From BingWiki
< TechFAQ
See also E-mail at Binghamton University.
How do I configure Thunderbird/Outlook to work with BU's Email system ?
you need the following information to configure BU mail on Thunderbird\Outlook:
Incoming Mail Server:
Location: mail.binghamton.edu Type: POP3
Outgoing Mail Server:
Location: smtp.binghamton.edu Type:SMTP
Note: if you intend to use your Binghamton mail off campus and have Road Runner Internet Service then you may need to provide the following location for the outgoing mail server: smtp-server.stny.rr.com
My e-mail box is full. How do I get rid of some messages?
You can use Squirrel Mail (sometimes known as "smail") to do this. But you can't just delete messages from your Squirrel Mail Inbox (or other mailboxes) because the default is to simply move them to the Trash folder; during that move you would have two copies, which makes things worse.
So, you need to tell Squirrel Mail to immediately and permanently delete messages. You do that this way:
After you have logged on to SquirrelMail
- Click Options.
- Click Folder Preferences.
- Under Special Folder Options, in the Trash Folder menu, choose [Do Not Use Trash].
- Click Submit at the bottom of the page.
If you want, after relieving the overcrowding, you can reverse the steps to use the Trash folder again.
How can I forward messages sent to binghamton.edu e-mail to another address that I read more regularly?
You can configure your campus e-mail account to forward incoming mail to another address. You do this using web access to the mail system at http://webmail.binghamton.edu. Select Options at the top, then Forwarding, and fill in the blanks.
I can't send a large photo or other file attachment to a message from my campus e-mail. How can I transfer these type of files?
Transfering files through the Internet involves two major considerations: size and security.
Security has two additional components:
- Will the file get where it's going intact?
- Will the material be protected from unauthorized access?
Unless you have complete control over both ends of the transfer (that is, both the sending and receiving computers are under your complete control), you will be sharing resources, usually on a server somewhere. Maximum space allocations are defined for server applications like e-mail so that server resources can be equitably shared. It is those server applications that help to ensure the security of your file transfers.
At Binghamton University, as of May 2007, the largest e-mail message you may send is about 12 megabytes, including all headers, the message body, and all attachments. The largest that may be received is also about 12 megabytes. Note that a single large message can easily put a recipient's mailbox quota (including yours) over the edge.
The Blackboard system can also be used to make files available to virtually anyone on the Internet through its content management (your Content Collection) features. The current quota limit is 20 megabytes. Blackboard also has extensive security control facilities.
The University strongly discourages individuals from establishing FTP servers. If you have a regular requirement for transferring large files, please contact the Director of Academic Computing, or the ITS Help Desk for assistance.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing systems can be used for transferring very large files. The variety of P2P systems means that you must choose among them for a particular transfer. P2P file sharing often requires the use of special "ports" on your computer. Most of these ports are blocked by campus firewalls for security reasons.
Can I use something other than Mirapoint webmail to access my electronic mail on or off campus?
You can use any e-mail client that can handle e-mail using either the POP3 or IMAP mail protocols. These include Pine (from a UNIX or Linux-type system), Outlook Express, Outlook, Thunderbird or any of a number of other programs.
A simple guide to help you install Thunderbird for example is here.
How can I send e-mail from my personal account (non-BU mail account like gmail) while on Campus?
If you use a browser-based e-mail system like gmail, Yahoo! mail or Hotmail, you will use it just like you would use it anywhere else.
If you use a POP or IMAP-based e-mail system, you will need to configure your preferred e-mail client (Thunderbird, Outlook, Outlook Express, etc.) to read your mail based on information supplied by your e-mail provider. Most modern e-mail client software allows you to configure multiple accounts. However, to send mail from on campus, you will need to configure outgoing mail to use the campus SMTP server, smtp.binghamton.edu, instead of your provider's sending service.
Alternatively, your provider may offer a browser-based alternative. Check with your off-campus e-mail provider for details.
What is a zero-day exploit?
Just like in biology, computer viruses or other computer "malware" are constantly changing, mutating, if you will. There is an on-going battle between the bugs and the bug killers. Once in a while a new poison appears before an antidote is available. In computer lingo, this is known as a "zero-day exploit" because it appears before day one; that is, before there has been an opportunity to react.
Some research effort has been directed toward preventing attacks like this by (a) predicting where attacks might appear in future, and (b) hardening systems in various ways to prevent some kinds of attacks. Inevitably, large and complex systems (like large and complex biological systems) may always be vulnerable to concerted attacks by determined organisms.
Can I get a virus just by reading an email?
There are some (rare) viruses that can be transmitted simply by reading (opening) an e-mail message, usually only on Windows computers, and usually only using Outlook or Outlook Express e-mail clients. These problems can be avoided by making sure your computer is up to date with all the latest Microsoft patches, and has an up-to-date anti-virus package installed.
What is a Strong Password?
see http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/create.mspx
