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MAIL Frequently-Asked Questions

Contents

1. How do I get started?
2. How do I send a mail message to a user on TTUMIS?
3. How do I find someone's e-mail address?
4. I've got missing new mail messages I can't read.
5. How can I send a mail message to everyone in my class?
6. I received a message that looks like gibberish. How can I read it?
7. How can I automatically forward my mail to another account?
8. My e-mail says my "Login Failed" (using WebMail, Outlook, Outlook Express, or Netscape)!

1. How do I get started?

Basic information about sending, reading and deleting messages, managing your mail, printing messages, and so forth may be found in the handout Getting Started with VMS MAIL, which is available on-line and in the computer labs in Clement Hall 215 and 313.

2. How do I send mail to a user on TTUMIS?

From Gemini, to send a message to a user on TTUMIS, preface the username with 'TTUMIS::'.

    Example:
     MAIL> send
     To:   ttumis::JUser

3. How do I find someone's e-mail address?

Users on Gemini:

To send e-mail to another user on Gemini, you will need to know his or her username. To find someone's username, use the finger command.

    Example:

     $ finger daniel

     GEMINI VAX/VMS, Monday, 14-Feb-1994 11:13

     ADaniels     - Alice L Daniels
     BDanielso    - Barry C Danielson
     DDD8971      - Daniel C Defoe

4. The VAX says I have 3 new messages, but when I go into MAIL and look for them, I can't find anything but old ones. What's going on?

This problem occurs when, for various reasons, the NEWMAIL counter gets out of sync. To reset the NEWMAIL counter, do the following: 

1.  Enter MAIL
2.  Type read/new
3.  Exit MAIL

5. How can I send a mail message to everyone in my class?

Use a distribution list if you need to send mail frequently to a group of users. Instructions on creating and using a distribution list are available in the handout Getting Started with VMS MAIL.

Instructors with accounts on TTUMIS can generate class distribution lists by following instructions given in a previous issue of the Computing Connection.

6. I received a message that looks like gibberish. How do I read it?

Most likely you've received a MIME-encoded mail message. Check out this article from the Computing Connection to see how to read it.

7. How can I have my mail automatically forwarded to an account I have on another system?

You can set up mail forwarding to another account with the set forward command. For example:

To forward your mail to an account on TTUMIS with username JUser:

    MAIL> set forward ttumis::JUser

    MAIL> set forward "in%""jdoe@foo.moo.com"""
   (Make sure you get the right number and position of quotes).

8. My e-mail says my "Login Failed" (using WebMail, Outlook, Outlook Express, or Netscape)!

If you have never logged into Gemini:

You MUST log in to Gemini directly to initialize your account and set your password before you can check email on WebMail, Outlook, Outlook Express, or Netscape.

You have initialized your account, but it still fails:

When your password expires or your account quota has been exceeded, you will also need to log in to Gemini directly. You can do this in the campus PC labs by clicking on the "Telnet Gemini" icon, or through some other modem or telnet program.

To Telnet from home you must first connect to your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

If you are using Windows 95 or 98:

   Go to the Start button and select Run
      Open: telnet gemini.tntech.edu
      Click OK

The telnet window will appear and prompt you for your username and password.

If you do have an ISP, look at you can access Gemini through dial-up access.