CalMail Options

There are two ways to access your CalMail e-mail. See below for more information about spam filtering.

E-mail Client

The Library Systems Office via the PC Experts program has transitioned Library staff from Eudora to Thunderbird. Please contact helpbox@library.berkeley.edu if you have any questions about your Thunderbird e-mail client.

E-mail clients can access e-mail from the server in two ways, POP and IMAP. The main difference between the two options is that POP downloads ALL e-mail from CalMail to your computer whereas IMAP allows you to select which e-mail remains on the server and which is downloaded.

POP (Post Office Protocol)

• PROS
  Downloads ALL e-mail so CalMail's 250MB limit will not be an issue as all your mail will be on your computer.
  Thunderbird will not distinguish between CalMail and Library e-mail, so the switchover will be relatively transparent to you.


• CONS
  No access to downloaded e-mail from other locations, e.g., home.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)

IMAP allows you to access your e-mail and will only download it when you move it from the server to folders on your desktop

• PROS
  Control what mail is downloaded by managing folders. Can access mail on the server via web interface from any location.


• CONS
  You MUST manage e-mail to stay within CalMail 250MB limit. This includes mail in DELETED folder, but not mail in JUNK folder.
  Mailboxes in Thunderbird can get out of sync with what is on the server, especially if you are moving mail around via the web interface, so you need to remember to sync up.

CalMail Webmail

The CalMail webmail user interface at https://calmail.berkeley.edu/ gives you the ability to access your e-mail from the web and is also where you go to manage any lists you own as well as set your vacation message. CalMail webmail is similar to IMAP listed above.

Some users have expressed the desire to only use CalMail webmail to access their e-mail.

• PROS
  Can access mail on the server via web interface from any location.


• CONS
  You MUST manage e-mail to stay within CalMail 250MB limit. This includes mail in DELETED folder, but not mail in JUNK folder. If you go over the limit you will need to delete as there is no ability to archive or download e-mail to your computer via the web interface.

Summary

Regardless of how you accessed e-mail on the Library server, you will have three options for accessing CalMail:

1. Use Thunderbird with POP
2. Use Thunderbird with IMAP and manage disk space
3. Use CalMail Webmail only and manage disk space

SPAM filtering

All e-mail that is delivered to CalMail is passed through spam detection software called PureMessage, in conjunction with the ClamAV system. In February 2007, the antispam application, Spamhaus was added. Each e-mail is automatically examined and the probability of the message being spam is determined. If the probability is high enough, the message will be "tagged" with the extra headers to make it easier to filter using your existing e-mail client software (such as Thunderbird).

CalMail spam filtering puts flagged e-mail in a folder called "spam" which lives on the server and can be viewed by going to Calmail's "Manage My Accounts" page. How long the spam mail is kept is set by the user. The options vary from "keep it 1 day" to "never delete it". It doesn't count as part of the 250MB.

In addition, Thunderbird users have a Junk mail filter. This also grades e-mail and puts it in a "Junk" Thunderbird folder. With IMAP it leaves the mail on the server, with POP it downloads all e-mail and then does the filtering. Again the user determines how long this e-mail is retained before deleting.

Either way, messages are never dropped or bounced; they are just tagged and delivered as normal. This gives you the ability to decide for yourself what you wish to receive. However, if you have the ucb-spam-filter enabled, by default, any messages that are tagged according to the user's preference gauge will be automatically moved to the user's "spam" folder.

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Copyright © 2008 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Last updated 05/28/08.