Using AirMail to access non-SailMail email accts via POP3/SMTP


Airmail version 3.0 includes a "Mail Client" module that can be used to
fetch messages from any standard Internet POP3 server. This allows you to
connect your computer to the Internet and use AirMail to access any
"outside" (non-SailMail) email account that you might have, for example an
MSN or AttGlobal account, so long as that account has a POP3/smtp server.

While you could use any email client program to do this (e.g. Outlook) some
members prefer to use AirMail so that the email messages from the outside
account end up in the AirMail message index folders. Other members want to
keep their outside email account entirely separate and so use Outlook or
some other mail client.

In principle one could also use this approach to retrieve SailMail messages
from SailMail's pop3 server but we don't recommend it. If you have internet
access and want to retrieve your SailMail messages using AirMail it is much
faster and easier to just press the "internet" button on the message index
window in Airmail and retrieve your messages that way rather than using
POP3. For details on how to do that send a blank email to
internet@saildocs.com

To set up Airmail's Mail Client for accessing a pop3/smtp server, first make
sure that you have an Internet connection set up and working (check Windows
Help if you need assistance). Then start Airmail and select Tools/Options,
"Modules" tab. Check the box next to "Mail (pop/smtp) Client" to enable it,
and click OK.

Now go to Airmail's "Modules" menu and select "Mail Client" to open the
mail-client window. The next step is to set up a new mail account. Click the
"New" button, and enter a name that you will use to identify the account
(something like "MSNaccount").
On the right side, in the "POP3 connection" box make the following settings:
Server address: enter your outside account's pop server which would be
Something like "pop3.msn.com"
Login Name: enter the login (or username) from your outside account
Password: enter the password for your outside account.
Do NOT check the "Leave mail on server" box unless you want to download the
same messages again. Do not make an entry in the "Don't download" box. Leave
the timeout set to 60 and port 110.


On the left, under SMTP connection enter the SMTP-server parameters from
your outside account:
Server address: enter your outside account's SMTP server which would be
Something like "smtp.msn.com"
From Name: (your name or boat name, used only for the return address)
Email address: (your outside email address).
Login: this is typically unchecked. If your outside email service
requires you to login to the SMTP server then check the
Box and enter a password and username
Leave timeout set to 60 and port set to 25. Double-check the settings and
click "OK".

For dialup connections, you have the option of either dialing your own
Internet connection or letting Airmail do that. To have Airmail initiate the
dialing, check the "Before connecting" box and select the dial-up account
that you want to use from the pull-down list. If you want Airmail to hang up
the connection when finished, then check the "then hang up" box, otherwise
the connection will stay open (subject to Windows timeouts). AOL users will
need to initiate the dialup connection using AOL's dialer.

Now, from the mail client window, establish a internet connection if you did
not check the "Before connecting" box, and then click the Mail Client's
"Check All" button. Airmail will first send any outgoing messages that are
posted to your outside account, and then check the POP3 server for incoming
messages.

For AOL users: Once you connect with AOL, a standard Internet TCP/IP
connection is opened. This allows Airmail (or any other program) to access
the Internet directly. So first make the AOL dialup connection manually
(Airmail cannot dial an AOL account), then open Airmail's Mail Client (from
the Modules menu) and click "Check All". Note that this requires AOL's
Internet link to be enabled, this should be enabled by default and can be
checked by starting Internet Explorer or any web browser and opening a web
page.

If you have problems getting connected, dial the connection manually and try
to open a web page with Internet Explorer or any other browser (try opening
www.google.com). If you get a "page not found" error, then there is
something wrong with the dialup connection.

If you are looking for economical dial-up Internet access with lots of
international access points around the world, we have had good success with
ATT's business Internet service, www.attglobal.net.

For questions email: jim@siriuscyber.net