Setting Up Microsoft Mail

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Setting Up Microsoft Mail
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Author:	Sue Mosher
Published:	January 1998
Copyright:	1998
Publisher:	29th Street Press

Remote Configuration
The settings available on the Remote Configuration tab (Figure 5.12) are the same as those for the LAN Configuration tab that we’ve already looked at under “LAN Configuration.” Those on the LAN Configuration tab affect Outlook sessions when you are directly connected to the postoffice via a LAN. Those on the Remote Configuration tab are in effect when you use dial-up networking to connect to the postoffice.

As you might guess, the setting on the LAN Configuration tab that was appropriate for slow LANs is also appropriate for remote connections, which are also slower than direct LAN connections.

The Use Remote Mail box on the Remote Configuration tab is checked by default. That’s the best setting, because it gives you the option of using the Remote Mail feature if you want to retrieve messages selectively. You should also check Use Remote Mail if you want to delete messages from the server only on command. (See “Retaining Messages on the Server” later in this chapter.)

Because you’re likely to be composing messages when you are not connected to the postoffice, leave the box labeled “Use local copy” checked. This keeps a copy of the postoffice address list on your local system. To refresh the list, occasionally choose Tools, Microsoft Mail Tools, Download Address Lists.

The third setting on the Remote Configuration tab, “Use external delivery agent,” is relevant only if you’re connecting to a full Microsoft Mail Server postoffice. See your system administrator to find out whether this setting is appropriate for you.

Dial-Up Networking
On the Dial-Up Networking tab (Figure 5.7), you must select a Dial-Up Networking connection from among those you’ve already configured and tested. (See “Dial-up Networking” in Chapter 2.) You can also choose Add Entry to create a new connection or Edit Entry to alter the one that’s currently selected.

If the remote connection fails, you can have Outlook retry the connection a certain number of times at a specified interval of seconds. Enter the number of retries in the Retry box and the interval in the “At X second intervals” box.

You can choose one of three methods for confirming that you want to use a particular DUN connection:

Never confirm: Always uses the DUN connection selected on the Dial-Up Networking tab, without giving you any chance to confirm it or change dialing location.

Confirm on first session and after errors: Confirms when you first connect and if errors occur, so you have a chance to switch DUN connections or perhaps change dialing locations. (This is the default.)

Always confirm: Confirms the DUN connection each time you log on.

If you travel, you’ll probably want to stick with the default choice — “Confirm on first session and after errors” — to get an easy opportunity to change dialing location to match the city where you’re working. An alternative is to choose “Always confirm.” This gives you a quick way to switch to a different DUN connection each time you dial the postoffice server.

Special Note: You must be able to make a DUN connection to the postoffice to use Remote Mail. If you previously used the Microsoft Mail Remote program, you cannot use the same dialup for Outlook’s Microsoft Mail service that you used with Mail Remote, because the Mail Remote connection does not provide a true network link to the postoffice.

Remote Session
Switch to the Remote Session tab (Figure 5.13) to specify when Outlook will connect to the remote postoffice.

If you want to connect to the postoffice whenever you start Outlook, check the box marked “When this service is started.” A connection will be made when you start Outlook. Then you can use either Tools, Remote Mail or Tools, Deliver Now to send and retrieve mail.

The settings under “Automatically end a Dial-Up Networking session” affect what happens during a session. The normal configuration is to stay connected after retrieving message headers (“After retrieving mail headers” is cleared), but to disconnect after sending and receiving with Remote Mail or Deliver Now (“After sending and receiving mail” is checked). This gives you a chance to quickly review the headers and mark which messages you want to retrieve.

You’ll probably also want to break the DUN connection when you exit Outlook, so the box marked “When you exit” is checked by default.

Click the Schedule Mail Delivery button to display the Scheduled Remote Mail Delivery dialog box (Figure 5.14), where you can set up as many automatic mail sessions as you like. (You can also schedule sessions from Outlook by choosing Tools, Microsoft Mail Tools, Schedule Remote Mail Delivery.)

