Information Technology Services Centre
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
NET102 Access to the Campus-wide E-Mail System (CWEM) Using Mozilla Thunderbird QUICK START GUIDE
Version 2 July 2008

1. Introduction
2. Mozilla Thunderbird: Configuration

2.1 Setting up the Hosts Information
2.2 Setting up the Protocol

2.2.1 IMAP Users
2.2.2 POP Users

3. Mozilla Thunderbird: Frequently Used Commands
4. E-mail Alias and E-mail Drop Box
5. E-mail Forwarding and Vacation Auto-Reply
6. Caution When Using Mozilla Thunderbird
7. Troubleshooting Tips
8. System Maintenance Schedule
9. Enquiries


1. Introduction

In the University, an e-mail system is setup and maintained by the Information Technology Services Centre (ITSC). As an University member (a student or a staff member), you are entitled to have an e-mail account and a mailbox with 20 megabytes storage space. Your mailbox in this system is
your-computing-id @mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk

Your department may also provide you with another e-mail system like MS Outlook for e-mail communication. Should you have any problems in using your departmental e-mail system, please contact your LAN administrator direct.

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2. Mozilla Thunderbird: Configuration

Before you start the configuration, you should consider that mail protocol that you are going to usePOP or IMAP. POP means that all your mails will be downloaded to your computer when Thunderbird connects to the server. IMAP means that all your mails are still stored on the ‘Mailserv' instead of your computer. Because of this feature, you can access the same mails at different machines. In our computer laboratory, IMAP is being used.

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2.1 Setting up the Hosts Information

*** In the following demostration, we are using Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0.0.14. , and there may be some minor differences between this demostration and the actual execution on your machine.

 

 

 

1. When you run Thunderbird for the first time, the program may ask for importing information from other e-mail client.

In this case, please select Don't import anything and press Next.

 

 

 

 

2. Then Account Wizard will be pop-up. Under New Account Setup, select Email account.

Click Next.

 

Notice:
If the wizard does not appear, go to the File menu, select New, then select Account, and repeat this step.

 

 

 

3. Under Identity, enter 

  • Full Name: your name e.g. Sharon Cheung 
  • Email Address: e.g. s888001@cuhk.edu.hk if your computing-id is s888001

Then click Next.


 

 

 

 

 

4. Under Server Information,

  • Select the type of server: For POP users, select POP3; for IMAP users, select IMAP (Here we use IMAP)
  • Enter mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk as your Incoming Server.
  • Enter mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk as your Outgoing Server.

 

Notice: If the field of "Outgoing Server" not present, it is likely that you have set up an outgoing server already.

In this case, please check whether the Outgoing Server is "mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk".

If not, please follow the step of adding server when step 10 is reached.

 

 

5. Under User Names , enter your computing ID as the Incoming User Name, e.g. s888001.

Click Next.
 


 

 

6. Under Account Name, enter a name you wish to identify your account.

Here we use "CWEM".
 
 
 

 


 

 

 

 

7. After verifying the information, click Finish.

 

 

 

8. On the Tools menu, select Account Settings.

9. Click Server Settings subcategoy under your account, then select the location which you want to store your mail, profiles etc. in Local directory.
10. Click Outgoing Server(SMTP) category for modifying SMTP settings, then click Edit.
Notice: If your "Outgoing Server" is not mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk, please click Add instead.

 

11. Verify (or add) the following settings:

  • Server Name: mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk
  • Port: 25
  • Must untick " Use name and password"
  • Select No for "Use secure connection:"

Then click OK.

Then click OK to close "Account Setting" window and you are done.

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2.2 Setting up the Protocol

2.2.1 IMAP users

 

 

 

1. On the Tools menu, select Account Settings.


2. Click Server Settings subcategoy under your account.
3. Make the following settings:
  • Select Mark it as deleted next to When I delete a message
  • Check the box Clean up ("Expunge") Inbox on Exit
Also, you can adjust e-mail checking interval to 15 minutes.

 

 

 

 

4. Click Advanced, then enter Mail/ as
IMAP server directory.

Click OK.

5. Click OK to exit.

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2.2.2 POP Users

 

 

 

 

1. On the Tools menu, select Account Settings.


2.Click Server Settings subcategoy under your account.

Verify the following settings:

  • Check the box Automatically download new messages
  • Uncheck the box Leave messages on server
3. Click Advanced, then verify the following settings:
  • Select Global Inbox (Local Folders Account)
    for downloading messages
  • Check Include this server when getting new
    mail

Then click OK.
4.Click OK to exit.

