or mail.nsm.buffalo.edu for Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Click the OK button to save your changes. Now, every time you start DtMail, you will be prompted for your password, and after you enter it your SENS email inbox will be opened.

Using Netscape Communicator

This section pertains to all versions of Netscape Communicator up to and including 4.79. These instructions may also work for Netscape 6 and 7, with variances. Also, this section presumes that you have already installed Netscape Communicator, and that you are somewhat familiar with how it works.

Email Configuration (Profile Wizard)

Launch Netscape Communicator by double-clicking the icon. If you have not previously had Netscape Communicator installed on your computer, a profile wizard will start, and you will be prompted for your personal setup information. If you have previous used Netscape, you will not get the profile wizard window; if that's the case, skip to the next section.

Click Next to set up your profile.
Enter your name and your email address and then click Next. You should enter your SENS email address in one of the following forms, depending on which part of the Node in which you are a user: UBITName@eng.buffalo.edu or UBITName@nsm.buffalo.edu (replacing UBITName with your UBITName).
Enter the name you would like used as your Profile Name and click Next.
Enter mail.eng.buffalo.edu (for Engineering users), or mail.nsm.buffalo.edu (for NSM users) in the Outgoing mail (SMTP) server field and click Next.
Enter your UBITName in the Mail server user name field.
Enter the appropriate imap server from two steps ago, mail.eng.buffalo.edu or mail.nsm.buffalo.edu, in the Incoming Mail Server field.
Check the button labeled IMAP under the Mail Server Type heading.
Click Next.
Enter "news.buffalo.edu" in the News (NNTP) server field and click Finish.
From the "Edit" drop-down menu, select "Preferences…."
Click the "Mail & Newsgroups" category in the preferences window.
Click the "+" symbol next to the "Mail & Newsgroups" category in the preferences window, then select "Identity" (Note: The Unix versions have a triangle symbol instead of a "+").
Click on the "Mail Servers" sub-category.
In the "Incoming Mail Servers" window, select "mail.eng.buffalo.edu (Default)" or "mail.nsm.buffalo.edu (Default)", depending on where you will be reading your email.
Click the Edit button.
Click on the tab labeled "Advanced."
In the IMAP server directory field enter "~/mail."
Now uncheck the box labeled "Show only subscribed folders".
Click "OK".
Click on the "Newsgroups Servers" sub-category.
Make "news.buffalo.edu" a default server, just like you did with the "Incoming Mail Servers" setting.
Click "OK" to finish the setup.

email Configuration (Preferences)

From the "Edit" drop-down menu, select "Preferences…".
Click the "Mail & Newsgroups" category in the preferences window.
Click the "+" symbol next to the "Mail & Newsgroups" category in the preferences window, then select "Identity" (Note: The Unix versions have a triangle symbol instead of a "+").
Enter your name and your email address. You should enter your SENS email address in one of the following forms, depending on which part of the Node in which you are a user: UBITName@eng.buffalo.edu or UBITName@nsm.buffalo.edu (replacing UBITName with your UBITName).
Click on the "Mail Servers" sub-category.
If you don't see a SENS imap server in the "Incoming Mail Servers" window, add one by clicking on the "Add…" button. Enter mail.eng.buffalo.edu (for Engineering users), or mail.nsm.buffalo.edu (for NSM users) in the "Server Name" field, make sure the Server Type is set to "IMAP", and enter your UBITName in the "User Name" field.
If you see a SENS imap server in the "Incoming Mail Servers" window, highlight it by single-clicking, then click the "Edit…" button.
Click on the tab labeled "Advanced".
In the IMAP server directory field, enter "~/mail".
Now, uncheck the box labeled "Show only subscribed folders".
Click "OK" to dismiss the window.
Single-click the server's name in the "Incoming Mail Servers" window and click the button labeled "Set as Default".
Enter the same imap server name from the previous step in the "Outgoing mail (SMTP) server" field.
Click "OK".
Click on the "Newsgroups Servers" sub-category.
Add "news.buffalo.edu" as a server, and make it default, just like you did with the "Incoming Mail Servers" setting.
Click "OK" to finish the setup.

LDAP Configuration

The UB Light Directory Access Protocol Service (LDAP) allows you to search the UB email database when you send email. You may also configure other Internet Directory Services through which to search. To do this, select the "New Directory" sub-menu under the "Address Book" drop-down menu.

Enter UB LDAP in the Description field.
Enter ldap.buffalo.edu in the LDAP Server field.
Enter "o=University at Buffalo, c=US" in the Search Root field and click OK.
Select Edit, then Preferences, and then Mail & Newsgroups.
Click the + next to Mail & Newsgroups and select Addressing.
Check the box next to Directory Server, select UB LDAP from the drop-down menu, and click OK.

Using LDAP

Select Address Book from the Communicator menu.
Choose UB LDAP from the list of directories on the left.
Enter the name, or part of a name, that you would like to find in the "Show names containing" field, and then click Search.

For more detailed searches, click on the Search For button. Enter a Name, email address, Organization, or Department in the corresponding blank, and then click Search.

You can also click the Advanced Search button to widen or narrow your search as necessary. The advanced search options include Name, email, Phone Number, Organization, Organizational Unit, Phone Number, City, and Street.

To update your entry in the LDAP database, direct your browser to the following URL: http://ldap.buffalo.edu/update.html

Using Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook, included in the Microsoft Office suite, is a messaging application that helps you communicate with other people via the Internet.

Requirements

To configure Outlook properly, you must have an active connection to the Internet.

