While the Bearmail Outlook Web Access client is the fully supported method to access your email account, the Computer Services Helpdesk will make every effort to support other methods of access. These setup guides are provided to assist you in setting up various email clients to access your email accounts, but be aware that not all email clients will work with our mail servers due to security that has been put into place to protect the university and your private information. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the setup guides on the left.
The below information is provided to assist you in determining what type of client you may need to obtain and setup.
HTTP
HTTP clients are web based email clients that are
designed to be used by any internet connected computer
regardless of the the operating system or internet
browser used. This option requires no setup by the user
and only requires a simple logon. Examples of this type
of email client are GMail, Yahoo Mail and our own very
popular Bearmail Outlook Web Access.
IMAP
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is a standard protocol for accessing e-mail from your local server. IMAP is a client/server protocol in which e-mail is received and held for you by your Internet server. You can view just the heading and the sender of the letter and then decide whether to download the mail. You can also create and manipulate multiple folders or mailboxes on the server, delete messages, or search for certain parts or an entire note. IMAP requires continual access to the server during the time that you are working with your mail.
POP3
POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) is the most recent version of a standard protocol for receiving e-mail. POP3 is a client/server protocol in which e-mail is received and held for you by your Internet server. Periodically, you check your mail-box on the server and download any mail, probably using POP3. This standard protocol is built into most popular e-mail products, such as Microsoft Outlook and Thunderbird. This is the recommended method for most dialup users.
Microsoft Exchange Server
Designed for use in a business setting, the Exchange
server is often used in conjunction with Microsoft
Outlook to take advantage of Outlook's collaborative
features, such as the ability to share calendars and
contact lists. Two methods of accessing Missouri State
University's Exchange Server are by using the Cisco's
VPN client or by using a method called RPC over HTTP