#Configuring Thunderbird as Email Client

An email program will send mail to a SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server, and fetch mail from a IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) server.

#Configuration Steps for Thunderbird

When you Start Thunderbird for the 1st time or navigate to the “Add Account” options. The “Mail Account Setup” dialogue box will pop up. Thunderbird will auto query DigiPen’s imap and smtp Servers with the following credentials.

1. Your display name
2. Your email address - username@digipen.edu.
3. Your email account password.

#Accepting security certificate

Thunderbird’s auto-configuration sometimes reports the SMTP server as having no security, which is wrong — the server supports STARTTLS on port 587. If Thunderbird offers to create the account with an insecure outgoing server, create it and then immediately correct the setting below; do not leave it unencrypted, or your password is sent in the clear.

This is about Thunderbird misreading the server, not about a bad certificate. The mail servers present a valid certificate for *.digipen.edu. A certificate warning is a different thing and should not be clicked through — report it to helpdesk.sg@digipen.edu.

#Correcting SMTP Security Setting

You need to do this step in order to send out emails.

1. Open Tools -> Account Settings -> Outgoing Server(SMTP)
2. Select smtp.digipen.edu and click the “Edit” button.
3. Optional: Add DigiPen SMTP Server on the “Description” field.
4. Select “STARTTLS” in the drop down menu of “Connection Security”, and confirm the port is 587.
5. Click OK twice.

#Conserving Space

Thunderbird have the option to delete/detach attachment from a message which will free up lots of space. There two methods to delete/detach an attachment.

• Select an attachment in the Attachments pane, right-click, and choose “Detach”, “Delete”, “Detach All”, or “Delete All”.
• Select a message in the message-list pane, go to “File -> Attachments”, and choose one of the detach/delete options.

Users can monitor their quota usage by the following method.

1. Right Click on inbox
2. Click on Properties
3. Navigate to Quota tab

#Server settings at a glance

If port 993 does not connect, use 143 with STARTTLS instead. Port 993 is encrypted from the first byte (clients call this SSL/TLS); port 143 starts in the clear and upgrades (STARTTLS). Pairing them the other way round will fail.

Do not tick “accept all certificates”. The mail servers present a valid certificate for *.digipen.edu. If your device warns about the certificate, stop and email helpdesk.sg@digipen.edu — that warning is worth reading, not clicking through.