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3. Mozilla Thunderbird: Frequently Used Commands

3.1 Receiving a Mail

1. Click Get Mail on the Toolbar to receive e-mails.

2. Double-click the mail to read.

3.2 Sending a Mail
 

1.Click Write on the Toolbar.
2. Enter the following information:
  • To: {receiver-E-mail-address}
  • Subject:{optional description}
  • 3. On the File menu, select Attach -> File(s) if sending with an attachment.
    4. Compose your message using the editor.
    5. Click Send to send the message.

    3.3 Replying a Mail
    1. Click the associated mail.
    2. Click Reply or Reply All on the Toolbar .
    3. Compose the replied text and click Send to send the mail.

    3.4 Forwarding a Mail
    1.
    Click the associated mail.
    2.
    Click Forward on the Toolbar. 
    3.
    Enter the recipient information in the To: field.
    4.
    Click Send when finished.

    3.5 Deleting a Mail
    1. Click the associated mail.
    2. Click Delete on the Toolbar to delete selected mail(s).
    3. All the deleted mails are moved to the mailbox Trash. To permanently delete mails, select Empty Trash on File menu.

    3.6 Printing a Mail
    1. Click the associated mail.
    2. Press Crtl and click the mouse button simultaneously for selecting the second, third... mails.
    3. Click Print on the Toolbar to print selected mails.

    3.7 Saving a Mail
    1. Click the associated mail.
    2.

    Press Crtl and click the mouse button simultaneously for selecting the second, third... mails.
    And all the selected mails will be saved in ONE file.

    3. On the File menu, select Save As -> File to save the selected mail(s). 

    3.8 Managing Folders

    To switch among different folders:

    1. On the left window, a list of default folders is displayed under Local Mail.
    • [Inbox] : storing incoming mails
    • [Unsent]: storing mails not yet sent
    • [Trash]: storing deleted mails before exit
    2. If you are using IMAP function, similar folders are found under ?B>CWEM?.
    3. To select a particular folder, click the folder name.
    4. To create a new folder.
    5. On the File menu, select New - > Folder .
    6.

    On New Folder Window, enter a name for the Folder name.
    Select an existing folder for creating the subfolder.

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    4. E-mail Alias and E-mail Drop box

    By default, your maildrop box is your-computing-id@mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk . Through "Changing CUHK E-mail Alias and E-mail Drop Box" service, you can give yourself an e-mail address in the format of alias@cuhk.edu.hk . For details, please visit MyCUHK. After login, click on the "Services" tab on the top navigation bar.

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    5. E-mail Forwarding and Vacation Auto-Reply

    E-mail forwarding allows you to forward your e-mails from CWEM account to other e-mail addresses, like Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail. And after activating vacation auto-reply, the system will automatically send a vacation notice to the incoming e-mails.

    You can change your preferences for these two functions through the web interface to the CWEM system at http://webmail.cuhk.edu.hk. After login, click on the "Forwarding" or " Vacation" icons at the top navigation bar.

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    6. Caution When Using Mozilla Thunderbird

    1. If you want to access the same mails at different machines, at home or on campus, you should always check whether the IMAP feature is enabled. Refer to Section 2.1 Basic Configuration for details. 

    2. All the sent mails will not be saved on the server. They will only be saved on the computer where you have sent the mail. If you are using Mozilla Thunderbird at User Area or other college laboratory and want to retain a copy of the sent mail, please cc a copy to yourself. 

    3. Pop-enabled e-mail program (like Eudora, Mozilla Thunderbird and MS Outlook Express) users may sometimes receive message like “Don’t Delete This Message - Folder Internal Data?in their mailboxes. This is an automatically generated system message which mark whether the e-mails are read or answered. This message is prompted whenever you use Pop-enabled e-mail program to read e-mails after using pine or any IMAP-enabled e-mail programs. You can delete this message as our system can handle it or re-create it if necessary.
      Details can be found at http://www.washington.edu/pine/faq/errors.html#4.4.

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    7. Troubleshooting Tips

    If you occasionally receive errors like "no response from server" when retrieving or sending e-mails, please adjust e-mail checking interval to 15 minutes.

    1. Select Tools -> Account Settings -> Server Settings from the top main menu
    2. Enter 15 after the option Check for new messages every...
    3. Click OK to finish.

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    8. System Maintenance Schedule

    The schedule can be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/itsc/announce.

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    9. Enquiries

    For any enquiries, please contact us by:

    Website: http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/itsc
    Electronic HelpDesk: https://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/group/postmaster

    Fax:    2603-6098
    Phone: 2609-8845 (Hotline Services)

    Monday - Thursday 08:45-13:00 14:00-17:30
    Friday 08:45-13:00 14:00-17:45
    Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday close

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