First, let’s describe the differences between a POP3 mailbox and an IMAP mailbox.

POP3 e-mail configuration is best for people who intend to use their e-mail from one computer. With POP3, all messages are typically downloaded from the server without a copy left behind. Once your message is removed from the server from one computer, you cannot access it from another computer.

IMAP stores messages directly on the mail server, even after you’ve accessed your e-mail from your home computer. Since the mail stays on the server, you can access the same mailbox from any other Internet-connected computer. The only time that messages are removed from the server is when you delete it from the server. IMAP also allows you to create individual folders for mail (these folders also stay on the server) so that you can manage/organize your e-mail while it stays on the server.

• If you are a frequent traveler and/or need to have access to your e-mail from multiple locations, IMAP is the better choice. It’s also recommended if you use dial-up connections to the Internet because the messages that you request are the only ones that are downloaded so that you can read them.
• If you use only a single computer to access your mail, consider POP3 as a better alternative.

For most situations, we recommend IMAP.

Note that IMAP e-mail takes up more of your available storage on the server and this may quickly fill up the quota alloted for you. POP3 e-mail, once downloaded, will free up this space.

Your account can be configured as both an IMAP and POP3 account depending on how your software is configured.

Losing a domain is an incredibly frustrating experience for domain owners. This article will help explain how this happens, and how you can keep it from happening to you.

There are three main ways that people lose domain names:

1. An owner allows the domain registration to lapse.
2. A domain is stolen after a hijacker gains access to the registry record.
3. An owner does not keep up-to-date contact information in their record and their record is deleted after the registrar concludes that contact with the owner is not possible.

The good news is that there are steps you can take to keep this from happening to you. The most basic way to avoid losing your domain is to keep track of expiration dates and maintain your contact information. One smart way to do this is to consolidate your domains at one high-quality registrar. This allows you to manage a domain portfolio more easily and comprehensively. But remember, your domain can be deleted if your contact data is out of date. Registrars now have to verify ownership annually.

A second and related tip is to make sure that you are listed as the Administrative Contact. If it is a corporate domain name, then make sure the business owner or a senior executive is the Administrative Contact; this person is authorized to modify the website hosting, the records and he or she can change the domain’s ownership.

Next, it is important to use a paid email account for your Administrative Contact email address whenever possible. Free email addresses can be suspended or deleted. If this happens, you will not receive notices from your registrar for renewal, and someone else could register that email address and then use it to request a domain transfer.

You can also place a registrar lock on your domain. This can help prevent it from being transferred, modified or deleted by a third party. It is also important that you make sure your registrar gives you the ability to unlock your domain at any time without having to call or email them (at DS-Hosting Solutions you can lock/unlock your domain at any time). Otherwise, when you sell a domain name you will have to wait for someone at the registrar to process your request, and then the transfer will take more time and most importantly, it will take more time for you to receive your payment.

It is also important for you to be an educated email user. Never respond to emails that ask you to click on a link or respond without investigating the source and fully understanding the e-mail’s contents. Be especially careful with domain-related emails that look official but are from an unknown source. Contact your registrar to find out what is happening and if the email is from them. Domain hijackers have been known to send out mass transfer requests hoping that a small number of people will actually accept the transfer request. Do not let yourself fall prey to this type of scam.

Another step you can take to make sure you do not lose your domain is putting your registrar on your email list of "approved senders". This will ensure that you receive emails from your registrar, including the all important registry renewal notices.

Finally, on a related note, it is a good idea to renew your domain early and for long periods of time.

Protect your domains by following these guidelines:

1. Keep track of expiration dates and keep your contact information up-to date. (Consider domain consolidation.)
2. Make sure you are listed as the Administrative Contact so that only you can modify the domain record or change ownership.
3. Try to avoid using free-email addresses.
4. Make use of registrar locks over which you have control.
5. Be an educated email user: investigate email senders and email contents.
6. Place your registrar on your "approved sender" email list and have emails from them go straight to your inbox.
7. Renew your domain early and for long periods of time.

How to login directly using “webmail.domain.com” in to Squirrelmail, Horde or RoundCube of any account?

First you need to create a subdomain that you want to redirect to your preferred Webmail client [Squirrelmail / Horde / RoundCube].

Following are the steps to create subdomain.

1. Login in to your cPanel interface.
2. Select the Subdomain option, and create the subdomain. (For eg: webmail.domain.com)
3. Once it has been created, go to the File Manager option of the cPanel.
4. Change path to “public_html” by selecting the folder image beside the text “public_html”
5. Now change the path to folder that was create by your subdomain. (as per our example it would be the “webmail” folder.
6. Once inside this directory [webmail], you will see “.htaccess” file, if it’s not there then you need to create it manually.
   • If it is not there then create new using below steps: (if it already exists proceed to step 10)
7. Create it [.htaccess] by selecting the “Create New File” option.
8. A menu appears in the top right corner of the File Manager interface. Choose “Text Document” and name it “.htaccess” [without quotes]
9. Now refresh File Manager and you will then see your new file [.htaccess] in the listing of that directory.
10. Click on the text title for the .htaccess file on the left side of the screen and a menu appears in the top right of the screen.
11. Choose the “Edit File” option, a new window opens.
12. Add the following lines:

- If You Want To Redirect “webmail.domain.com” to the Squirrel Mail Client: -

RewriteEngine on

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^webmail.domain.com$ [OR]

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.webmail.domain.com$

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://domain.com:2095/3rdparty/squirrelmail/index.php$1 [R=301,L]

- If You Want To Redirect “webmail.domain.com” to the Horde Webmail Client: -

RewriteEngine on

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^webmail.domain.com$ [OR]

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.webmail.domain.com$

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://domain.com:2095/horde/$1 [R=301,L]

- If You Want To Redirect “webmail.domain.com” to the RoundCube Webmail Client: -

RewriteEngine on

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^webmail.domain.com$ [OR]

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.webmail.domain.com$

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://domain.com:2095/3rdparty/roundcube/$1 [R=301,L]

NOTE: replace “domain.com” above with your actual domain name.

Enjoy Direct Webmail Client Login.

Yes, you can use Google Apps for Your Domain – http://www.google.com/a/

All you need to do is:

• Login to cPanel –> Mail –> Modify Mail Exchanger (MX Entry)
• Click Change an MX Entry
• Then enter the main MX entry Google provided you and click Change. The other MX records are not needed.

Thats it, your email will now work at Google!

If you get this error when sending email:

The server responded: 503 valid RCPT command must precede DATA

This error occurs because on our mail server you must check your email before trying to send mail. Once you send authentication to check mail the server will allow you to send mail for 30 minutes from that IP without authentication.

There are two solutions to this problem:

1. Always check your email for new mail before trying to send email. Most if not all email applications already do this by default. Checking mail adds your IP address to a relayhosts file and allows any email to be sent from that IP address for up to 30 minutes.
2. Configure your email client to authenticate automatically by checking the "my server requires authentication" box in your email configuration. You will be able to send mail without having to "pop" your mail box first.

What webmail package do you provide? Do I have to pay for it?

With our Web hosting service, we provide you with free webmail packages called SquirrelMail, Horde along with a third application called RoundCube. Using this you can access your email from anywhere in the world.

To check your emails, just type www.yoursitename/webmail/ in your web browser, and you will be prompted for your login details. Just enter the correct information to authenticate yourself, and gain access to your webmail. You do not have to pay for this service.