Summer Tools for Your Email Account

• I am NOT planning to check my Mail/Uhura or Troi account over the summer.
• I AM planning to check my account over the summer using SSH or telnet.
• I AM planning to check my account using WebMail.
• I would like to 'pop' my mail using a program like Eudora, Netscape, or Outlook Express.
• I would like to forward my UR account to another e-mail address.
• What's VPN and where do I get it?
• I want to use the Modem Pool to connect to my account.
• What if I forget my password?

If you are NOT planning on accessing your Email account over the summer:

We also suggest you run the command:

from your mail% (or troi%) prompt.

The 'vacation' command automatically replies to mail that someone sends directly to you that you will not be accessing your e-mail over the summer.

When you type in the 'vacation' command for the first time, you will be brought into a text editor where you can compose the message that will automatically reply to any person who sends you mail. In the editor, you can compose any message you want. For example, you can include your summer address or phone number, or the e-mail address where you are receiving mail over the summer.

Once you save this message, the program will prompt you to enable the vacation program. When you enable the vacation program, it will save mail messages you receive just like they are normally saved on the server, so you will be able to read them normally when you return in the fall.

When you return to the UR in the fall, you just need to run the 'vacation' command again and disable the program. This will stop sending out automated replies to people who write to you.

If you have any questions about this procedure, please write to problem@mail.rochester.edu.

If you plan to access your Email account using SSH or telnet from

We require that you run the command:

as soon as possible from your prompt and answer the questions presented to you. You will be asked to answer questions regarding the location you are logging in from, the name of the computer you are logging in from, and other information.

The 'away' program will also request that you provide the system administrators with a 'pass phrase' that is different from your password. This 'pass phrase' can be used to assist you if you lose access to your account while you are away from the Rochester area. For example, if you forget your password, or your account becomes unavailable to you, you may still be able to gain access to your account even if you cannot come to the ITS Center in person.

If you cannot answer every question the 'away' program asks, please try to provide us with as much information as you can. You can run the 'away' command as many times as you need to as long as the information you provide us is correct and up to date.

All information you provide in the 'away' program is kept completely confidential and is only looked at by ITS Systems Administrators. The primary reason we require users to run the 'away' program is for the protection of your account. We want to make sure all accounts are secure. If you do not use 'away' promptly, your account may be made unavailable to you if the security of your account comes into question.

For more information on this policy and other policies, please type in the command:

from your prompt, or go to:

If you have any questions about this procedure, please write to problem@mail.rochester.edu.

If you would like to check your email through the web

As WebMail is still a fairly new product, additional features may be added over the course of the summer. If you experience any problems with the system, please write to problem@mail.rochester.edu.

If you would like to 'pop' your email with a program like Eudora, Netscape or Outlook Express, you will need to choose between forwarding and VPN (Virtual Private Network).

Using POP and IMAP mail clients like Eudora, Netscape, Microsoft Internet Mail, etc. to access mail on Mail/Uhura or Troi is only allowed from inside the rochester.edu network. This includes anywhere on campus where these mail clients are installed and using the University sponsored VPN service.

The POP and IMAP protocols are vulnerable to a number of known security exploits. Passing this protocol over a larger network accessible by greater numbers of people presents additional security risks.

There is another problem with the POP/IMAP protocols. With these programs, passwords are sent in a clear-text format. Though this is also true for telnet access, people generally set their pop clients to check their mail at least every 15 minutes. This frequency of use sends passwords much more often, raising the chances of that password being sniffed on the network.

This combination of vulnerabilities makes long-distance POP/IMAP access an unacceptable security risk for ITS UNIX servers.

If you MUST use a pop client to check your email from outside the UR network, you can forward your email to another email address that does provide that service, or you can sign up for VPN.

To forward your UR e-mail to another e-mail address:

Some of our users have noticed that the spam-filtering options available on Hotmail.com identify email forwarded from another account as spam. If you use Hotmail and use their spam control options, keep this in mind and check your spam folder if you don't see some email that you expect.

VPN, or Virtual Private Network

Using the Modem Pool

What if I forget my password?

Content last modified: 05/03/02