Configuring Mozilla Thunderbird (Mac) to Access CITES Express Email via POP

The instructions on this web page will help you configure Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 (Mac) to access your CITES Express Email account through POP. For information about POP, see Choosing How to Access Your CITES Express Email Account.

Obtaining and Installing Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird is an open-source desktop email client that is available at no charge from the Mozilla Thunderbird homepage. Note: You will need to install Thunderbird before following the configuration instructions on this page. Refer to the Mozilla Thunderbird homepage for installation directions.

Configuring Thunderbird

1. Open Thunderbird. If this is the first time you have run the program, a window might appear to ask if you would like to import preferences, addressbooks, and mail folders from other desktop email clients you might have used on your computer. If you do not want to import this information into Mozilla Thunderbird, select Don't import anything and click Continue. Otherwise, select from a list of your available items and click on Import. Note: If you import data, you might no longer be able to access it from the other email client.

2. After you open Thunderbird, a New Account wizard might appear to guide you through installing a new account. If the New Account wizard does not appear, then access the wizard by going to Tools on the Thunderbird menu bar, selecting Account Options, and clicking the Add Account button located in the lower left corner of the window.

3. On the New Account Setup screen, select Email account and then click Continue.

4. On the Identity screen, enter the following information:

Your Name: Enter your first and last name, or the name that you want your correspondents to see.

Email Address: Enter your email address in this form: netid@uiuc.edu. Replace netid with your NetID, which can be found on your I-Card or in your Electronic Directory entry.

Click Continue.

5. Under Server Information, enter the following information:

Select the type of incoming server you are using: Select POP.

Incoming Server: Enter express.cites.uiuc.edu.

Use Global Inbox: (optional). If you are using Thunderbird to check your Express Email account only, then it does not matter whether or not this box is checked. However, if you are setting up multiple POP email accounts to access from Thunderbird and you would like your emails from every account to appear in one inbox folder, check the box next to Use Global Inbox. If you would rather each account had its own inbox folder, then uncheck the box.

Outgoing Server: Enter express-smtp.cites.uiuc.edu only if you are on the campus network. If you are connecting from a third-party Internet Service Provider (ISP), you must enter the name of its outgoing mail server. Examples of third-party ISPs are Insight Communications, SBC Yahoo! DSL, McLeod Flexabit, Sol Tec, and Volo Wireless, among many others. Contact your ISP if you do not know the name of its outgoing mail server.

Click Continue.

6. On the User Names screen, you should already have your NetID filled in for the Incoming User Name and Outgoing User Name. If not, then enter your NetID in both boxes. Then click Continue.

7. The Account Name helps differentiate your Express Email account from any other account you might access through Thunderbird. You can enter any name you like in the Account Name box (i.e., "Express Email", "school", "work", etc.). Click Continue.

8. You will see a Congratulations screen that summarizes your Account Options. Click Done.

9. Thunderbird might automatically try to connect to your Express Email account. After several seconds, you might see a message that says: "Alert. Connection to server express.cites.uiuc.edu timed out". It's ok to see this message because you still have some configuration to do in the next steps before Thunderbird can successfully access your Express Email account. Click OK.

10. Click Tools on the Thunderbird menu and select Account Options.

11. The Account Options window will open. Click Server Settings, listed in the left navigational menu.

12. At the top of the Server Settings screen, Thunderbird displays information that you entered during the first steps of these directions. Verify that the information is correct:

Server Type: This should be listed as "POP Mail Server".

Server Name: You should see "express.cites.uiuc.edu" in this textbox.

Port: The Port number might be set to 110. After you complete the following step the Port number will automatically change to 995, which is the correct number. Do not change the Port number yourself.

User Name: Your NetID should be displayed in this textbox

13. In the section "Security Settings" select SSL next to Use secure connection. This setting is required for Thunderbird to successfully connect to your Express Email account. The Port number near the top of the window should change to 995 automatically.

14. Several additional settings can be configured in the "Server Settings" section. Although these settings are optional, some can make Thunderbird much more useful. These are marked with a "(Recommended)." Settings that are not marked "(Recommended)" could be useful for in certain situations; read the following descriptions for more details.

Check for new messages at startup: (Recommended) If this box is checked, Thunderbird will automatically check your account for new messages when you first open the program. Otherwise you will need to manually click the Get Mail button after Thunderbird opens.

Check for new messages every 10 minutes: (Recommended) If you would like Thunderbird to automatically check your Express Email account for new messages, then make sure that this box is checked. You can change how frequently Thunderbird will check for new messages by entering a different number.

Automatically download new messages: (Recommended) Check this box if you want Thunderbird to download your new messages without asking you first.

Fetch headers only: Check the box next to Fetch headers only if you want to download only the headers (basic information like sender, date, and subject) instead of the whole message. You can then manually request which messages to download in entirety. If you are checking your email from a handheld device and want to preserve hard drive space or connection time, you might be interested in this setting.

Leave message on server: You can choose to leave a copy of your messages on the server for a certain number of days by checking the box next to Leave messages on server. Temporarily storing a copy of your email on the server is useful if you check your email from multiple locations or want to have a backup of your recent messages. By default, Thunderbird stores messages for 7 days; however, you can choose a different length of time.

Warning! If you do not check "Leave messages on server", then all of the email messages in your inbox will be downloaded to your computer and you will no longer be able to access them from other computers or the CITES Express Email web interface.

Empty Trash on Exit: Check this box if you would like Thunderbird to automatically delete any messages in your Trash folder when you close the program.

15. Click OK.

16. Thunderbird is now configured to access your CITES Express Email account via POP. When you start Thunderbird after finishing these directions, you will be prompted you for your password. At that point, enter your CITES Express Email password. If you do not know your CITES Express Email password, reset it at the Password Home Page or contact the CITES Help Desk:

  CITES Help Desk

• phone: (217) 244-7000, (800) 531-2531
• email: consult@uiuc.edu
• walk-in: 1211 Digital Computer Lab, 1304 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana, IL 61801