ECE Sysadmin Wiki

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======ECE Email Server======

Updated: 2017-07-07

 This Wiki page contains some of the technical details of the new ECE Email server
for the Department's Research Groups.






=====New email format=====
The new ECE Email server uses a different format for storing email messages.

In the old email format, a mail folder is stored in a single
file. This causes head aches when multiple email clients try
to access the folder and the  performance drops as the folder contents gets bigger.

In the new format, email clients can read and delete messages while new mail is being 
delivered. Each message is stored in a separate file with a unique name, so it 
is not affected by operations on other messages. The local file system handles file locking, 
not the mail agent program which increases reliability.


=====Webmail=====

 The Webmail server uses the open-source SquirrelMail package. 

ECE's webmail site is [[https://webmail.ece.utoronto.ca]]

[[http://squirrelmail.org/documentation/| SqurrelMail documentation]]

==ADDED PLUGINS==
The **Proon** plug-in can manually or automatically prune any of your folders of old messages. There is detailed help information under the **Options-> Pruning** section.

The **Bypass Trash** plugin provides configurable means to allow users to quickly purge one or more messages without moving them to the trash first. A button
called **Wipe** is shown which removes a message without sending it to the **Trash**
folder. 

 The **Address book Import - Export** plugin allows for the importing or exporting of address books from a CSV (comma separated values) file. This will be located at the bottom of the **Addresses** section.













=====Email Client Settings=====

 Many client programs will automatically configure the appropriate IMAP connection settings for your account, but confirm that the connection settings your client configures are the same as what's listed below.

The outgoing SMTP mail server is **mail.ece.utoronto.ca**.
The SMTP server uses secure SSL/TLS port **465**.

**SMTP server IP address 128.100.10.107 using SSL/TLS port 465**

 The incoming IMAP mail server is **mail.ece.utoronto.ca**.
The IMAP server uses secure SSL/TLS port **993**.

**IMAP server IP address 128.100.10.107 using SSL/TLS port 993**

 















===== Supported Mail Clients =====
Below is a list of mail clients which work well with the Email server.
We will be adding links to How-to pages containing instructions for configuring
the client email.

    * Thunderbird [[https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/]] Free and open-source email client with IMAP support
    * Outlook Express [[http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows-vista/where-is-outlook-express |Outlook Express is replaced by Windows Mail]]
    * Windows Mail
    * Outlook [[http://wiki.ece.utoronto.ca/doku.php/userdoc:ms_campus_agreement| Recommend getting latest Outlook through Campus Agreement]]
    * Apple Mail [[http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1277|Apple Cheat Sheet]]
    * [[http://www.comm.utoronto.ca/~jli/ece.thunderbird.setup.htm| Thunderbird ]]
    * Icedove (Tier 1 Linux Default Thunderbird equivalent)
    * Evolution
    * [[userdoc:ece_email:pine_with_imap| Pine and Alpine]]
    * [[userdoc:ece_email:mail_mailx_with_imap| mail & mailx with IMAP]]
    * [[userdoc:ece_email:mutt_with_imap| mutt with IMAP]]
















=====Managing your User Settings on the Server=====

 User settings can be modified through a web-based interface called **Usermin**.
SpamAssassin filter settings, Procmail filter settings, forwarding email, and autoreply (vacation) messages can be configured.
The **Mail** option in the upper-left of the **Usermin** web interface , when expanded, will list the 
user tools installed.


[[https://mail.ece.utoronto.ca:20000]]

 **How-tos for web-based interface:**

[[http://www.comm.utoronto.ca/jli/ece.autoreply.setup.htm|Setting Up ECE email autoreply (vacation)]]

[[http://www.comm.utoronto.ca/jli/ece.forwarding.setup.htm|Setting Up ECE email forwarding]]

The ECE email server uses Spamassassin for filtering Spam email.
The system scores incoming email based on sender, subject, content, attachments and 
additional attributes and if the score is  high enough, the email  is placed in your Spam folder.

 Spam will still get through since there is a balancing act between allowing legitimate
email and blocking spam. Spammers are constantly finding ways to disguise their spam
to look like legitimate email.

The following web page shows how to mark incoming email addresses as Always Allow (Whitelist)
or Always Deny (Blacklist).

[[http://www.comm.utoronto.ca/jli/ece.spam.setup.htm|Allow and Deny email Addresses in Spamassassin (Spam filter Whitelist and Blacklist)]]

 The following web page shows how to  define additional tests on  incoming email 
depending on content of the header or body. Custom tests are usually not needed but 
in the case you are getting a lot of false positives or negatives then the option 
is available.

[[http://www.eecg.utoronto.ca/~peterp/under_construction.html|Additional content tests for Spamassassin]]

Procmail can be very useful for users that receive large amounts of incoming mail.


  *[[userdoc:ece_email:filtering_with_procmail | Advanced filtering with Procmail]]