Differences between POP3 and IMAP protocols
A conscious decision to choose the right e-mail protocol – either POP3 or IMAP – is very important due to their different features and modes of operation, adapted to two different work models.
The POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) is intended for “offline” work. After connecting to the server, all unread correspondence with attachments is transferred from the mailbox on the server to the folder on the local computer. The imported messages are then marked as read and, depending on the settings, they are either left on the server or (by default) deleted from the server. After these operations are
completed, reading messages and preparing replies can be carried out locally, without the need to maintain an Internet connection. Connecting again is required only to send the edited replies, and possibly check the presence of new incoming messages. This mode of operation has a clear advantage when using a modem – the fact that you do not have to maintain a permanent Internet connection significantly reduces costs.
Unfortunately, due to its simplicity, the POP3 protocol also has significant disadvantages – for example, it is not easy to handle the mailbox from multiple computers. If, in accordance with the default settings, the read e-mail messages are deleted from the server, then there will be only a part of the correspondence on each computer, and the messages read on one computer will not be visible on another. If, however, the read e-mail messages are left on the server, the mailbox capacity may be exceeded rather quickly, whereas there is no possibility (for the POP3 protocol) to use other mail folders on the server. Another disadvantage manifests itself when you receive a very large message, because it cannot be deleted without first being transmitted to a local computer, and this can take a very long time. In this situation, even terminating the Internet connection will not help, because after its resumption, the transmission process will start again from the beginning. In that case, it may be necessary to access your e-mail via a web page, or even to contact the administrator.
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) works in a very different way. All your mail is stored on the server in the mailbox, and in additional mail folders. When connected to the server, only the message headers are transmitted to the local computer. Transmission of the content and the attachments takes place only after opening the given message, thanks to which it is possible to delete and filter correspondence without downloading it from the server. This way of handling e-mail is well suited to working on many computers – then on each device you will see the same contents of your mailbox.
source: http://www.uci.umk.pl/studenci/poczta/roznice/ Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, 2009
Automatic configuration of e-mail client using IMAP protocol, as illustrated with the example of Ms Outlook 2016
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After launching Ms Outlook, click on the tab "File-> Information-> Add account"
Select the option "E-mail account" and fill in the fields according to the formula below, by entering your data in the appropriate fields, then click "Next"
Outlook will then connect to the mail server, download the settings, and configure your email account.
If everything goes well, you will see a screen as in the picture below.
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After clicking "Finish", your account is set up and ready to work.
If the configuration does not complete successfully, check the settings on the previous screen, or try to set up the account manually.
In case of failure, contact the IT Centre staff.
Automatic configuration of mobile e-mail client, as illustrated with the example of Gmail for Android
Launch the Gmail app, or if it is not installed, install it first from the Play Store. Then choose "Add account" from the menu.
Enter your email address in the student.uek.krakow.pl domain and click "NEXT"
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Set up the incoming mail server data as in the example below, and confirm by clicking on the "NEXT" button (PLEASE NOTE !!! The username must be in
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Set up the outgoing mail server data as in the example below, including the "Require login" option and confirm by clicking on the "NEXT" button (PLEASE NOTE !!! The username must be in the salbum_number format).
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On the next screen, you can customize the notification options, automatic synchronization of e-mail messages, and downloading attachments.
The "NEXT" button confirms the selected options and takes you to the summary window.
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Enter your name and surname here, and start using the email account that you have just set up by clicking on the "NEXT" button.
Manual configuration of e-mail client using IMAP protocol, as illustrated with the example of Ms Outlook 2016
Information needed to set up the e-mail client: Incoming server (IMAP): imap-student.uek.krakow.pl Outgoing server (SMTP): smtp-student.uek.krakow.pl The outgoing server requires authentication
Incoming server (IMAP) encrypted connection type: SSL, port: 993 Outgoing server (SMTP) encrypted connection type: SSL, port: 465
After launching Ms Outlook, click on the tab "File-> Information-> Add
account"
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Select the option "Manual configuration or support for additional server types"
Fill in the fields according to the sample below, enter your data in the appropriate fields, then click on "More settings".
Please note that “Account type” should be set to "IMAP".
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After clicking on “More settings”, select the "General" tab and fill in the fields "account name, organization"
Go to the "Outgoing server" tab, check the "Outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication" option and "Use the same settings as my incoming mail server" option
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Go to the "Advanced" tab, enter the port numbers for "Incoming server (IMAP): 993" and "Outgoing server (SMTP): 465", in both fields select the option "Use an encrypted connection of the following type: SSL"
After confirming the changes with the "OK" button, return to the "Add account" window and click on the "Next" button.
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Go to the window with login details and enter your username (salbum_number) and password for the incoming IMAP mail server.
Go to the window with the login data for the outgoing mail server "SMTP" and enter your username (salbum_number) and password for the outgoing mail server (identical to the previous window).
After clicking "OK", Outlook will start testing the settings of the newly created account.
If any errors occur, return to the account configuration and verify the correctness of the data you entered.
If everything is completed without errors, close the window and proceed to the summary.
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After clicking on the "Finish" button, you can start using your e-mail account. Manual configuration of e-mail client using POP3 protocol, as illustrated with the example of Ms Outlook 2016
Information needed to configure the e-mail client: Incoming server (POP3): pop3-student.uek.krakow.pl Outgoing server (SMTP): smtp-student.uek.krakow.pl The outgoing server requires authentication.
Incoming server (IMAP) encrypted connection type: SSL, port: 995 Outgoing server (SMTP) encrypted connection type: SSL, port: 465
After launching Ms Outlook, click on the tab "File-> Information-> Add account"
Select the "Manual configuration or support for additional server types" option
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Fill in the fields according to the sample below, enter your data in the appropriate fields, then click on "More settings".
Please note that "Account type" should be set to "POP3".
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After clicking on "More settings", select the "General" tab and fill in the fields "account name, organization".
Go to the "Outgoing server" tab, check the "Outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication" option and "Use the same settings as my incoming mail server" option.
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Go to the "Advanced" tab, enter the port numbers for "Incoming server (POP3): 995" and "Outgoing server (SMTP): 465", check "This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL)" and select the option "Use an encrypted connection of the following type: SSL". In order to keep messages on the server after downloading them to your local computer, select the option "Keep copies of messages on the server".
After confirming the changes with the "OK" button, return to the "Add account" window and click on the "Next" button.
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Go to the window with login details and enter your username (salbum_number) and password for the incoming POP3 mail server.
Go to the window with the login data for the outgoing mail server "SMTP" and enter your username (salbum_number) and password for the outgoing mail server (identical to the previous window).
After clicking "OK", Outlook will start testing the settings of the newly created account.
If any errors occur, return to the account configuration and verify the correctness of the data you have entered.
If everything is completed without errors, close the window and proceed to the summary.
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