Configuring email

To configure email, click on the "Tools" drop-down menu and select "email Accounts…". Click Add, and then select Mail. Outlook will launch its Internet Connection Wizard, which will prompt you for the following information. Be sure to click Next after each step.

Enter your name as you would like it to appear on email you send out.
Enter your email address. This address should take the form of UBITName@eng.buffalo.edu or UBITName@nsm.buffalo.edu, depending on which part of the Node in which you are a user (and replacing UBITName with your UBITName).
Choose IMAP as your incoming mail server (NOT POP3). Enter "mail.eng.buffalo.edu" (Engineering) or "mail.nsm.buffalo.edu" (Natural Sciences and Mathematics) as the name of your Incoming mail server. We strongly advise turning on SSL encryped connections using the instructions in the section "General email Client Notes", above.
Enter the same server name as above as the name of your Outgoing mail server. If you are using an ISP other than the University at Buffalo (e.g. Verizon or Adelphia), please see the vendor's documentation for information on filling in the Outgoing mail server field.
Under Internet Mail Login, enter your UBITName. It is highly recommended that you leave the password field blank and manually enter your password each time you want to log on. Make sure the Log on using Secure Password Authentication box is NOT checked.
If you are dialing in from off campus, select Connect using my phone line under Choose Connection Type. If you are connecting from a ResNet, Cybrary, or OpenPort connection, or from an on-campus office with an Ethernet link, choose Connect using my local area network (LAN).
You should now see a dialog box that says Congratulations. Click Finish to save the settings.
Select mail.eng.buffalo.edu (or mail.nsm.buffalo.edu) and click Properties. Click on the IMAP tab. In the Root folder path box, enter: "~username/mail", where username is your UBITName. Click on OK and then Close to save the settings and close the window.

To configure additional email options, click on the "Tools" menu and select "Options…":

Click on the Mail Delivery tab. Under the Mail account options section, check the box next to Send messages immediately when connected. UNCHECK the box next to Check for new messages every __ minutes.
If desired, set a signature message for your emails (under the Mail Format tab).
If desired, automatically put the addresses of people you reply to in your Contacts folder (option under the Preferences tab, email options button).

Configuring the LDAP Directory Service

The UB Light Directory Access Protocol Service (LDAP) allows you to search the UB email database for email addresses of parties affiliated with the University at Buffalo. To configure LDAP, click on the "Tools" menu and select "email Accounts…". Click Add and choose Directory Service. The Internet Connection Wizard will prompt you for the following information. Be sure to click Next after each step.

Enter ldap.buffalo.edu as the name of your Internet Directory (LDAP) Server. Make sure that the My LDAP server requires me to log on box is NOT checked.
Choose Yes or No when asked whether you want to check addresses using this directory service. Note that selecting Yes can affect performance considerably if you have a slow connection to the Internet.
You should now see a dialog box that says Congratulations. Click the Finish button.
Click on the Tools menu and select the Accounts option. Click the Directory Services tab, then select ldap.buffalo.edu and click Properties. Click on the Advanced menu tab.
Enter the following in the Search Base box: "o=University at Buffalo, c=US". Click on "OK" and then "Close" to save the settings and close the window.

Reading email

To read your email, click on the mail.eng.buffalo.edu or mail.nsm.buffalo.edu folder on the left side of your Outlook screen and then click on your Inbox folder.

Click on any message to read it.

Sending email

To send email, click on the New button.

Compose your message and click Send when you are finished.

Additional Help

You can click on the Help button from any screen while using Outlook to receive help on a particular activity or feature.

Using Mutt (Unix)

Like Pine, described above, Mutt on SENS/UBiquity Unix systems will attempt to open your SENS IMAP folders instead of your CIT IMAP folders by default (except if you do not have a Node account, in which case it will use your CIT IMAP folders by default). Modifying this behavior is as simple as creating a file named ".muttrc" in your home directory, then putting contents such as these in it (changing "eng.buffalo.edu" to whatever domain/server you want to use):

# My email domain:
set hostname=eng.buffalo.edu
# My IMAP server of choice:
set spoolfile="{mail.eng.buffalo.edu}inbox"

Filtering Spam

Spam, or unwanted email solicitation, is a problem that affects almost everyone who uses electronic mail. Here are some tips for enabling bulk email filters on the SENS email servers and for several email clients. In combination, they can be quite effective at screening out unwanted email. However, please be cautioned that we are not responsible for the loss of "legitimate" email by using these procedures.

Using the SENS Bulk Mail Filter

To use the SENS Bulk Mail Filter to filter your spam, go to the SENS Bulk Mail Filter page.

Netscape Communicator

This page has some information on filtering spam using Netscape Communicator. The only negative might be if the user is subscribed to a lot of newletters and mailing lists, they may have to put in a lot of filters to keep that stuff (see the second section in the instructions).

With this method, the user has to monitor what gets trashed and what gets saved to make sure they're not losing anything important that happens to meet the filter criteria, and make any necessary adjustments. Unfortunately, there's no "perfect" way of filtering out only what is not wanted.

Microsoft Outlook

This page has a wealth of information on filtering spam using Microsoft Outlook. Please note that the user will have to monitor what the filter is putting in the destination folder after setting this up to be certain it is only filtering out what is not wanted. Also, email from some subscribed mailing lists may get "caught" in this filter. If so, a filter will need to be added before this filter to route that email FIRST. Please realize that there is no perfect filter that can be 100% certain what is valid email and what is not.

SENS Webmail

For information about SENS' webmail service, please refer to our SENS Webmail page.

Again, your feedback is very important to us, so please send any comments or questions you have to nodehelp@eng.buffalo.edu. Thanks!

University at Buffalo - State University of New York

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