Click the Add button to bring up the Add Scheduled Session dialog box (Figure 5.15). Under Use, choose the DUN connection you want to use.

You have three choices under When:

Every: At a specified interval, defined in hours and minutes

Weekly on: Each week on a particular day (or days), at a particular time

Once at: On a particular date, at a particular time

For example, to set up Microsoft Mail to connect every weekday during your lunch hour, choose Weekly on and check the boxes for Monday through Friday, then set the At time to 12:15 p.m. or whenever you go to lunch. An example appears as the first connection listed in Figure 5.15.

Click OK to save the scheduled session and return to the Scheduled Remote Mail Delivery dialog box, where you can also use Change and Delete to reschedule and remove sessions. When you’re done scheduling connections, click OK to return to the Microsoft Mail properties dialog box.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Now that you have the Microsoft Mail service set up the way you like it, let’s look at a way to make Outlook act more like the old Microsoft Mail program and examine some special situations that you might encounter.

Retaining Messages on the Server
One of the most frequently asked questions about the Microsoft Mail service in Outlook is whether it’s possible to leave messages on the server. Outlook normally downloads all messages into your Outlook folders and deletes them from the postoffice. If you log on from different locations and want to see your messages, or if you are still using Microsoft Mail (without Outlook) from some workstations, this can be a problem.

In the standalone Microsoft Mail application, this problem was solved with a feature called inbox shadowing, which allowed you to leave messages on the server. Outlook does not have a similar feature. However, you can achieve the same result through diligent use of Remote Mail to get all your messages.

The key is to configure Microsoft Mail so that you can use Remote Mail even when you’re directly connected to the LAN. Do this with the Use Remote Mail setting described earlier under “LAN Configuration.” Then always use Tools, Remote Mail (see “Using Remote Mail” in Chapter 12) to retrieve headers for your messages and mark to retrieve a copy. You can also mark messages for deletion when you are sure you won’t need them any longer.

Checking the Delivery Order
If you have both the Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Mail services installed in your Outlook profile, the delivery order may affect your replies to messages from Microsoft Mail users. (This order is part of the profile settings and governs which service delivers a message when more than one service is capable of doing it. See “Adjusting Delivery Settings” in Chapter 3.) This is an issue only when the Microsoft Exchange Server is set up to transfer messages to and from a full Microsoft Mail server. It does not affect workgroup postoffices (those created with Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows for Workgroups).

In this case, if the Microsoft Exchange Server service is first, then a Microsoft Mail recipient will see your new Exchange Server mailbox (actually what’s known as a “proxy address”) as the return address. If the Microsoft Mail service is first, then the Microsoft Mail recipient sees your old Microsoft Mail address as the return address.

To help with the transition from Microsoft Mail to Microsoft Exchange Server, it’s best to put the Microsoft Exchange Server service first. Follow these steps:

From the Outlook Viewer menu, choose Tools, Services, then switch to the Delivery tab on the Services dialog box.
In the delivery order list at the bottom of the Delivery tab, select the Microsoft Mail service.
Use the down arrow to move Microsoft Mail so that it appears below Microsoft Exchange Transport and Microsoft Exchange Remote Transport on the delivery list.
Click OK to close the Services dialog box.

This change becomes effective after you quit and restart Outlook.

SUMMARY

Microsoft Mail is one of the most powerful services available for Outlook. Microsoft Mail supports both LAN and remote use and includes many flexible settings for tailoring its operation to your needs. One configuration that is not supported by Microsoft is using Outlook to retrieve Microsoft Mail from one workstation but using the original Microsoft Mail application from another machine. For best results, you should go with Outlook across the board. If you need to log on to your Microsoft Mail account from multiple workstations, then make sure your primary message store is either an Exchange Server mailbox or a Personal Folders file located on a network drive, so you can access it from anywhere.

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