Web Based Mail Client

ABSTRACT This project is about developing a web based mail client connecting to a Linux Server running a Mail Server and with Tomcat as the Web Server.

The Project has the following main functionality 1.Receiving/Sending/organizing mails using POP3 2.Sending mail using send mail 3. Performing Admin functions like managing new user, resetting passwords etc.

The key feature of the project is its capability of accessing mails from other mailing servers like Rediffmail, Gmail, yahoo etc. In a nutshell, this system will act as a single window-multiple mail accounts access platform.

Physical Structure WEB BASED MAIL CLIENT Page 1

The major components of the physical structure are client systems, mail servers, and the Internet. A client system can be a personal computer, laptop, or personal digital assistant. The client system must have a POP3 client capable of communicating with an SMTP service for sending mail and a POP3 service for receiving mail. The typical client configuration includes a setting for the SMTP server and the POP3 server, either as IP addresses or as resolvable host names.

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EXISTING SYSTEM What Is a Mail Server and What Does It Do? A mail server is a computer that moves and stores mail over networks and across the Internet.In order for a computer to become a mail server, the computer must have “mail server” software loaded on it. A mail server can send, receive or both send and receive mail. In order to send mail, the mail server software uses SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Here is how SMTP works: • The mail client, which is the software used to compose the email (like Outlook Express), will send the mail to the mail server that is configured in the mail client software package. The mail server’s address can be found under the SMTP server configuration. • The SMTP server will analyze the “To”, “CC”, and “BCC” addresses to determine which server or servers the e-mail is supposed to go. • Finally, the SMTP server will send the e-mail to the destination mail server or servers. Because of the latest trend of “spam” (unwanted e-mail), some SMTP servers are WEB BASED MAIL CLIENT Page 3

becoming more sophisticated. Some SMTP servers are analyzing the “From” address to make sure that the e-mail address is a legitimate address for that domain before sending the e-mail. In order to receive mail, the mail server software will use either POP3 - Post Office Protocol 3, or IMAP - Internet Message Access Protocol. Here is how POP3 works: • The POP3 server will receive the e-mail from an SMTP server. • The POP3 server will analyze the “To”, “CC”, and “BCC” addresses to determine where it is supposed to go. • The POP3 server will send the mail to the “inbox” for that address (if the e-mail address is a legitimate address for that domain). If the address is not a legitimate address for that domain, the POP3 server will send an error message back to the SMTP server. • When the user opens his/her mail client (like Outlook Express), the software package will check the POP3 server for new mail. The mail server’s address can be found under the POP3 server configuration. IMAP is a newer protocol used for receiving e-mail, and a number of mail server software packages are using this protocol rather than POP3 to receive mail. WEB BASED MAIL CLIENT Page 4

POP3 ARCHITECTURE

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E-MAIL DELIVERY USING POP3

In the figure POP3 E-mail Delivery, e-mail is sent to [email protected]. 1. The e-mail is submitted for the user [email protected]. 2. The SMTP service resolves the e-mail domain, example.com, to a mail server on the Internet, mailserver1.example.com. WEB BASED MAIL CLIENT Page 6

3. E-mail is routed to the example.com domain where it is received by the SMTP service on mailserver1.example.com. 4. The SMTP service places the e-mail in the Queue folder on the destination mail server. The delivery service is notified of new e-mail for the domain example.com. 5. The delivery service moves e-mail to the recipients mailbox, P3_someone.mbx, in the mail store. 6. The user checks for e-mail by connecting to the mailbox for [email protected]. The POP3 service verifies the credentials for the user and then either accepts or denies the connection. 7. If the user authenticates successfully, the e-mail is downloaded to the user’s computer.

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PROPOSED SYSTEM Barring a few exceptions, everyone gets their mail in one of three ways: using Webmail, using IMAP on an e-mail client, or using POP3 on an e-mail client. “Webmail” refers to these: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Rediffmail and more. In this method, you log on to a Web site with your username and password, and you’re taken to a page where you can click on links to read your mail. A mail program refers to these: Outlook Express (it’s installed on all non-Vista Windows computers), Outlook (which comes with Microsoft Office), Thunderbird (which was developed by the same group that made Firefox), and others. These are programs dedicated to the sending and receiving of mail; they are not browsers. There are two main “ways” you can use a mail program— IMAP and POP3. With the advent of free E-mail services it is commonplace for every Internet user to have multiple email accounts. If a user uses a mail program like Outlook Express or Thunderbird then accessing mails from multiple accounts is not such a big deal.

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But accessing multiple mail accounts while on the Web requires the same number of Windows or Tabs to be open as the number of mail accounts. Hence our project aims at easing the process of accessing mails from multiple mail accounts by providing a “single window” where in a user can access all his mails no matter on which mail server his mails are stored in. Along with all the feature that a Mail-Client usually have for instance receiving mail,sending mail,managing Inbox and other folders,address book etc,our proposed system includes the key feature of “Single Window” as explained above.

MAIL STORE

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HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS PC with 2 GB HDD and 256/512 MB RAM (This machine will host the Web Server as well the Mail Server)

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS AND TOOLS 1.OS- Windows or Linux 2.SERVER- Apache Tomcat or Sun GlassFish 3.BROWSER- Chrome or Safari 4.ENVIRONMENT- JDK 1.6 5.IDE- NetBeans or Eclipse 6.GUI- Dreamweaver 7.LANGUAGES- HTML,JAVA(JSP,APPLETS) 8.DB- MYSQL or ORACLE

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REFERENCES 1.JAVA Complete Reference 2.J2EE Tutorial 3.RED Book by IBM 4.java.sun.com 5.JSP by O’Reilly 6.Technet.microsoft.com

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