XIII. Webmail with Squirrelmail

Contents

2. Access to webmail
    2.1 Access control
    2.2 Logging in
    2.3 Getting started with Squirrelmail
    2.4 Loggin out

3. More documentation

1. Introduction

Helen has received the following 'password letter' from Freddie Frinton, the local systems administrator. For clarity the lines of interest in this password letter are emphasised in the illustration below.

PASSWORD LETTER

This letter contains the secret passwords you need to use the
facilities of our server at school. Please keep these passwords to yourself.
Do not show this letter to anyone else.

- You need the information under 'Network Logon' when you want to logon to
  the school network.
- You need the information under 'E-Mail' when you want to  access your 
  mailbox via webmail.
- The information under 'Teleworking' is required when you want to work at
  home with documents and files on the server at school. Note that it is
  important that the key fingerprint matches when you logon from home for
  the first time. If there is a difference, you should cancel the
  logon attempt and tell Freddie Frinton about it.

Name:                Helen Parkhurst

Network Logon:
UserID:              hparkh
Password:            ahgiesah

E-Mail:
UserID:              hparkh
Password:            wWITa4ye

Teleworking:
UserID:              hparkh
Password:            wWITa4ye
Hostname:            praeceptor.exemplum.serveratschool.net
RSA key fingerprint: 24:8f:3a:85:0a:d1:25:d6:81:14:b0:22:b6:62:55:39

Helen needs this information to authenticate herself when she wants to access her mailbox with Squirrelmail.

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2. Access to webmail

2.1 Access control

• No access
  Webmail is not accessible at all. This option is often used for individual pupils at school.
• Access from within the school
  Webmail can only be used from a workstation that is connected to the LAN (Local Area Network) at school. This option is sometimes used to grant nests (grades, classes) access to webmail in a controlled environment. This prevents abuse of the school e-mail facility by pupils from locations outside the school.
• Access from pre-defined IP addresses
  Webmail access is limited to one or more IP-addresses. This feature can be very useful to grant access to webmail to an individual user from a specific location outside the school. For instance that one pupil in grade 8 who is ill and has to stay at home for 3 months. By granting access to webmail for this pupil's home computer, she can keep in touch with school. If she also is allowed to work with school files and documents at home (see XII. Teleworking with WinSCP) sha can almost fully participate.
• Full access
  Webmail access allowed from anywhere, even from an Internet cafe in Amsterdam. This type of access is often granted to staff members.

Please ask your local systems administrator or ICT coordinator for full details of your own access privileges.

2.2 Logging in

NOTICE: It is possible that another webmail login page is available, at another URL, e.g. http://www.exemplum.serveratschool.net/webmail/ or perhaps http://webmail.exemplum.serveratschool.net. Ask your local systems administrator or ICT coordinator for details.

squirrelmail_exemplum_webmail_login.png

Note that Helen has entered her userid (here: 'hparkh') and her password (here: 'wWITa4ye') into the dialogue. The password is shown as a series of asterisks. This is a security measure.

After pressing the [Logon] button, the following is displayed.

squirrelmail_webmail_overview.png

This is Helen's mailbox. At the moment her mailbox contains two e-mail messages, one sent by Freddie Frinton (the local systems administrator) and one by Amelia Cackle (the school's head mistress).

2.3 Getting started with Squirrelmail

• Reading e-mail messages
  By clicking on the Subject-line of a message (e.g. 'Re: Instructions 'Seasons Greetings'' or 'Test message'), the message is displayed. Once it is displayed, it can be read, replied to, deleted, forwarded, etc.
• Composing new messages
  By clicking on the link 'Compose', a new messages can be written. Once a message is written in the compose window, it can be sent, saved or discarded.
• Configuring options
  By clicking on the link 'Options' you can configure Squirrelmail settings such as the sender name and address (e.g. 'Helen Parkhurst', helen.parkhurst@exemplum.serveratschool.net).
• Return to the INBOX
  You can return to the list of received messages by clicking on the linke 'INBOX' in the left hand pane. This always brings you back to the list of received messages.

2.4 Loggin out

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3. More documentation

Another good source of documentation is the project's website at www.squirrelmail.org and more specifically the online Squirrelmail manual in the form of a wiki at www.squirrelmail.org/wiki/UserManual.

Furthermore many, many introductions to Squirrelmail have already been written. You can use your favourite Internet search engine to find a plethora of information, e.g. using the keywords 'squirrelmail', 'introduction' and 'school'.

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