CSM Webmail FAQ

1) What is Webmail?
CSM Webmail is a way to access your Mines e-mail using a web browser. You are not required to use CSM Webmail to access e-mail. POP and IMAP are also supported. Please see our main e-mail page for more information at http://www.mines.edu/e-mail.

2) What e-mail address should I give people to reach me by Webmail?
Your e-mail address will not change, you should still use your_username@mines.edu.

3) Where are my Webmail preferences stored?
Webmail stores your configuration on the Webmail server which allows you to have a consistent interface for e-mail regardless of the location or configuration of your local computer. Some preferences such as your addressbook can be exported and backed up and archived on another computer.

4) How do I use the addresses in my Webmail Addressbook?
You have two choices. If you type the nickname of the person you want to send mail to in the To:, Cc: or Bcc: field and then press the Expand Names button, the nickname of the person will be replaced by their address. Alternatively, if you launch the Addressbook window from the compose window there will be an option to insert the selected address into the To:, Cc: or Bcc: field.

5) How do I view all of my contacts in the addressbook?
After entering your Webmail addressbook, select Search, without any names in the Search text box.

6) What is the Webmail attachment size limit? How can I send large attachments?
The attachment size limit on the webmail system is currently 50MB. If you need to send a large attachment (and/or to multiple people), you can use the linked attachment feature in Webmail. If you need to send an attachment larger than 50 megabytes in size, you might want to consider splitting the file into 50 megabyte or smaller chunks.

7) My web browser displays a warning about sending personal information over the web each time I submit something to Webmail.
Your browser is correct, there is a danger any time you send information over the web to a website. Chances are everything is fine but your browser does not know this, so it warns you every time you send something over the web. For more information please see the next question on security.

8) Is Webmail secure and safe to use?
Webmail is no more or less safe than any other e-mail client. While we have done everything to make webmail as secure as possible there are issues you should be aware of:

Privacy: If you don't know the owner of the website you are sending information to you can't be certain how that information can be used. In the case of webmail you should be able to trust us (really - trust us!). Webmail falls under the same policy as any other CSM e-mail system. If you have questions about CSM's privacy policies, please see http://www.mines.edu/policies/e-mail.htm
Security: Another danger is that a third party may be eavesdropping on your communication with CSM, or may be impersonating CSM entirely. Since you must give your e-mail password to enter the Webmail system anyone eavesdropping could discover your password. Fortunately this threat is virtually eliminated when using a secure web service (this is why you use https:, rather than http: to access the webmail site). Note: if you must use a browser than does not support encryption please contact Academic Computing and Networking for help with the insecure alternate.
Viruses: Please see the separate question in this FAQ about viruses.

9) Can I get a Virus from webmail?
You should not be able to get a virus from the Webmail system itself, however it is possible to get a virus from e-mail you receive via the Webmail system. You should take the same precautions you always take: don't configure your browser to execute programs automatically and don't open attachments unless they are something you were expecting from someone you know. You should also install virus protection software on your system and keep it up to date. CSM can provide this software to you, please see the web page http://www.mines.edu/software/virus/.

10) How do I open attachments?
The Webmail system knows how to handle a limited number of attachment types automatically. If an attachment does not open when you select it you need to select the save to disk icon just to the left of the attachment name. This will save the attachment to the disk on your local system. You can then run the viewer appropriate for that attachment. REMEMBER: Never open an attachment unless you have some idea of what it is.

11) I cannot save messages to folders. What's wrong?
You are "over quota" on your e-mail account disk usage (you've used more than your allotted disk space). To save new messages you will need to clean up files on the e-mail server. To check your disk usage on the e-mail server, go to the Quota Check page at http://newuser.mines.edu/quota.

12) Can I access webmail without using SSL encryption?
If you are using Webmail from countries such as France or China, SSL encryption may not be allowed by local laws.
Using the unsecured port 4050 will allow unencrypted Webmail sessions. Simply use http://webmail.mines.edu:4050
in your web browser URL bar.

13) How do I change my webmail password?
You can use the web interface at http://newuser.mines.edu/password to change your Webmail password.

