If my desktop email client is not covered in the Knowledge Base, how do I configure it to work with IU email systems?

Some lesser-known or lesser-used desktop email clients will work with Indiana University accounts, but have not been documented in the IU Knowledge Base. While it is impossible for UITS to document every email program available, it is possible to provide general guidance for these cases.

Note: This document assumes you want to read your mail with email software rather than web access. If you want to access your account through a web browser, see What is IU Webmail? or What is Outlook Web Access (OWA)?

On this page:

• How do I know if my email client will work?
• Which email account do I use?
• Where are the settings I need to configure?
• What are the settings I need to configure?

How do I know if my email client will work?

• You need to know if your email program can access your account using the IMAP protocol. Some clients will call it IMAP4. As long as it can make an IMAP connection, it will work. If your program can only do POP3, it will not work. Also, if it tries to use a standard other than IMAP exclusively, it will not work.
  
  
• Your program must be able to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). If you care only about downloading email and not sending it, your client can get by with SSL capabilities only for the incoming mail server. However, it's best if the settings for both incoming and outgoing mail support SSL.
  
  
• It must be able to authenticate to the mail servers. Every existing mail client can authenticate to the incoming mail server, but not all can authenticate to the outgoing one. Again, if you wish only to receive and not send, you can get by with only the ability to authenticate to the incoming mail server. However, it's still best if you can authenticate with both servers.
  

  Note: A few mail programs, such as some versions of Netscape Messenger, may not have authentication settings for the outgoing mail server, but will give you a dialog box where you enter your username and password.

Which email account do I use?

Cyrus and Exchange are the main email systems at IU. While other systems (e.g., the Computer Science department's Burrow cluster) provide email, every IU user is eligible to get a Cyrus account, and many are eligible for Exchange. For more information, see At IU, what email systems are available?

Where are the settings I need to configure?

Some mail programs have an Options or Settings menu, and others have a file which must be edited manually. Refer to your program's documentation to find where to enter or change these settings.

What are the settings I need to configure?

The settings required to connect to your IU email account are:

• Your IU Network ID.
  
  
• The Incoming mail server. This may also be called the post office server, mail server, incoming, receiving, etc. In other words, it is the server where mail delivered to you ends up.
  
  
  • To access your Cyrus mail account, enter imap.iu.edu .
  • To access your Exchange account, enter imap.exchange.iu.edu .
  
  
• The Outgoing mail server. This, too, may go by different names: SMTP, outbound, sending, etc. Set it to mail-relay.iu.edu .
  
  
• The setting for SSL or TLS, if one exists. Enable it by checking a box or selecting it from a list.
  
  
• The setting for "authentication", "credentials", or something similar to "use username and password" for the outgoing (or SMTP) server. If one exists, enable it.