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Physics Mail

Choose a section

This is a necessarily long document, but you need not read every word. Use the following links to choose a section that is of interest to you:

Introduction

Physics Mail is the recommended facility for your electronic mail in the School of Physics. It includes these features: Physics Mail also features automated periodic archiving. Need that e-mail you deleted a month ago? The chances are that Physics IT Support can restore it for you in minutes.

Registration

Registration is automatic after successful application for a UNIX workstation account on Newt. In other cases you can send e-mail here and you will receive a response in due course advising of your mail password and a link to a Web site that allows you to reset your Physics Mail password.

How to reset your password

Your Physics Mail password may be reset using Physics Directory Update. Physics Directory Update also provides a do-it-yourself means of modifying a limited subset of the information publically available in the Physics Directory.

If you have trouble accessing Physics Directory Update please log a support request by sending e-mail to our Help Desk.

Generic settings for mail programs

The following settings will be useful for the majority of modern mail clients such as Ximian Evolution, Outlook, Mozilla Mail, and Eudora.

Server type:IMAP
Mail (incoming) server:imap.phys.unsw.edu.au
SMTP (outgoing) server:smtp.phys.unsw.edu.au (See NOTE)
Mail (incoming) server needs SSL?Yes
SMTP (outgoing) server needs SSL?No
SMTP (outgoing) server needs authentication?No
Folder namespace:INBOX
Shared folder namespace:user
Username:Your Physics Mail user name
E-mail address:Your @unsw or @student.unsw address

NOTE: if you are not using the campus network please do not use smtp.phys.unsw.edu.au or smtp.unsw.edu.au as your SMTP server because both of these hosts refuse to relay mail for external networks. Contact your ISP and obtain the correct SMTP server for your network. UDUS users should use smtp.unsw.edu.au because it is not efficient to relay mail from the campus network via Physics.

Physics Mail Antispam

Junk or 'spam' electronic mail is an annoying biting insect for many people nowadays. To help tackle this problem Physics Mail uses the SpamAssassin package to quietly flag incoming mail so that a mail filter can file it into a junk mail folder for you. This spam flagging occurs at the mail delivery stage and thus it is useful no matter which mail client software you use.

To make use of the system and see less junk mail in your 'inbox' see this example. You may also bypass X-Spam-Flag and match junk mail using the spam level header that is added to all e-mail. See this example which shows a filter rule to match the spam level, X-Spam-Level, instead.

NOTE: It is strongly recommended that you periodically check your Junk folder and empty it because the mail server does not have unlimited capacity to store spam. See this example which shows you how to set a filter rule that rejects spam.

Physics Mail Antivirus

Physics Mail protects you against virus e-mail. When a virus mail message is identified the following happens:

  • The virus attachment is quarantined on the mail server
  • A short note is sent to you advising that you were sent an e-mail virus.
The virus advisory notification includes
special headers to make filtering easier. See the next section for filter help and examples.

Physics Mail Filter, with examples

Physics Mail includes Sieve filter support, and it uses the Websieve interface to allow you to control it. This means that you can define filter rules to automatically sort mail into IMAP folders, reject certain mail, or set up vacation messages. Such filtering applies to all mail delivered to your Physics Mail account regardless of which mail client software you use.

Important points

The mail filter interface is accessed from the World Wide Web here. Login using your Physics Mail credentials. Advanced users may peruse the Sieve page for help on the Sieve filter language. See also the Websieve page at SourceForge. Here is a quick overview of the most important issues when using the mail filter and the Web interface:

Filter activation

To activate filtering, following this procedure:

  • Login
  • Click Add Rule
  • Create a rule; see the examples directly below for ideas
  • Remember to click Save Rule
  • The first time you use Physics Mail Filter click Advanced Options, set Activate Script to Yes and then click Apply to activate filtering
  • Click Logout

Note: if you set a filter that files messages into a folder, that folder must be manually created for the filter to work. You can use Physics Web Mail or any other IMAP aware mail client (eg., Thunderbird) to create folders.

Example 1: Filing

This rule files all e-mail with a subject containing the phrase Neotropical monkeys into the sub-folder INBOX.Primates.New World:

IF any of
'subject' contains Neotropical monkeys
THEN (.) File Into INBOX.Primates.New World

Remember to click Save Rule and Logout.

Example 2: Forwarding

To forward your mail to another account (mail is not delivered to your Physics Mail account but is instead redirected elsewhere) click Forward Mail. In the Forward Mail To: text box type the e-mail address to which your mail should be forwarded and then click the Apply button.

When you wish to stop forwarding your mail, click Forward Mail, delete the forward e-mail address from the Forward Mail To: text box and then click the Apply button.

Example 3: Vacation

To set a vacation message click Set Vacation. Set Vacation Active? to Yes. Enter your vacation text, repeat days, and any mail aliases that forward to your Physics Mail account (for example, your @unsw.edu.au e-mail address). Click the Apply button.

When you wish to stop the vacation function, click Set Vacation, set Vacation Active? to No and then click Apply.

