Converting from EMC2


Vol. 18, No. 35	June 24, 1999

Converting from EMC2

What's in a name?

You've probably heard or read about them all: "mail.udel.edu," "the server" and "copland.udel.edu." Do you know what these "terms" have in common? They are all different names for the same thing-the University's central e-mail server.

Servers, clients and quota

When you view your e-mail using a desktop e-mail client (e.g., Netscape Communicator, MS Outlook, etc.), the desktop application works in conjunction with the University's central e-mail server.

You will be able to use e-mail more efficiently if you understand how the central e-mail server and a desktop e-mail client work together.

An e-mail server receives the e-mail sent to you and the e-mail you send to others. A desktop e-mail client instructs the server to deliver e-mail sent to you and to deliver e-mail you send to others. And, the client provides tools to save, organize and manage your e-mail.

Because the central e-mail server is shared by thousands of users, you are allocated a limited amount of space, also called quota. If you exceed your quota, you may not be able to access your e-mail until you reduce the amount of space you are using. So, you should always delete unnecessary e-mail. You can use your client to save e-mail you want to keep on your desktop computer's hard drive.

Activate your account

The central e-mail server needs to be able to identify you when you ask it to deliver your e-mail, so you must activate an account on the server.

You'll need your Social Security number (SSN) and personal identification number (PIN) to identify and authenticate yourself to the server. If you do not know your PIN, contact your department's Personnel Records Office (PRO) contact.

You can connect to the "UDelNet Connections" web page <http://www.udel.edu/network/> to create a username and password, which will activate your account.

Create your username

You must create a username for your account. This is both the ID you will use to log in to the server and your e-mail address. Remember, in a sense, your username becomes "public" because your correspondents may use it to send you e-mail.

A username can be made up of 2-8 lowercase letters (no spaces, numbers or punctuation marks). For example, if your name is Roger Rabbit, you could select one of the following usernames:

last name (rabbit),
first name (roger),
first initial and last name (rrabbit),
last name and first initial (rabbitr) or
nickname (bugsy).

Your username is the name you must use to log in to your account on the server. You may use your username as part of your e-mail address (e.g., roger@udel.edu), or you may continue to use the "Firstname.Lastname" format (e.g., Roger.Rabbit@udel.edu).

Create your password

To create a secure password, use the following recommendations:

5-8 characters,
a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters,
a mixture of letters, numbers and punctuation marks and
one that is easy for you to remember, but not easy for others to guess.

And, most importantly, keep your password secret--don't write it down or tell anyone what it is. Unlike your username, your password can, and should, be changed often.