Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this section, you should be able to

  1. explain application protocols for email.
  2. describe how email systems work.

Learning Tasks

Required:

  1. Watch the slideshow for this section.
  2. Study Section 2.3, Electronic Mail in the Internet, in the textbook.
  3. Search the Internet for electronic mail. Select the two most interesting articles, read them, and post the links to the course forum along with your commentary.

Terms and Topics

Section 3 – Electronic Mail in the Internet

Electronic Mail (email)
Internet email system
User agents
Mail servers
SMTP
Mailbox
Web-based email
Message queue
Basic operation of SMTP
Dialog with SMTP
Pull protocol
Push protocol
Mail message formats

Mail access protocols
POP and POP3
IMAP

Leading Questions

  1. What are the differences between POP and IMAP?
  2. What are user agents and mail servers in electronic mail respectively?
  3. What does the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) do?
  4. What are the basic operations of SMTP?
  5. Why does SMTP need a message queue?
  6. How would you compare SMTP with HTTP?
  7. What formats might a mail message have?
  8. What are mail access protocols? How do they differ from a mail transfer protocol, such as SMTP?
  9. What does Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) do?
  10. What does IMAP protocol do?
  11. What are the differences between POP3 and IMAP?