14) Webmail doesn't accept my login password.
     1) Did you create your Mines e-mail account? Accounts are not created automatically and can be created on the newuser site.
     2) Are you using your e-mail address instead of your username to login? Your username is to the left of the @mines.edu in your e-mail address.
     3) Are you sure the password you are using is correct? Try changing it here.
     4) Are you a returning student/faculty/staff? The prevous account may have been removed. If this is the case, a new account may need to be created.

15) Login Problem: "login expired"
The solution is to clear the browser's cache (Usually Tools > Internet Options > Delete Files if using IE). Do this and then close and re-open the browser and try to login again. Sometimes you have to re-boot to get the browser to give up. The problem is persistent cookies. Firefox usually does not have this problem.If you still experience problems with IE and "Login Expired" error messages, if possible, try accessing Webmail via a Firefox browser and/or using a different computer.

16) Why does my compose window open and then immediately close?
Check to see you do not have a pop-up blocker enabled in your web browser. If you do, include the webmail.mines.edu URL in the allowed sites in your blocker's preferences.

17) How do I configure Webmail to work with other IMAP clients such as Thunderbird, Outlook, and Apple's mail.app?

The following configuration is strongly suggested to allow compatibility between Webmail and other IMAP clients. You should not use Webmail blacklists (under Filters) if this configuration is selected. When the blacklist rules are run, part of the process is to purge all messages marked as deleted in your Inbox. Be aware that this purge action is performed when using blacklist rules within Webmail.

1) In Webmail, click on Options then on "Deleting and Moving Messages"

2) Uncheck the "When deleting messages, move them to your Trash folder...." option then click on "Save Options" to save your settings.

3) Now when you delete a message, it will be marked as deleted and not be moved to another folder. When you return to the main mail Inbox screen, be sure you have selected the "Show Deleted" option. This shows you messages marked for deletion with a line through them. Once you are ready to remove the messages from the system, click on the "Purge Deleted" option.

4) In your second IMAP client, we should choose the option to mark messages as deleted. As an example, in the OSX version of Thunderbird, you would choose Tools -> Account Settings -> Server Settings -> "When I delete a message - Mark it as deleted." Other e-mail clients should have a similar option.

18) Can I use a POP3 or IMAP protocol e-mail client and Webmail at the same time?
If you use Webmail to read e-mail either on or off campus, we do not recommend using a POP3 e-mail client unless you fully understand the consequences . POP3 clients are usually configured to download messages then remove the messages from the server. Because of the default actions of many POP3 clients, your webmail Inbox will not match y our POP3 client's Inbox. This may lead to data loss and therefore is not a supported configuration. If you would like to use webmail with another e-mail client then we suggest you use the IMAP protocol instead. You should under NO circumstances have both Webmail and a POP3 or IMAP client running at the same time. This may result in data loss and also damage your Inbox beyond repair.

19) How do I select "My Addressbook" as the default address book?
1) There are two sections you will need to visit for this. Click on Addrs, Options, then the Searching Options icon. Select "My Addressbook" as the default for contact lists and searches and Save Options.

2) The second section is in the main Options menu under Address Books. Click on Mail, Options, then Address Books. Select the order in which you wish to search for addresses by clicking on the selection and using the top hand. Typically this would be in the order of "My Addressbook, Private Address Book, then CSM IS LDAP Directory." Save your options by choosing "Save Options."

20) How do I import and export my addressbook from the previous Webmail to the new Webmail?
1) To export: Login to the previous Webmail server and click Address Book and Import/Export. Under the "Export Address Book" section, click on Export and save the turba.csv file. This has saved your address book in the form of comma separated values to your local disk.

2) To import: Login to the new Webmail, click on Addrs then Import/Export. If you wish to overwrite your current address book, choose the Replace existing address book with the imported one option. Be advised that this will erase any current addresses stored in your Webmail address book. Under Select the file to import, browse to the location of the previously saved turba.csv file. Select the file and open. Click Next, Next (step 2), and Next (step 3)

21) How do I subscribe to folders?
1) Click on Options, Server and Folder Information, check "Use IMAP Folder Subscriptions?" then Save Options.

2) Click on Folders and Show Unsubscribed. This will show you listing of available folders. Select which folders to be subscribed to then under Choose Action select the "Subscribe to Folders" option.

