E-Mail @ UCR

Frequently Asked Questions

The following is a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions. To view the answer, click the orange plus icon to the right of the question.

General

• How do I know whether I should use POP or IMAP?
  

  POP and IMAP are two protocols that mail programs use to access mail from an email server.
  
  How do I know if I normally use IMAP or POP to check my mail?
  
  The majority of users access their mail using POP. However, you can check by going to your email client’s Tools, Options, or Account Setup areas and checking what is selected.
  
  What's the difference between IMAP and POP?
  
  IMAP works by keeping mail on the server. POP works by downloading your mail to your computer. What does this mean to me? Using POP to check mail will give you access to new mail only when you check mail from the web while away from your main computer. Once you check your mail and it is downloaded from Eudora or Outlook it is removed from the email server. Using IMAP to check your mail keeps all of your email and email folders on the server which can then be accessed via your email client or using the Webmail interface through your web browser.
  
  "POP" stands for "Post Office Protocol"
  
  A POP account downloads mail to your local computer by default. Often, when a message is downloaded, it is deleted from the mail server. This prevents you from reading the same messages when you go to a different computer. Some mail clients, including Eudora and Outlook, let you tell POP servers to “Leave Mail on Server” for a certain period of time. This allows you to read the same messages again from another computer, if necessary. You might want to do this if you read your mail from computers at work and at home, or on a desktop and a laptop computer.
  
  The advantage of POP mail is that you have your messages with you and can peruse them even while you are not connected to the Internet.
  
  The disadvantage is that it is difficult to keep multiple computers synchronized. Messages you send from one computer are not copied on the other computers.
  
  "IMAP" stands for "Internet Message Access Protocol."
  
  It is better than POP for accessing mail from multiple locations because it leaves the mail messages on the mail server. This lets you read the same messages regardless of what computer you use to read your e-mail. Messages you send are also stored on the mail server (if you keep copies, which is a good idea), so if you send a message from work, you will see that message when you access your mail from home or from a laptop while on the road. When you use an IMAP account you are, in fact, viewing your e-mail that is stored on UCR’s email server. There are no copies of the messages stored on your local computer unless you make a special effort to copy them there.
  
  Because with IMAP your messages are kept indefinitely, you must remember there is an upper limit on the amount of mail storage you can use on the server, it is 500MB. If you get a lot of mail your account can fill up so it is recommended that you closely monitor the space being used. One caveat is that to use IMAP requires the computer be connected to internet.

• How do I find my ISP's SMTP hostname?
  Due to the SMTP Authentication requirement, it is no longer possible to use a non-UCR SMTP server to send UCR email. Visit the SMTP Authentication page for more information.
• How do I start and stop email forwarding from my UCR email account?
  

  If you would like to forward all e-mail from your UCR account to another e-mail account (Yahoo, Gmail, etc.), you will need to set this up in Webmail.

  1. Click on Options from the left-hand menu.
  2. Click on Forwarding, from the top menu.
  3. In the text box labeled Forward To: enter the address you want all of your mail forwarded to.
  4. Click on the Start button to start your forwarding. NOTE: You may choose to keep a copy of each forwarded message by check the box that says "Keep a copy of each forwarded message"

• How do I manage my quota?
  

  First of all, if you use a POP3 e-mail client (e.g. Eudora, Outlook), your e-mail is downloaded to your computer and is immediately removed from the e-mail server. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about exceeding your quota unless you receive more than 50MB of e-mail in a very short period of time, which is very unlikely.

  On the other hand, if you use Webmail@UCR exclusively or you use the IMAP setting with Eudora or Outlook, you may need to create a method of archiving large attachments or older e-mail messages.

  E-mail Archiving for Outlook Users

  If you use Outlook, you can archive your E-mail@UCR messages by creating a Personal Folders File (.pst file). A Personal Folders File is a locally stored file that acts as a storage area for any e-mail messages that you want to keep, but don’t need access to from Webmail@UCR or from your IMAP client. After creating the .pst file, simply drag messages from any IMAP folder to any of the folders you have created in the .pst file.

  E-mail Archiving for Eudora Users

  If you use Eudora, you can archive your E-mail@UCR messages by using the “built-in” local folders that are created when you first configure Eudora. When a Eudora IMAP personality is created, the locally stored Inbox, Out and Trash folders are retained. In addition to those default local folders, you can create additional local stored folders to use for archiving your e-mail. Once you have created additional folders, you can drag from your IMAP folders to the local folders, any message you want to store on your hard drive.

Accounts & Passwords

• How do I get a UCR e-mail account?
  

  An email account is automatically created for you once you have a UCR Net ID and an entry for you is created in the Enterprise Directory database. It takes 2 hours after your entry is made for the server to be updated and your email ready for use. At that point you should go to http://password.ucr.edu to set a permanent password; the password your Enterprise Directory Administrator sets will expire in 7 days. Your UCR Net ID is the username you will use to check your email, along with the password you selected.

• How do I change my e-mail password?
  

  You can change your password at http://password.ucr.edu.

• How do I get my e-mail account password reset if I have forgotten it?
  

  For employees with a UCR Net ID who do not know their password, a new temporary password will be assigned once an application for a UCR Net ID is completed.
  Once an application for a UCR Net ID is completed, the Department Enterprise Directory Administrator will provide the employee with a new temporary password.
  
  UCR’s Enterprise Directory is updated within two hours of the Administrator inputting the new temporary password. Once the Enterprise Directory is updated, the temporary password can be changed by visiting http://password.ucr.edu.