Configuring POP3/IMAP4 Services

The Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) and the Internet Message Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4) are standard messaging protocols for the Internet. The GroupWise® Internet Agent can function as a POP3 or an IMAP server, allowing access to the GroupWise domain database and message store. With POP3 or IMAP server functionality enabled, GroupWise users can download their messages from GroupWise to any POP3/IMAP4-compliant Internet e-mail client. To send messages, POP3/IMAP4 clients can identify the Internet Agent as their SMTP server.

Complete the instructions in the following sections to set up POP3/IMAP4 service:

NOTE:  Internal IMAP clients can connect directly to the POA, rather than connecting through the Internet Agent, as described in Supporting IMAP Clients. Direct connection provides faster access for internal IMAP clients.


Enabling POP3/IMAP4 Services

By default, POP3 service and IMAP 4 service are enabled. To verify that the services are enabled and configured appropriately:

  1. In ConsoleOne®, right-click the Internet Agent object, then click Properties.

  2. Click POP3/IMAP4 > Settings to display the POP3/IMAP 4 Settings page.


    POP3/IMAP4 Settings property page

  3. Fill in the fields:

    Enable POP3 Service: POP3 service is on by default. This setting allows POP3 downloads from a GroupWise mailbox. It corresponds with the Internet Agent's /pop3 switch.

    Number of Threads for POP3 Connections: The POP3 threads setting lets you specify the number of connections for POP3 download requests. The default is 10 threads. This setting corresponds with the Internet Agent's /pt switch.

    Enable IMAP4 Service: IMAP4 service is on by default. This setting allows IMAP4 downloads and management of GroupWise messages. It corresponds with the Internet Agent's /imap4

    Number of Threads for IMAP4 Connections: The IMAP4 threads setting lets you specify the number of connections for IMAP4 requests. The default is 10 threads. This setting corresponds with the Internet Agent's /it switch.

  4. Click OK to save the changes.


Configuring Post Office Links

To function as a POP3/IMAP4 server, the Internet Agent requires access to each post office that contains mailboxes that will be accessed by a POP3/IMAP4 client. The Internet Agent can connect directly to the post office directory through a UNC path or mapped drive, or it can use a TCP/IP connection to the Post Office Agent (POA). By default, the Internet Agent will use the access mode that has been defined for the post office (Post Office object > GroupWise tab > Post Office Settings page). If necessary, you can change the way the Internet Agent links to a post office.

To change a post office link:

  1. In ConsoleOne, right-click the Internet Agent object, then click Properties.

  2. Click Post Office Links > Settings.

    The Post Office list displays all post offices in your GroupWise system and how the Internet Agent connects to them


    Post Office Links property page

  3. In the Post Offices list, select the post office whose link information you want to change, then click Edit Link to display the Edit Post Office Link dialog box.


    Edit Post Office Link dialog box

  4. Define the following properties:

    Access Mode: The access mode determines whether the Internet Agent will use client/server access, direct access, or both client/server and direct access to connect to the post office. With client/server and direct, the Internet Agent first tries client/server access; if client/server access fails, it then tries direct access. You can also choose to use the same access mode currently defined for the post office (on the Post Office object's Post Office Settings page). The current access mode is displayed in the Current Post Office Access field.

    Direct Access: When connecting to the post office in direct mode, the Internet Agent can use the post office's UNC path (as defined on the Post Office object's Identification page) or a mapped path that you enter.

    Client/Server Access: When connecting to the post office in client/server mode, the Internet Agent must know the hostname (or IP address) and port number of the Post Office Agent running against the post office.

  5. Click OK.

  6. Repeat Step 3 through Step 5 for each post office whose link you want to change.


Giving POP3 or IMAP4 Access Rights to Users

Access to POP3/IMAP4 services is determined by the class of service in which they are a member. By default, all users are members of the default class of service, which gives them POP3 and IMAP4 access.

If you have changed the default class of service to exclude POP3 or IMAP4 access rights, or if you've defined additional classes of services that do not provide POP3 or IMAP4 access rights, you might want to evaluate your currently defined classes of service to ensure that they provide the appropriate POP3 or IMAP4 access. For details, see Controlling User Access.


Setting Up an E-Mail Client for POP3/IMAP4 Services

With the Internet Agent set up as a POP3 and/or IMAP4 server, you can configure users' e-mail clients to download messages from GroupWise mailboxes.

Most e-mail clients are configured differently. However, all Internet clients will need to know the following information:


User ID Login Options

With POP3 clients, users can add the options listed in the table below to the login name (GroupWise user ID) to control management of their mailbox messages. If used, these options override the POP3 settings assigned through the user's class of service (see Creating a Class of Service).

Login options are appended to the user ID name with a colon character (:) between the user ID name and the switches:

Syntax: user_ID:switch

Example: User1:v=1

You can combine options by stringing them together after the user ID and the colon without any spaces between the options:

Syntax: user_ID:switch1switch2

Example: User1:v=1sdl=10

The syntax for the user ID options is not case sensitive. Please note that login options are not required. If you do not want to include any login options, just enter the user ID name in the text box, or following the USER command if you are using a Telnet application as your POP3 client.

Option Explanation Example

v=number between 1-31

The v option defines the POP3 client's view number. If multiple POP3 clients access the same GroupWise mailbox, each client must use a different view number in order to see a fresh mailbox.

For example, if two POP3 clients access a mailbox and the first client downloads the unread messages, the second client will not be able to download the messages unless it is using a different view number than the first client.

If this option is not used, the default value is 1.

User_ID:v=1

d

The d option deletes the messages from the GroupWise mailbox after they have been downloaded to the POP3 client.

User_ID:d

p

The p option purges the messages from the GroupWise mailbox after they have been downloaded to the POP3 client.

User_ID:p

t=1-1000

The t option defines the download period, starting with the current day. For example, if you specify 14, then only messages that are 14 days old or newer will be downloaded. If this option is not used, the default value is 30 days.

User_ID:t=14

n

The n option downloads messages in RFC-822 format rather than the default MIME format.

User_ID:N

m

The m option downloads messages in MIME format. This is the default.

User_ID:M

s

The s option presets the file size when the STAT command is executed. If the users' mailbox contains a lot of messages or large messages, it can take a long time to calculate the file size. With this option, the STAT command will always report an artificial file size of 1, which can save time.

User_ID:S

l=1-1000

The l option limits the number of messages to download for each POP3 session. For example, if you want to limit the number of messages to 10, you would enter l=10. If this option is not used, the default value is 100 messages.

User_ID:L=10