CIT offers new options for managing e-mail online -- with WebMail

By Beth Goelzer Lyons

Do you often read your Cornell e-mail on different computers? Have you wished there were an easier way to check your messages on the Web -- from anywhere? Two new e-mail services from Cornell Information Technologies may help.

The all-new WebMail service gives you greater flexibility and speed in accessing your e-mail on the Web. You can maintain an address book, organize and filter messages, and even delete all messages, all at once, if desired.

WebMail can be used from anywhere, on any computer with a contemporary Web browser. If Cornell's SideCar software is not installed, security is provided by CUWebLogin, which uses SSL, the same technology that protects credit-card and other sensitive information on the Web.

Powering WebMail is IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol), a new option that lets you store and organize your messages, both old and new, on CIT's central e-mail system. IMAP works with both WebMail and Eudora 5.2.

Up to 200 megabytes (MB) worth of messages can be kept online, even what you send, for as long as you want. You can also move messages between personal computers and the server (handy for archiving, or for migrating "pre-IMAP" mail).

Initially WebMail and IMAP are being offered on a new CIT e-mail server. By the end of 2003, they should be available on every CIT e-mail server.

If you want to use them now, you'll need to switch your e-mail account to the new e-mail server and, to use Eudora with IMAP, upgrade your Eudora software (see http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/email/eudora/setupimap.html).

Note: If you currently use PureMessage (the spam flagging and virus filtering service introduced in February), you can already access WebMail and will only need to change some Eudora settings to use IMAP.

Find out more about WebMail at http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/email/webmail/. For tips on using Eudora with IMAP, see http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/email/eudora/imaptips.html.

IMAP, WebMail and PureMessage can be used by Cornell community members who receive their e-mail via the CIT e-mail (postoffice) servers (the long form of their address would be a variation of @postoffice.mail.cornell.edu). Community members whose addresses end differently (for example, @department. cornell.edu) are receiving e-mail via their department or college and may not have similar services available.