What is POP3 and
SMTP
POP3 is a protocol
or process to pull email from an email server. SMTP is a protocol or
process for sending email to an email server. POP3 and SMTP are very
different, POP3 pulls email and SMTP sends email.
Why You Need a POP3
Downloader
IGetMail is used to
bridge POP3 servers to your local, SMTP email server.
When you use a
hosting company to host your domain, all email sent to your domain will go to
the hosting company. Your incoming email stops at the hosting company; it
sits and waits for you to take an action. And when you create free email
accounts at GMail or Yahoo, email addressed to these accounts sit on the GMail
and Yahoo email servers, until you choose to download the email. Web
hosting and email hosting companies provide access to your email through POP3
but the it is your responsibility to download POP3 email or import POP3 email to
your local Exchange Server.
Many companies setup
an Exchange server internally to handle their internal email and outbound email.
However most companies do not host their websites on an internal company
computer. As a result, your email goes to the web hosting company and not
your internal Exchange Server.
Exchange supports
SMTP which allows email to be sent to Exchange; but Exchange will not go looking
for your email. And, Exchange will not sort email; it follows the SMTP
specification which calls for all email to be presorted before it is delivered
to your Exchange Server.
So the bottom line
is: When people send you email and your email is sitting at remote POP3 servers
on the Internet and you have an internal Exchange Server, you need a POP3 to
SMTP email downloader to perform the task of forwarding POP3 email or importing
POP3 email from the remote servers to your local Exchange Server. When you
need a POP3 to SMTP email downloader, you need IGetMail.
How IGetMail Works
IGetMail is a small
software utility that you can install on your local Exchange Server to
automatically download POP3 email from remote servers - as fast as every 20
seconds! No more waiting for email!
First you will need
to setup an internal Exchange Server and you will also need at least one account
at a Internet hosting company. If you need help setting up Exchange Server
see our how to setup Exchange 2007 or Exchange 2010 instructions.
Then download
IGetMail and install it on your Exchange Server. IGetMail does not alter
your Exchange Server, it will not modify Exchange in any way. IGetMail
uses SMTP to send email to Exchange.
Once you have
IGetMail installed, you provide IGetMail with information about each of your
POP3 email accounts. For each of your accounts, you will specify the URL
to the remote server hosting your email, your account name and its password.
Then you will tell IGetMail if you are using catch-all accounts, which hold
email for 2 or more users or if you are using the account for just one user.
And finally you can choose to take advantage of additional options, such as the
ability to leave emails at the POP3 server.
Now you are ready to
tell IGetMail how to access your SMTP / Exchange Server.
IGetMail will
periodically log into each of your remote POP3 accounts and check for email.
It will then download any new messages and then deliver the email to Exchange
using SMTP. This process is completely automated such that you will
receive all of your email in a timely manner without needing to access the
remote POP3 servers by hand.
Security
IGetMail supports
SSL so that it can securely access your remote email. This is a
requirement of GMail and most POP3 email server providers.
The other security
aspect of IGetMail is you can hide your Exchange server behind your firewall.
IGetMail uses an outbound only connection to the Internet. As a result,
you can block all inbound access at your firewall. When you use an
internal Exchange Server that is not hosting your domain, you can cut off
inbound access to the Exchange Server. By blocking POP3 and SMTP inbound
at your firewall any hackers that scan your network are blocked and not able to
access your Exchange Server. Since IGetMail is local, it can connect to
the Exchange Server using SMTP but anyone on the Internet is blocked.
Many IGetMail users
find it convenient to configure their firewall / router to block all inbound
connections and allow outbound. This allows POP3 and SMTP outbound, which
is needed for IGetMail to pull POP3 email. And you need to allow SMTP
outbound so that Exchange can send your email to the Internet. When you
block all inbound connections, this protects your Exchange server from intruders
on the Internet.