3) If you do not see an indicated trash folder (shown with a trashcan), you will need to reset your trash folder. Click on the Options top icon, click on Deleting and Moving Messages, and choose the appropriate trash folder under the Trash Folder dropdown box. Save your changes. Failure to have a trash folder set may result in UID COPY errors or unable to delete e-mails as referenced by this FAQ entry.

22) Some of my previous folders are missing. Where did they go?
Check to be sure that the folders you are trying to access have been subscribed to. It is usually the case that you simply not subscribed to a particular folder. If this is the case, Webmail will not display the folder. See the above section on "How do I subscribe to folders?"

23) I get an error when trying to delete messages. The error says "UID COPY failed: Can't append to mailbox." What's wrong?

Your designated trash folder is missing. This may have happened when re-subscribing to your folders. You may need to create and select a new default trash folder. Click Folders on the top icon bar. Verify you have an existing trash folder. If you do not, create a new folder by choosing Create Folder under the Choose Action dropdown box. You will then need to specify a trash folder. Click on the Options top icon, click on Deleting and Moving Messages, and choose the appropriate trash folder under the Trash Folder dropdown box. Save your changes.

24) I cannot sort messages. Why?
You have more than 150 messages in your folder. For performance reasons sorting is disabled for folders containing 150 or more messages.

25) I keep seeing the "Last Login" as never.
The last login information is now kept within the HORDE application and no longer in the IMP application. Since we only allow access to IMP, the last login date can never be updated. You will need to contact support for this prefence setting to be removed.

26) I cannot access my "sent mail" folder.
Click on Folders then Show Unsubscribed and see if you already have a sent-mail folder created. If not, create a sent-mail folder from the Choose Action dropdown tab OR subscribe to the folder by checking the sent-mail folder then choosing Subscribe to Folder from the dropdown tab. Once this is done, click on Options -> Personal Information and checkmark the Save Sent Mail? selection then select your sent-mail folder from the Sent mail Folder dropdown tab. The Save a copy box will now automatically be checked in every compose window. If you do not want to save a copy of a particular message simply uncheck the Save a copy box within the compose window prior to sending the message.

27) How do I choose a sent-mail folder?
Click on Options -> Personal Information -> Edit Your Identities. The save sent mail folder dropdown box allows you to choose a sent-mail folder.

28) How do I filter messages with [spam-high] in the subject line to automatically be moved to the trash folder?

Use this filter rule with caution. Failure to enter the rule exactly as described may result in mail loss!
For most users, the default settings in Webmail will move deleted messages to the trash folder. This filter will automatically filter all messages with [spam-high] in the subject line to the trash folder. First select the Filters icon at the top of the menu bar. Click on New Rule to create a new filter rule. Call the rule name spam to trash. Click on the dropdown box select a field and choose Subject. The dropdown box Contains automatically appears. In the empty box to the right of Contains, type in [spam-high] exactly as shown (see picture below). Not doing this correctly may result in mail loss so be careful! Under Do This:, choose Deliver to folder: and choose the trash folder from the list of available folders. The trash folder should be an option directly under Mail in the dropdown box. Once you are finished, click on Save to save the filter. This filter will be activated every time you login to Webmail.

29) Why should I not use the browser's navigation buttons to navigate through webmail?
Using anything other than the navigation icons and dropdown menus that are shown within the webmail window may lead to corruption of your Inbox or other folders. Corruption of your Inbox is very possible if you purge the trash folder and hit the browser's back button. You should never use the browser's back, forward, or refresh button while in webmail. You should always use the Mail icon or use the dropdown folder menu in the upper right hand corner to access your folders and Inbox.

30) I cannot access my "drafts" folder.
Click on Folders then Show Unsubscribed and see if you already have a drafts folder created. If not, create a drafts folder from the Choose Action dropdown tab OR subscribe to the folder by checking the folder then choosing Subscribe to Folder from the dropdown tab. Once this is done, click on Options -> Message Composition and select the Drafts folder from the Drafts Folder dropdown tab. "

http://www.Mines.EDU/helpdesk
Last Modified: Sep 23 2008/rmh