While retrieving mail with POP mail, what can I do if I get a "server came up halfway..." error message?

Note: The software discussed here is no longer in common use at Indiana University, and UITS may no longer be able to verify the document's accuracy. The UITS Support Center may no longer have the manuals and other materials required to support this software adequately.

Note: At Indiana University, UITS has discontinued POP mail in favor of IMAP. For more information on the POP and IMAP protocols, see At IU, why doesn't UITS support POP mail?

If, while retrieving your mail via POP, you get the error message "server came up halfway...", there are four situations that could be the cause:

• There is a problem on the POP server (the central computer that your computer gets mail from).
  
  
• Your POP mail client software (e.g., Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger, Eudora) is having a problem.
  
  
• Your computer is having a memory problem.
  
  
• You are using Mac OS (not Mac OS X), and there is a problem with your MacTCP.

Follow these steps to diagnose which of these four problems applies to you and to solve the problem:

Check that the POP server is alive and healthy

Try the following steps to check that the POP server is working correctly:

1. Log into the POP server with a telnet client. The address you should connect to is: your_popper 110

   Replace your_popper with the system you use for retrieving mail via POP mail.

2. If the system is alive, it will respond with something like: +OK valium Cyrus POP3 v2.0.12 server ready
3. That does not necessarily verify that the server is healthy, however. So on the next blank line, enter: user your_username

   Replace your_username with your username. On some servers, you may have to press Enter to get a blank line.

4. The server should reply with something like: +OK Password required for username

   This reply is a better indication that the server is healthy, but doesn't completely prove it is. If the reply is something else, then there is probably something wrong.

5. If you get the +0K message, then enter: pass your_password

   Replace your_password with your password.

   Warning: This will display your password on the screen, so you shouldn't do this in a place where others are watching.

6. The server should respond with something like: +OK Maildrop locked and ready
7. That means the POP server is healthy. To exit, enter: quit
8. If you do encounter an error, write it down and contact technical support.

Check your POP mail client configuration

If this test verifies that the POP server is both alive and healthy, then the problem is either with your POP mail client configuration (e.g., Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger, Eudora) or with your computer (Macintosh or Windows). If you've made any changes to your POP mail software configuration, change them back and/or close the application and try again.

Restart your computer

In Windows 3.1, 95, 98, or Me, and in Mac OS previous to OS X, it is not unusual for system memory to become corrupted. To clear up this problem, close all applications and restart your computer.

Delete your MacTCP DNR file

If you are using an older version of Mac OS (not Mac OS X), try deleting your MacTCP DNR file. Sometimes a problem with your POP server can affect the MacTCP DNR file, and re-creating the file fixes the problem:

1. Close all applications except the Finder.
   
   
2. Double-click your hard drive's icon and open the System Folder.
   
   
3. Find the file MacTCP DNR, and drag it to the Trash.
   
   
4. Restart your computer. This file will be re-created the next time you connect to the network.