Example 4: Spam Flag

Set a rule as follows:

IF any of
Field name X-Spam-Flag contains YES
THEN (.) File Into INBOX.Junk

Remember to click Save Rule and Logout.

This results in spam-flagged mail being filed into the Junk folder. Since there is a small possibility that legitimate mail could be flagged as spam it is prudent to periodically check this folder. You may 'whitelist' (allow) any wrongly flagged messages for the future by creating a simple mail filter rule with a higher priority than the X-Spam-Flag rule. See the Physics Mail Filter section or send e-mail here for assistance with this.

Example 5: Drop Spam

Once you are comfortable that junk mail is being properly identified, you may decide to reject mail instead of filing it. This example shows how to reject mail that has been flagged as spam:
IF any of
Field name X-Spam-Flag contains YES
THEN (.) Reject Message is probably spam.

Remember to click Save Rule and Logout.

Example 6: Spam Level

The 'spam level' is a series of asterisks added to the mail header. The number of asterisks corresponds to the 'hit point' number expressed as a rounded up integer. The higher the hit point the greater the number of asterisks and the greater the likelihood that the message is junk. To match more or less junk mail, use less or more asterisks. This example files junk-tagged mail with a hit point of 2.5 or greater into a folder:

[X] Use regular expressions
IF any of
Field name X-Spam-Level contains \\*\\*\\*
THEN (.) File Into INBOX.Junk

Remember to click Save Rule and Logout.

Example 5: Virus Flag

Physics Mail Antivirus will add headers to virus advisory notifications to make filtering easier. This example files virus-tagged mail into your Junk folder:

IF any of
Field name X-Virus-Flag contains YES
THEN (.) File Into INBOX.Junk

Remember to click Save Rule and Logout.

A note: IMAP folders must be relative to INBOX

One point of possible confusion is the INBOX. The INBOX represents the uppermost level of your IMAP account and therefore it is not possible to create folders above it. For example, some mail clients default to creating IMAP folders such as sent but this can not work; the correct mailbox path would be INBOX.sent. Here is one suggested layout for your IMAP folders:

INBOXWhere new mail arrives by default
INBOX.Read ItemsMail you have read
INBOX.Sent ItemsCopies of mail you have sent
INBOX.DraftsMail you have postponed
INBOX.TrashTransient deleted mail
INBOX.JunkJunk mail

PINE

PINE works well with IMAP. On Newt the default behaviour when using the command pine is to use Physics Mail and IMAP. Initially an IMAP aware pinerc configuration file will be written to your IMAP account and its settings will be available from any PINE session invoked with the same arguments that pine on Newt uses (see below).

On other workstations that don't have the pine alias that defaults to Physics Mail you may have to use the -p PINE switch to access your Physics Mail IMAP account (in the following you may need to change $USER to your Physics Mail user name). Examples follow.

Bourne shell and derivatives example:

pine -p {imap.phys.unsw.edu.au/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=$USER}INBOX.pinerc

C shell and derivatives example:

pine -p "{imap.phys.unsw.edu.au/ssl/novalidate-cert/user=$USER}INBOX.pinerc"

For C shell and friends failing to include the double quotation marks will result in failure to save settings to (and read from) pinerc.

PINE folder listing and the dot (.)

Physics Mail uses a dot (.) as the mailbox delimiter. This carries over into the PINE folder list and tends to confuse people. Here is an example to clarify the scheme:

INBOXContains mail messages
INBOX.Contains folders

The above becomes clearer if you keep in mind that the IMAP server permits a folder to contain both messages and sub-folders---the dot folders are PINE's way of distinguishing between the messages and sub-folders parts of a single mail folder.

PINE network and local mail folders

When you use PINE to read your IMAP mail you do not forgo the ability to access your UNIX account files and folders. From the PINE FOLDER LIST you should see two 'Folder-Collection' entries:

  • Folder-Collection <Network>
  • Folder-Collection <Mail>

The "Network" collection represents your IMAP account and the "Mail" collection represents your UNIX account ~/mail directory. The example below shows the sequence used to save a Physics Mail (IMAP) mail message to your UNIX account:

  • Enter the FOLDER LIST (press the [L] key in the MAIN MENU)
  • Navigate to the desired IMAP mail folder
  • Use the cursor keys to highlight the message you wish to save to your UNIX account
  • Press [S] (Save)
  • Tap the [N] key while holding down the [Ctrl] key (Next folder collection)
  • You will see the PINE prompt change to something like this:
    SAVE Msg #6 to folder in <Mail> [{imap.phys...c}INBOX.Read] :
  • Type a filename and then press the [Enter] key
  • Press the [Y] key when prompted as follows:
    Folder "filename" in <Mail> doesn't exists. Create?
Result: the selected mail message on the IMAP server is saved to a file in your UNIX account ~/mail/ directory.

PINE local/remote folder example: upload UNIX mail to Physics Mail via PINE

Here is a practical example of local and remote folder collection use in PINE. There are a couple of steps involved and some of the PINE features used are intended for the more advanced user.

