Understanding and Configuring Email

Using E-mail

• E-mail is used for exchanging messages with other users.
• Messages sent via email reach their destination within seconds.
• Emails will remain in the recipient's mailbox until they are opened.
• E-mails can consist of text, audio, pictures, and video messages.

Configuring E-mail

• Email clients are used to read and send emails.
• Outlook and Eudora are examples of common e-mail clients.
• Configuring these clients typically require the name of the mail server.
• A username and password are required to use email clients.
• Hotmail and Yahoo are online email clients.
• Online clients do not require specific configuration.

How Email Travels

• SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.
• SMTP handles the sending, receiving, and relaying/transmission of email messages.

Key Terms

• MTA (Mail Transfer Agents) are programs running on a mail server.
• MTA receive messages from mail user agents (MUAs) or other MTAs.
• MDA (Mail Delivery Agent) is a software component responsible for delivering email messages to a local recipient's mailbox.
• MDA is also called a local delivery agent (LDA).

E-mail addresses

• E-mail addresses provide a unique way of sending messages.
• Email addresses allow you to send and receive messages.
• An e-mail address is structured as [email protected].

E-mail actions

• The following actions are involved in the email process:
• Creating a new message
• Sending an attachment
• Replying to emails
• Opening attachments
• Forwarding an email

Major Features of the Internet:

• News sections work like a public board devoted to a topic, with potentially thousands of topics available.
• Messages within the news section are called threads.
• Users can create and comment on news threads.
• Using the news section requires a news reader program.

Other Internet Features: File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

• FTP is used for copying files from a remote computer.
• Using FTP requires an FTP client.
• Certain sites require a password to access.

Other Internet Features: Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

• Internet Relay Chat (IRC) provides a real-time communication system.
• IRC supports multi-users with communication through many channels, often called "rooms".
• Communication channels are commonly dedicated to a specific topic.
• All users are able to read the comments on the channel.

Other Internet Features: Instant Messaging (IM)

• Instant messaging (IM) allows for private, real-time communication.
• Messages sent using Instant Messaging are only sent to listed users.
• IM services use buddy lists to organize IM names.

Other Internet Services:

• Online services are companies that offer access by subscription.
• Common online services provided are banks, games, and research.
• These services support different kinds of online transactions.

Other Internet Services: Peer-to-Peer (P2P)

• P2P connects user computers together directly.
• Peer-to-peer services have no centralized organization.
• P2P users can communicate directly.
• Users can share files using peer-to-peer (P2P) services.