Thursday, December 8, 2011

IMAP vs. POP

What do they stand for?

IMAP
Internet Message Access Protocol
POP
Post Office Protocol

What's the difference?

The main difference, as far as we are concerned here, is the way in which IMAP or POP controls your e-mail inbox.
When you use IMAP you are accessing your inbox on the U of M's central mail server. IMAP does not actually move messages onto your computer. You can think of an e-mail program using IMAP as a window to your messages on the server. Although the messages appear on your computer while you work with them, they remain on the central mail server.
POP does the opposite. Instead of just showing you what is in your inbox on the U's mail server, it checks the server for new messages, downloads all the new messages in your inbox onto your computer, and then deletes them from the server. This means that every time you use POP to view your new messages, they are no longer on the central mail server. Figure 1 illustrates these concepts.

IMAP

IMAP client-server diagram, both clients see same inbox

POP

POP client-server diagram, office computer retrieves new mail, home computer then sees none
Figure 1: Accessing your inbox, IMAP versus POP.

IMAP makes it easier to view mail from home, work, and other locations

Because IMAP leaves all of your messages on the central mail server, you can view these messages from any location with Internet access. This means the U of M e-mail inbox you view from home will be the same one you see at work.
Since POP downloads new messages to your computer and removes them from the server, you will not be able to see those new messages on another computer when you check your inbox. Those messages exist only on the computer that downloaded them using POP.
However, if you use IMAP and create e-mail folders on the server, these folders are accessible from anywhere you read your e-mail using IMAP. If you use POP and create e-mail folders, they are stored locally, and you cannot access these folders from anywhere except the computer on which you created them.
POP can create problems if you alternate between it and IMAP. There is an option in many POP e-mail programs to leave copies of the messages on the server, but this option has complications. When you leave copies of the messages on the server, then access your e-mail using WebMail or another IMAP e-mail client, the POP client may create duplicate messages next time it accesses the inbox; you will see each of the messages more than once, and you will have to clean out (delete) the unwanted ones.

You may want to keep local copies

While using IMAP to save e-mail on the central mail server is recommended, there are reasons to have local copies of messages (messages downloaded to the computer, as with POP). Fortuanately, IMAP allows you to keep local copies of all your messages. The option of local copies is useful when you are connecting from a dial-up connection. You may want to download your messages, then disconnect from the Internet and work with your mail offline. Please note that while you are working offline, you cannot send or receive mail. You need to be connected to the Internet to do those tasks.

You have a backup of your e-mail with IMAP

The University's central e-mail servers are backed up every night. Thus, when your e-mail is stored on the U's e-mail server (as is the case with IMAP), a backup of your e-mail is made every night. These backups are used in the event of system failures or if a virus deletes your local mail. If you use POP, you lose your mail. The University cannot help you recover it because it was not stored the U's central e-mail server.
With the growing number of computer viruses and attacks from hackers, there is a greater possibility that e-mail can be deleted without your knowledge. The best insurance against loss of important e-mail is to have it on the University's e-mail server.

How To Configure GMail Account With Microsoft Outlook 2010

Microsoft Outlook is the most powerful and intuitive e-mail client software. Microsoft’s Outlook 2010 provides  a very rich set of e-mail management tools to help you better manage your emails with a cool user interface. If you have a GMail account, then configuring the account with Microsoft Outlook 2010 is a piece-of-cake.

First of all launch MS Outlook 2010 and click the office button which is located in the left most corner, now under the Info category you will be able to see the Account Settings option, click the drop down button and choose Add Account as shown in following screenshot.
create-new-account-outlook-2010
In the next step, select Email Account, enter Your Name, Email Address, and Password and click Next.
auto-account-setup11
Now sit back and relax, Outlook 2010 will do the rest for you, it will establish connection to the relevant network, search for GMail server settings and log you on to the server automatically.
outlook-accountsetup-2
It will take a couple of minutes to complete the required configuration.
outlook-2010-gmail-complete
Click Finish and thats all, it will take some time to download your emails.
gmail-configured-with-outlook1
Now use all the enhanced features of Outlook 2010 to manage your GMail inbox. Enjoy!

How to configure gmail account on outlook 2007

Step1: Configure Gmail Account
  • First Log into your gmail account.
  • Left-click "Settings" in the upper right corner of the gmail page.
  • In "Settings," click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab.
  • Locate the "IMAP Access" section. Click the "Enable IMAP" radio button.
  • Click "Save Changes." Your gmail account is now ready to be configured in Outlook 2007.
Step2 : Configure outlook 2007
  • In Outlook 2007, click "Tools" on the main toolbar. In the drop-down menu, Click "Account Settings." In the account settings dialog box, the "Email" tab is selected by default.
  • With the "Email" tab selected, click "New." The "Add New E-mail Account" dialog box will appear. In the form provided, enter your name, email address and password. Click the box next to "Manually configure server settings or additional server types," then click "Next."
  • In the "Choose E-mail Service" dialog box, click the radio button next to "Internet E-Mail." Click "Next" to progress to the "Internet E-mail Settings" option.
  • In the "Server Information" section, click the arrow next to account type and select IMAP. In the "Incoming Mail Server" box type "imap.gmail.com". In the "Outgoing Mail Server" box type "smtp.gmail.com".
  • In the "Logon Information" section, insert your full Gmail address in the "User Name" box. It should resemble "username@gmail.com." Insert your password in the "Password" box. Click the check box for "Remember Password," then lick "More Settings."
  • Click the "Advanced" tab. Change the "Incoming server (IMAP)" to "993" and select "SSL" from the drop-down menu. Set "Outgoing server (SMTP)" to "587" and select "TSL" from the drop-down menu.
  • Click the "Outgoing Server" tab. Click the check box and enable "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication." Leave the radio button on "Use same settings as my incoming mail server." Click "OK."
  • On the "Internet E-mail Settings" dialog box, click "Next," then "Finish."
  • On the "Account Settings" dialog box, you will see your new Gmail account. Click "Close." If asked, you can instruct Outlook to synchronize your folders, or you can manually select "Send/Receive" on the top toolbar.