2026-11-04 06:56:04Dave LeBlanc:
Added Webmail on Wed Nov 4 06:53:47 2026
main/how to read cms email.md ..
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# How to read CMS email
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---++ How To Configure an IMAP Client to Read/Send CMS Email
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## How To Configure an IMAP Client to Read/Send CMS Email
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This document assumes that you're reading your username@cms.caltech.edu email, and you're using it as your primary communication channel for business related to the Institute.
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This document assumes that you're reading your `username@cms.caltech.edu` email, and you're using it as your primary communication channel for business related to the Institute.
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By default, when CMS accounts are created, we forward your email to a destination address (usually your username@caltech.edu email address). However, for various reasons, some folks prefer to use their username@cms.caltech.edu address. While your user@caltech.edu address goes away when you leave the institute, your CMS email address can persist as a legacy forward.
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By default, when CMS accounts are created, your email is forwarded to a destination address (usually your `username@caltech.edu` email address). However, for various reasons, some folks prefer to use their `username@cms.caltech.edu` address. While your `user@caltech.edu` address goes away when you leave the institute, your CMS email address can persist as a legacy forward.
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If you are going to publish your user@caltech.edu email address as your primary address, you should use that in the Caltech directory and on any other documents that require an email address, and simply don't use or publish your user@cms.caltech.edu email.
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If you are going to publish your `user@caltech.edu` email address as your primary address, you should use that in the [Caltech directory](https://directory.caltech.edu) and on any other documents that require an email address, and simply don't use or publish your `user@cms.caltech.edu` email.
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Note: We *do not recommend* relying upon mail forwards for normal mail delivery. In the good ol' days, you could bounce email through several waypoints, forwarding email from one account to another. With the increasing volumes of spam over the years, mail server administrators have been forced to take more and more additional steps to lock down email to prevent systems from being flooded with spam. New antispam measures do sender-domain checks, Bayesian filters are triggered by "from" addresses not matching the sender address, and there are other countermeasures that make it more likely that legitimate mail will be flagged as spam somewhere along the delivery path. If you forward CMS email to some other destination, it has to pass through not only our spam scanning service but the spam scanning service of whatever destination address you use, which means misplaced mail can be misplaced in two different spam fitlers, etc.
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> [!Note]
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> We *do not recommend* relying upon mail forwards for normal mail delivery.
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> In the good ol' days, you could bounce email through several waypoints, forwarding email from one account to another.
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> With the increasing volumes of spam over the years, mail server administrators have been forced to take increasingly more steps to lock down email to prevent systems from being flooded with spam.
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> New antispam measures do sender-domain checks, Bayesian filters are triggered by "from" addresses not matching the sender address, and there are other countermeasures that make it more likely that legitimate mail will be flagged as spam somewhere along the delivery path.
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> If you forward CMS email to some other destination, it has to pass through not only our spam scanning service but the spam scanning service of whatever destination address you use, which means misplaced mail can be misplaced in two different spam fitlers, etc.
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Now...
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If you're using CMS infrastructure, we recommend a fully standards-compliant IMAP client.
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The most common freeware version is [Mozilla Thunderbird](https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/), so the directions below are for that email client.
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With small alterations they should work with most email clients available on Windows, Mac, Linux, or on mobile devices such as Android, or an iPhone.
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If you're using CMS infrastructure, we recommend a fully standards-compliant IMAP client. The most common freeware version is Mozilla Thunderbird, so the directions below are for that email client. With small alterations they should work with most email clients available on Windows, Mac, Linux, or on mobile devices such as Android, or an iPhone.
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---++++ Step One:
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#### Step One
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Download and install [Thunderbird](https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/).
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Make sure you get it from the Mozilla Foundation and not from another source, which may have adware installed.
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Download and install [[https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/][Thunderbird]]. Make sure you get it from the Mozilla Foundation and not from another source, which may have adware installed.
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---++++ Step Two:
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#### Step Two
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Run the Installer, and at the end of the installation process choose ***Launch Thunderbird now***.
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Run the Installer, and at the end of the installation process choose "Launch Thunderbird now". You will see the default Thunderbird window, along with a pop up window like this one:
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We used to include helpful screenshots to guide new users, but Mozilla has since completely redesigned the interface, and it is much less sustainable to re-capture screenshots for every version of Thunderbird, whenever Mozilla decides to revamp the UI.
After feeding the above information into Thunderbird, you may see a dialog window that appears to be similar to below:
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(The configuration information shown above is the relevant infomation for a phone client or other desktop email client. The incoming server is an IMAP server, named "imap.cms.caltech.edu", listening on port 143, with the STARTTLS encryption mechanism. The outgoing server is an SMTP server, named "mailhost.cms.caltech.edu", listening on port 587, also with the STARTTLS encryption mechanism.)
After you've entered in the information above, hit the "Done" button. This will take you back to the regular Thunderbird screen, and you will see your Inbox, but without any messages yet.
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---++++ Step Five:
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Not to worry!
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This is a remnant from when Mozilla relied on well known commercial Certificate Authorities to provide a known identifyable Root CA. CMS does not have a Root CA, because we use certificates for free from [Lets Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org).
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Click on the "Get Messages" button to start your first connection to the mail server.
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You may safely view, and confirm the identity of the certificate, but you must check **Permanently store this exception** and then **Confirm Security Exception** to be able to read CMS email.
CMS uses a self-signed SSL certificate for both incoming and outgoing email (we do this to avoid paying Verisign or another Certificate Authority for a CA-signed cert). Although this window looks scary, this is expected.
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---++++ Step Six:
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Click on the "Confirm Security Exception" button, and Thunderbird will prompt you for your password:
Type in your CMS password (click the box to have the Password Manager remember it if you don't want Thunderbird to ask you every time you get email), and hit "OK".
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Once your email Inbox syncs, you need to send yourself a test email to finish configuring outgoing email.
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---++++ Step Seven:
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Click on "Write", and compose yourself a short email, addressing it to your CMS email address. Hit "Send". When you do, this window will pop up (warning, some editions of Thunderbird this window pops up *behind* the main window, and you'll have to shrink the Thunderbird window to see it):