 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is the ISMail-Web plugin:
The ISMail-Web plugin adds Webmail to a system running ISMail. The plugin is used to display email messages received by ISMail in a browser window, and to send messages using ISMail.
What is Webmail?
Web-based mail ("Webmail") is a way to read and send email messages using a web browser. Webmail does not require downloading, installation, or use of any email client software.
How does Webmail work?
Webmail uses a web browser, web server, and mail server instead of an email client program to read and sent messages. Webmail is a web application that uses a web server for both the user interface and to communicate with a mail server for reading and sending messages.
Why would I want Webmail?
1. Webmail allows access to mail from a web browser. Webmail can be used from anywhere on the internet without any custom software, settings, or system configuration. This makes Webmail is ideal for checking messages while traveling, or otherwise away from your primary computer.
2. Webmail keeps all messages on the mail server so they are always available, even after they have been read. There is no longer any need to archive messages, or synchronize mail folders between machines.
3. Webmail does not require messages to be downloaded until read, which is handy for checking the headers of large attachments without waiting for the attachments to download.
I understand there are different kinds of Webmail. What are they?
There are three (3) major kinds of Webmail systems:
1. Webmail Client Services: access to mail accounts through a Service's URL, but no message storage space on the Service (e.g. Mail2Web™).
2. Webmail Account Services: access to mail accounts on the Service which can be used to read, send, and store messages. Also, access to mail accounts which are not on the Service (e.g. Yahoo!® Mail).
3. Complete Webmail Mail Systems: access to mail accounts on a mail system using a web browser as well as using email client software. These systems include a mail server, and the web server and web software necessary for web-based access to mail accounts.
What kinds of Webmail does ISMail support?
ISMail supports all three (3) kinds of Webmail:
Any (or all) of these can be used to access ISMail accounts.
I can get free Webmail accounts from Webmail Services. Why would I want my own Webmail Mail System?
Your own Webmail Mail System gives you:
1. Unlimited message storage.
2. Large message size.
3. Unlimited mail accounts.
4. Your own domain name(s).
5. No monthly fees.
6. No advertisements or banners.
7. Customizable look-and-feel.
plus all of the features of ISMail, including content filtering and anti-virus scanning.
Can I still use my existing email client to access mail?
Yes. Webmail is just an alternate way to access your mail. You can still use your existing email client(s) the same as before.
Is there a Webmail Demo?
Yes. The Webmail Demo is a limited, read-only version of Webmail that shows the look-and-feel and general features. See Requirements below for information about setting up Webmail on your own system.
What is required to install the plugin?
ISMail version 1.2.4 or greater must first be installed.
How do I install or uninstall the plugin?
To install, just double-click on the self-installing executable and follow the installation screens.
To uninstall, just access Start->Settings->Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs, select the plugin, click 'Add/Remove' and follow the uninstallation screens.
How do I setup Webmail?
No setup is required. When you install the plug-in, the PHP configuration file (php.ini) is automatically modified for webmail, and the Webmail configuration file is edited to make some cosmetic changes.
How do I access Webmail?
If you have a domain setup, just enter in your browser:
http://yourdomain.com/webmail/
or if you are using a test system, just enter:
http://127.0.0.1/webmail/
Make sure you have Cookies enabled. You cannot login without Cookies enabled.
To login, enter the username and password of a valid ISMail account.
What are the user accounts and how do I set them up?
User accounts are the mail accounts supported by ISMail, from which you send and receive mail messages. You will need at least one user account. The ISMail User Guide describes how to add a user account to ISMail.
How secure is Webmail?
Webmail requires a login to access an email account.
The Webmail system only uses the standard web server port (usually port 80) and the IMAP port (143). No other ports are needed.
There is no Webmail server listed when I install the Webmail plugin. How do I fix this?
If either MiniPortal or MiniPortal EP is running, Webmail is controlled by that product's web server. Start that product's web server to access Webmail.
Note: if either MiniPortal or MiniPortal EP is in use, the MiniPortal-PHP plugin must be installed prior to installing the Webmail plugin.
The Webmail server refuses to start or there is '1060' error. How do I fix this?
Webmail requires a network port to operate (default: port 80). If another web server is running and using this port, the Webmail port must be changed. To change the Webmail port, right-click the ISMail icon, select 'Open', access the 'Webmail' tab, enter a new value (e.g. 81), and click 'Apply'. Then, re-start Webmail. Note that Webmail must be accessed using this port (e.g. if the port is 81, use http://127.0.0.1:81/webmail/). Also, this port must not be blocked by a router or firewall software.