  • Press the [L] key from the MAIN MENU to enter the FOLDER LIST
  • If need be, press the [A] key while in Folder-Collection <Network> to add folders to receive the messages you wish to copy
  • Cursor down to the UNIX account folders below Folder-Collection <Mail>
  • For each UNIX account folder perform the following checklist:
--------
  • Press the Enter key to enter the folder
  • Tag all messages: In the MESSAGE INDEX press the [;] key followed by the [A] key
  • Save tagged messages: press the [A] key followed by the [S] key
  • Select a destination folder: at the SAVE Msg prompt hold down the [Ctrl] key and then tap the [T] key
  • Navigate to the IMAP folder into which you wish to save the tagged messages
  • Press the Enter key twice and the messages will be copied to the selected Physics Mail folder
  • To purge the copied messages now marked as "deleted" in the local folder: press the [X] key folder and respond to the confirmation prompt
--------

Eudora

Once you have noted the settings needed to use Physics Mail you can proceed to the Eudora site for setup guidance:

http://www.eudora.com/techsupport/tutorials/index.html

Eudora zany SSL problems

It seems Eudora and Physics Mail can't agree during TLS/SSL negotiation. Eudora also dislikes SSL certificates signed by authorities it doesn't trust. To make matters worse, getting Eudora to accept the Physics Mail certificate for SSL is more complicated than it should be. The fix for both of these unrelated problems is outlined here:

Switch the <Dominant> personality to POP

  • Click the "Tools" menu and select "Options..."
  • Click the "Incoming Mail" category icon
  • Set "Server configuration:" to "POP"
  • Click the "Checking Mail" category icon
  • Set "Secure Sockets when Receiving" to "Required, Alternate Port"
  • Click [Okay] to close the Options window
  • Tap the [M] key while holding down the [Ctrl] key
  • Enter your IMAP password if prompted
  • Ignore and click through any error messages
Make Eudora trust the Physics Mail certificate
  • Click the "Tools" menu and select "Options..."
  • Click the "Checking Mail" category icon
  • Click the [Last SSL Info] button
  • Click the [Certificate Information Manager] button
  • Ensure the UNSW Server Certificate is highlighted
  • Click [Add to Trusted] button
  • Click [Done] to close the Certificate Information Manager
  • Click [Okay] to close the Last SSL Info window
Switch the <Dominant> personality to IMAP
  • Click the "Tools" menu and select Options...
  • Click the "Incoming Mail" category icon
  • Set "Server configuration:" to "IMAP"
  • Click [Okay] to close the Options window
  • Tap the [M] key while holding down the [Ctrl] key
  • Enter your IMAP password if prompted

Eudora trash folder problem

When emptying the trash you may see an error message regarding an invalid IMAP folder. This is caused by Eudora trying to store deleted message above INBOX which, as noted here, is not possible. The solution is to reset the location of the Trash folder as follows:
  • Right click IMAP <DOMINANT>INBOX in the folder list and create a folder called Trash
  • Click the "Tools" menu and choose "Options..."
  • Click the "Incoming Mail" category icon
  • Click the [Trash] button and select <DOMINANT>INBOX.Trash
  • Click the [OK] button

Trashing accumulated junk mail

Physics Mail employs junk mail tags and filtering to protect your INBOX from junk mail. This approach has the disadvantage of allowing junk mail to accumlate in unattended folders. To prevent a build-up of unsavoury mail in your junk mail folder over time, it is a good idea to periodically trash the contents of your junk folder and then empty your trash. Listed below are instructions for removing accumulated junk mail; only the more common mail clients are covered here but please feel free to contact Physics IT Support for assistance with other mail clients.

THUNDERBIRD 1.5

  • In the "Folders" pane "Inbox" hierarchy, click "Junk" or "Spam"
  • Use menus: Edit > Select All
  • Use menus: Edit > Delete Selected Messages
  • Use menus: File > Empty Trash
OUTLOOK
  • On opening Outlook, if the heading has a drop-down arrow on its right side, left-click it and then left-click the push pin icon (this anchors the "Folder List")
  • Navigate to the imap.phys.unsw.edu.au mail heirarchy and once there, left-click your "Junk" folder (it could instead be named "Spam" or similar)
  • Select all spam by pressing Ctrl-A
  • Press the Delete key
  • Go to the Edit menu item (next to File on the top-far-left) and in the pop down menu, left-click "Purge Deleted Messages"
APPLE MAIL (2.0.5, as found in Mac OS X 10.4.4 "Tiger")
  • In the folder drawer "Inbox" hierarchy, click "Junk" or "Spam"
  • Use menus: Edit > Select All (or CMD+A)
  • Use menus: Edit > Delete (CMD+delete)
  • Use menu: Mailboxes > Erase Deleted Messages > In All Accounts (CMD+K)
PINE (4.x, as found on Newt/Astro)
  • MAIN MENU > FOLDER LIST > Open "INBOX.Junk or "INBOX.Spam"
  • Press ";" (SELECT critera) "a" (ALL)
  • Press "a" (APPLY) "d" (DELETE)
  • Press "x" (Expuge) "y" (YES)

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