Two Separate Strategies

Historically, OpenVMS MAIL was used to send text-only messages among users of one machine or of several machines connected via a DECnet network. This ability still exists and is used today by many OpenVMS users.

But today, OpenVMS can also run TCP/IP, so OpenVMS MAIL can send and receive messages to and from any Internet e-mail address. Fewer and fewer Internet e-mail messages are being sent as plain text, making the character-cell interface less desirable for many incoming messages.

Many users today choose to use PC-based e-mail clients, using an OpenVMS system as a POP3/IMAP and SMTP server. In this case, the OpenVMS mail facility serves as a storage location for incoming messages. The client system periodically checks with the OpenVMS system to see whether there are any messages waiting.

This chapter treats the two approaches separately, although it is possible to use a combination of the two. Using OpenVMS as a mail server is discussed first, and using a local interface is discussed after that.