The Webmail server refuses to start even if I change to a port other than 80. How do I fix this?
The most common reason for this is a syntax error in the Apache configuration file ('Apache\conf\httpd.conf'). To check if this is the problem:
The syntax error and line number in httpd.conf will be displayed. Edit the httpd.conf file and fix the syntax error.
When I access Webmail, I get PHP errors such as 'Cannot add header information' or 'Undefined variable: _SESSION'. What is wrong?
Webmail requires a network port to operate (default: port 80). If a web server is running and already using this port, the Webmail port may need to be changed. To change the Webmail port, right-click the ISMail icon, select 'Open', access the 'Webmail' tab, enter a new value (e.g. 81), and click 'Apply'. Then, re-start Webmail. Note that Webmail must be accessed using this port (e.g. if the port is 81, use http://127.0.0.1:81/webmail). Also, this port must not be blocked by a router or firewall software.
When I access Webmail, I get a 'The page cannot be displayed' screen. What is wrong?
ISMail or the ISMail Webmail server may not be running. Start ISMail and use the ISMail configuration program to start Webmail.
When I access Webmail on one or more of my domains, I get a 'The page cannot be displayed' screen. What else could be wrong?
Webmail requires access to a script in the global cgi-bin directory in order to determine the Webmail domain(s). If MiniPortal is running, and a domain has its own cgi-bin directory, Webmail will not find the script. Either remove the unique cgi-bin directory, or copy the file 'mail_login.pl' from the global cgi-bin to the domain's cgi-bin.
When I try to login, I get 'You must be logged in to access this page'. What is wrong?
Cookies must be enabled to use Webmail.
The ISMail IMAP4 server must also be running to use Webmail.
When I try to login, I get 'There was an error contacting the mail server'. What is wrong?
The IMAP4 server is not running. Start ISMail and start the IMAP4 server.
When I try to login, I get 'Unknown user or password incorrect'. What is wrong?
ISMail must have an account for this username on the domain being selected for login.
When I try to login, I get 'Unknown user or password incorrect'. What else could be wrong?
The Webmail configuration file (..\Webmail\squirrelmail\config\config.php) defines the default domain name for Webmail. There are 3 entries used:
These can always be set to either 'localhost' or '127.0.0.1' since they are only used to connect to the mail server running on the same machine as Webmail.
Note: if an actual domain name is used, access to Webmail may be prevented by some routers.
I still can not access Webmail. What else could be wrong?
Webmail comes with its own version of PHP. However, there may be another version of PHP installed on the system which is causing a conflict. To check this, open a DOS command window and type 'set'. The DOS environment variables will be displayed. If 'php' appears in the PATH variable, another version of PHP may be installed. Also, if the file 'php.ini' appears in the Windows system directory (e.g. c:\windows or c:\winnt), another version of PHP may be installed. The other version of PHP must be removed before using Webmail as its defaults prevent additional copies of PHP from running (the Webmail PHP will not interfere with other versions of PHP and may be used so long as the other versions do not set system-wide defaults).
Webmail comes with its own version of Perl. However, there may be another version of Perl installed on the system which is causing a conflict. To check this, open a DOS command window and type 'set'. The DOS environment variables will be displayed. If 'perl' appears in the PATH variable, another version of Perl may be installed. Also, if PERL5LIB appears, another version of Perl may be installed. The other version of Perl must be removed before using Webmail as its defaults prevent additional copies of Perl from running (the Webmail Perl will not interfere with other versions of Perl and may be used so long as the other versions do not set system-wide defaults).
When I use the 'Add address' button to save an address to my Webmail 'Personal address book', I get a rude 'ERROR: Could not lock datafile' message. Why?
Webmail does not support Address books on Windows 95, 98, or ME since these platforms do not allow shared files (like address books) to be safely updated.
If Webmail is still not working, please contact Technical Support.
The Webmail Calendar in SquirrelMail 1.4.2 seems to lose events! How do I fix this?
The SquirrelMail 1.4.2 calendar can be replaced with by downloading the shared calendary plugin (shared_calendar-1.1.1-1.4.0_mod.zip ). Delete the squirrelmail plugins/calendar sub-directory
(e.g. 'c:/program files/instantservers/ismail/webmail/squirrelmail/plugins/calendar'), and then unzip this file as a new calendar sub-directory. Then, refresh the Calendar pages in your browser for the new calendar plugin to take effect.