The Leave Mail On Server (LMOS) FAQ

Q: How is my mail normally delivered and downloaded?
 
A: If you are using a POP3 mail program and server, your mail is
initially delivered to the mail server. The server is up, running and
on the Internet all the time so mail can always be delivered to
it. Periodically your mail program (or "mail client") connects to the
mail server, downloads messages to your computer, and then removes
those messages from the server.
 
 
Q: What is "leave mail on server"?
 
A: Most mail programs allow you skip the last step of deleting the
mail from the server. This allows you to leave it on the server and
pick it up from the server several times in several places. For
example you can pick up the same email from computers at home and at
work. Leave mail on server is often abbreviated as LMOS.
 
 
Q: How do I turn on "leave mail on server"?
 
A: It depends on the mail program you are using. Most mail programs
have a check box that turns this feature on. It is usually associated
with the Options or Settings for the incoming mail server. Some times
it's in the advanced section. Some mail programs just let you specify
how many days to leave the mail on the server. If it is 0 then the
feature is turned off. Be sure you turn it on for all mail programs on
computers that you check mail from. If not, one will keep deleting the
mail and the others will only get mail if they get it before the other
deletes it.
 
 
Q: Does this work with all mail servers?
 
A: No. Even though a server is a POP3 mail server, the system
administrators may elect to remove your messages from the server once
you download them, even if you configure your mail program to leave
them there. They do this because they want to save disk space on the
mail server. Some may allow you to leave mail on the server only in
small amounts or only for a few days.
 
 
Q: How to do I know if it works with my mail server?
 
A: In the future, mail programs and servers may inform you whether or
not they support leaving mail on the server. Today, the best thing to
do is ask the manager of the mail server or try it. If you check mail
from a second computer and don't get the same messages you got at the
first, your server probably deletes the messages after you download
them. If this happens be sure to use only one computer to check mail
or you will have some messages on one computer and some on another.
 
 
Q: Does leaving mail on the server slow down my mail downloads?
 
A: Yes. It slows them down in two ways. Some servers are much slower
when they have to process a lot of mail. You will notice that it takes
a lot longer for your mail program to log in to the server with these
servers. Even with servers that don't slow down in this way, it will
take a little longer to check your mail because the mail program has
to transfer more message identifiers to find out which messages need
to be downloaded. The second slow down usually isn't as noticeable.
 
 
Q: For how many days should I leave the mail on the server?
 
A: You should make it the longest time you go between mail checks at
the computer you use most infrequently. That will guarantee you get
all the messages at all computers. As mentioned above, leaving mail on
the server can slow things down. The less mail you leave on the server
the less it will slow down.
 
 
Q: Do I have to read every message twice?
 
A: Most often, you wind up reading (and deleting) many messages
twice. This is probably the biggest problem with leaving mail on the
server. Some mail programs help with this by allowing you to delete
messages on the server you have read or deleted.
 
 
Q: What does "delete from server after deleted," or "after trash is emptied" mean?
 
A: When you read and delete a message some mail programs delete it
right away, others put it in the trash. When you empty the trash it is
removed permanently. If you check mail after you have emptied the
trash, many mail programs will remove items emptied from the trash
from the server as well (if they were still on the server). This is an
excellent way to avoid reading mail twice. You check mail and download
new messages at one location, read them, delete them and empty the
trash. Then you check mail again. The second check removes the
messages from the server so they won't be downloaded a second time at
some other location.
 
 
Q: Why are some messages marked as read after I download them?
 
A: Some POP3 servers mark a message as read after it has been download once completely. 
Some mail clients pay attention to this mark, and some don't. For the clients that do, it is 
usually considered a useful feature, however it is a non-standard feature of POP3 so not all 
servers and clients support it.
 
 
Q: What about access to other mailboxes and mail folders that I have?
 
A: POP3 servers only handle one mailbox, your inbox. There is no way
to access, or arrange access to other mailboxes.
 
 
Q: How can I coordinate my message filters between my two computers?
 
A: Usually you have to manually keep the filter configuration the same
on both computers. This is particularly messy for people that get lots
of mail and use filters to manage it. In some cases it's possible to
copy a configuration file from one computer to another, but this
technique is rarely supported by the mail program and is usually at
your own risk.
 
 
Q: What about IMAP?
 
A: IMAP was invented to solve the problem of multiple access to your
email, as well as a number of other problems. If you use IMAP you can
often avoid having to read you mail several times. The problem with
IMAP is that it is not nearly as widely supported as POP because it is
more complicated, and because it often users more server
resources. ISP's and MIS departments are more reluctant to deploy it
because of this.


updated May 19, 1998


