SoAustin.Net Info

This note describes the procedure to setup Microsoft Outlook Express version 6 to work with the SoAustin.Net mail server. There are three parts to this procedure:

• Basic Email Account Setup
• Secure Email Account Settings
• Import Email Server Certificate

Don't fret! This procedure looks long because we've illustrated it step-by-step. The third part, for example, looks like it has a lot of steps, but mostly it's just clicking through to accept the default selection.

Basic Email Account Setup

Open Microsoft Outlook Express. Select Tools → Accounts to display the Internet Accounts window.

Select Add → Mail to open the Internet Connection wizard.

Enter your full name as you want it to appear in your outgoing email messages. Click the Next button.

Enter the email address that SoAustin.Net has assigned you. Click the Next button.

Enter mail.soaustin.net in both the incoming and outgoing server fields. Click the Next button.

Enter your account password. Click the Next button.

Click the Finish button to close the Internet Connection wizard.

Secure Email Account Settings

You aren't done yet. Next, you should secure your newly created email account. This prevents people from snooping in your email on a wireless network. Also, it ensures you can connect to our mail server reliably, even on networks that block normal outgoing mail connections (as an anti-spam measure).

Click the name of the account you just created to highlight and select it. Click the Properties button.

Click the Servers tab. Place a checkmark in the My server requires authentication checkbox.

Click the Advanced tab. Place checkmarks in the two server requires a secure connection checkboxes. Change the outgoing mail (SMTP) port number to 465. Click the OK button.

You have completed the email account portion of the setup. Click the Close button to close the Internet Accounts window.

Import Email Server Certificate

You could theoretically start using your new email account at this time. The problem is that because we enabled security, your email program would complain that it doesn't know our mail server. You would see an error that looks like this:

You would get this error every time you started your email program. To avoid this error, we need to introduce your program to the SoAustin email server. You need to launch the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser (even if you normally use a different web browser, use IE this time), go to the SoAustin web site, and find the "Download email server security certificate" link on the left sidebar.

Click the link, which launches a security alert.

Click the OK button. A File Download window opens.

Click the Open button. A Certificate information window appears.

Click the Install Certificate button to launch the Certificate Import wizard.

Click the Next button.

Click the Next button.

Click the Finish button.

You are done.