Configuring IMAP

Important Note: by default, IMAP and POP3 e-mail programs connect to the e-mail server every several minutes to check for new messages. Each time, it sends your username and password in a clear-text readable format across the network. Programs know as "sniffers" can be downloaded and used to capture these conversations and to view your username and password, along with the content of the mail you're reading and sending. To prevent their ability to capture and read this infomation from your computer, it is important that you follow the section secure communication. This will encrypt the conversation across the network and make it very difficult for someone else to see your username and password. This is especially important if you use a wireless network.

Index

1. General Information
2. Setup Outlook Express for IMAP
3. Secure Communication
4. Setup MSU E-mail Directory
5. Subscribing to IMAP folders

I. General Information

IMAP is a quick and efficient protocol for communicating between Outlook Express and the e-mail server. By default, messages are stored on the server and can be access from different computers. The disadvantages of Outlook Express/IMAP are that you need to configure your e-mail program on each computer, and you will not be able to use the calendar functions of MavMAIL like you would using the browser version of Outlook at MavMAIL.

II. Setup Outlook Express for IMAP

1. Start Outlook Express and cancel any installation wizard. (Outlook Express is installed along with Microsoft Internet Explorer. New versions can be downloaded from the Internet Explorer website.)
2. Within Outlook Express, click Tools | Accounts and then select the Mail tab. From here, click the Add button and select Mail from the menu.
3. The Internet Connection Wizard will now start and ask you for your name. Enter your name in the box and click Next.
4. Now you will need to enter your official MSU e-mail address. (you can find your official e-mail address and username at http://www.mnsu.edu/password) This is typically your firstname.lastname@mnsu.edu but not in cases where others on campus have the same name as you. It is important to get this correct since this is your return address on each message sent.Click Next.
   
5. Now you need to enter the correct server information. Click the arrow next to POP3 and change the selection to IMAP server. Then enter mavmail.mnsu.edu as your Incoming IMAP server and smtp.mnsu.edu as your Outgoing SMTP server. (NOTE: off-campus users may need to have a different outgoing mail server name). These settings are important so make sure spelling is just as shown below and click Next.
   
6. Now you need to enter your official MSU username and (optionally) your password. If you don't enter your password, you will be prompted each time you connect to the MavMAIL server. (IMPORTANT: do NOT check the "Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA)" checkbox!) Click Next.
   
7. The wizard is done so click Finish.

   III Secure Communication

   As noted in red at the top of this page, IMAP and POP3 by default send your username and password as well as e-mail messages across the network unencrypted. This communication can easily be captured giving intruders access to your e-mail, server storage, dial-in, and other accounts. This is not a problem with Outlook Express, but it is common with all POP3 and IMAP programs such as Netscape, Eudora, etc. We recommend that you configure POP3 and IMAP e-mail programs to use secure, encrypted sessions to reduce the likelyhood of somone being able to capture your username and password. This is especially critical for wireless users.

8. If you've just finished step 7, you'll be in the "Internet Accounts" window with the Mail tab selected. If you don't see the Internet Accounts window, click Tools | Accounts and then select the Mail tab. Now you should highlight the mavmail.mnsu.edu account that you just created and click the "Properties" button.
   
9. From the mavmail.mnsu.edu Properties window, select the "Advanced" tab. Make sure that the checkbox under "Incoming mail (IMAP)" is checked. You will notice that the number in the box changes from 143 to 993 when "This server requires a secure connection (SSL)" is selected.The properties should look identical to the screenshot below. Click OK.
   

   IV. Setup MSU E-mail Directory

   You have access to an electronic listing of students faculty and staff currently enrolled at MSU. Also included are e-mail addresses for groups, organizations, and points of contact on campus. This directory is referred to as an LDAP directory. You can use the directory to create contacts within Outlook Express and to build your own personal distribution lists. This will save you time addressing messages and communicating to important people.

10. If you are proceeding from step 9) you will be in the "Internet Accounts" window, select the Directory Service tab. If you do not see the "Internet Accounts" window, click Tools | Accounts and then select the Directory Service tab. From here, click the Add button and select "Directory Service from the menu.
    
11. The Directory Service wizard will start and ask you for the LDAP server. Use "ldap.mnsu.edu" and click Next.
    
12. The next question asks you if you want to check e-mail names in the MSU LDAP directory before a message is sent. Here you have the option of Yes or No. You can always change this setting later. This may save you time having to re-address and resend messages that are misstyped. Click Next and Finish to exit the wizard.
    
13. Now we need to change some properties of the LDAP server. Highlight ldap.mnsu.edu and click the Properties button.
    
14. Click the Advanced tab and fill in "dc=mankato-msus,dc=edu" (notice-no spaces between the comma and dc) in the "Search base:" box. Click OK
    
15. Finally, at the Directory Services tab, I remove all the other Directory Services in the list. Click Close when finished.

    V. Subscribing to IMAP Folders

16. If you're proceeding from step 15) you may get the following message. Click Yes.
    If you don't see the message below, highlight the mavmail.mnsu.edu folder in Outlook Express and click the IMAP Folders button on the right side of the screen.
    
17. You will be shown a list of folders on MavMAIL. Click OK.
    

    You are now finished. Click on your Inbox and you should see e-mail messages in the preview pane if you have messages waiting on the server for you.