The Internet has its own mail for users
The Internet has an electronic mail (email) facility, the grandfather of all email systems, which began as support for users with terminals on UNIX computers connected to the Net.

With Internet email, anyone can have a personal email address that is valid world-wide! Mail can be sent and received from anywhere in the world with an email connection. Internet email has been expanded so that every computer connected to the Internet can participate whether PC, Mac, UNIX workstation, or dumb terminal.

The importance of a reliable mail server
The Postal Service would not do a good job of delivering mail if your mailbox was often missing. With Internet email, the situation is more critical because mail is sent immediately after the enter button is pushed.

Once mail has been sent, it is routed to a mailbox located on a mail server connected to the Internet. If your mail server is down when delivery is attempted, the network will try again a scheduled number of times, and if unsuccessful, the mail will be bounced back to the sender.

It is important to use a reliable computer for your mail server. If you have a dial-up Internet account, you will need a mail server that is always on-line. Internet Service Providers (ISP) typically have Simple Mail Transfer Protocol/Post Office Protocol (SMTP/POP) mail servers connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.

Many ISPs will host your mailbox for a monthly fee. If you have a LAN email system and an email gateway, you must have a dedicated line to the Internet.

Internet mail for PC LAN users without an existing LAN email system - POP mail
Individual PC users can sign up for Internet email access through ISPs. If you have a PC it is quite easy. Most ISPs offer to "register" an Internet-resident mailbox in your name (or nickname) when you sign up for service.

Your address "registration" (in the form johndoe@provider.com) also ties your address with your ISP's computer. The Internet will automatically assure that all email addressed to you will be deposited in that "inbox." It is really just file space on one of your ISP's UNIX machines which remains operational all the time. That's the way Internet mail works.

A designated computer that is never turned off will hold incoming mail (for you and you alone) waiting for you to connect to it. It then downloads the collected incoming messages back to your PC. These services have proved to be reliable and inexpensive. There are standards and compatible client applications available for most PCs and workstations.

Instant Internet provides a client application, Eudora, for your PC which is compatible with the most popular mailbox format (POP) used by Internet providers.

If your LAN has Instant Internet then Eudora will automatically connect to the Internet, clearly the easiest way to set up an individual Internet mail account. By filling in several fields in the Eudora setup (information from your ISP), you will be on Internet email, even without your own modem!

Internet mail for PC LAN users with an existing LAN email system - POP mail
Any LAN PC user with Instant Internet can easily and quickly get on Internet mail with an individual (POP) account. However, if you have an existing LAN mail package and you want to keep it, an Internet SMTP gateway solves the problem.

LAN email systems such as cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail can connect to the Internet by these almost seamless gateways. SMTP gateways are available for most LAN email brands. With most existing systems the gateway introduces outside Internet addressees into the system as conveniently as if they were local. Outsiders can send mail to each of the LAN users as if they were each directly connected to the Internet.

Using email gateways that are winsock compliant
A winsock-compliant email gateway for LAN email systems can be expected to run in a standard Windows, Windows 95 or Windows NT LAN workstation getting its Internet service through Instant Internet.

The requirements for the installation are:

• A gateway designed for the LAN email product in use
• A gateway that uses the SMTP port
• A gateway that is winsock-compliant
• A static (fixed) IP address (not dynamically assigned) for Instant Internet
• A dedicated line to Instant Internet or a mail relay provided by the ISP
• All proper registrations and routing

Using email gateways which are not winsock compliant
An email gateway that is not winsock-compliant cannot obtain Internet access from Instant Internet and, therefore, needs its own TCP/IP connection. Many of the original PC LAN email gateways (such as Microsoft Mail) run in MS-DOS-based computers with proprietary TCP/IP stacks. These gateways are easily interconnected with Instant Internet even though they are not winsock-compliant.

When installing Instant Internet with a router, it is best to create a LAN segment completely isolated from the PC LAN which only carries TCP/IP traffic. This segment extends from the router to the Instant Internet unit and can be simply a piece of cross-connected 10Base-T cable.

By implementing an IP-only LAN segment, Instant Internet security is maintained since IP packets stay isolated from the LAN. A 10Base-T hub between the router and Instant Internet would provide additional TCP/IP ports which can be used by the SMTP email gateway, a WEB server, a FTP server and other incoming Internet processes. The requirements for the installation are:

• A gateway designed for the LAN email product in use
• A static (fixed) IP address (not dynamically assigned) for Instant Internet
• A dedicated line to Instant Internet or a mail relay provided by the ISP
• All proper registrations and routing

Internet mail by means of an online service
Members of online services such as CompuServe, MCI, Prodigy, and American On-Line (AOL) are already mail-connected to the Internet. On-line services for Internet email access usually results in higher costs, and the limitations on size and attachments reduce the options for use. However, it is a simpler process to get installed, and less intimidating for the novice.

Recently, some of the on-line service providers like CompuServe and AOL have permitted access to their services through the Internet as an alternative to dialing in with a telephone line and a modem.

In this scenario, Instant Internet can be used to provide these on-line services to an entire LAN through a modem, ISDN or dedicated line. The on-line service's email can be configured by each user, eliminating administration overhead of LAN-based email systems. In addition, modems and additional telephone lines for each PC are not needed. However, the monthly costs will typically be higher because the on-line service provider's costs will be added to the Internet service provider's costs.

Who is Damar Group, Ltd.?
Damar Group, Ltd., founded in 1989, is a recognized leader in business technology.

DGL presents computer training classes, publishes the Training Express^tm brand computer learning guides, and helps organizations do business on the Internet.

We distribute the Instant Internet product because we know that it is the only solution for organizations who want to connect their local area networks to the Internet, share information with all users, and increase profitability.

You may contact sales@dgl.com directly or if you would like more information, complete the information request form.

Return to main Instant Internet information page.

Damar Group, Ltd.
PMB 616
6030-M Marshalee Dr
Elkridge, MD 21075-5987 USA
voice 1.888.290.6200
voice 410.567.5366
fax 801.650.0423
WebPhone: info@dgl.com

http://dgl.com/docs/iiemail.html
updated November 26, 1996

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