Vasile's FireWallMailReader FAQ

1. What does VasFireWallMailReader?
2. Why should I use VasFireWallMailReader?
3. What I must have to make VasFireWallMailReader working?
4. How to configure VasFireWallMailReader?
5. How do I use VasFireWallMailReader?
6. How all this reading mail stuff works?
7. I made everything but it's still not working. What to do?
8. Tips & Tricks

1. What does VasFireWallMailReader?
   It reads your e-mail, like every mail client program, but it can also read your mail which is normally inaccessible due to the firewall. VasFireWallMailReader reads and stores the emails in a file that you can consult later.

2. Why should I use VasFireWallMailReader?
   
   • VasFireWallMailReader is a small, fast and command-line application
   • Discreet, so you can read your private mail at work, and reply immediatly to your emails
   • VasFireWallMailReader reads your mail which is normally inaccessible due to the firewall
   • The mails are not removed from your mailserver
   • Highly configurable, so you can choose which mails you want to read (or re-read)
   • VasFireWallMailReader is written in Java and its source code it is easy to understand and modify
   • As a Java application, it runs on almost all platforms
   • I'm using it on everyday basis since March 1997, without problems

3. What I must have to make VasFireWallMailReader working?
   
   1. You must have a JVM (Java Virtual Machine) installed on your computer. On most Windows computers a JVM is installed by default. To verify if you have a JVM, under the command prompt type jview or java.
   2. Under the command prompt try telnet your_mail_server 110. If you have no errors, and it connects to, then there's no need to use a telnet gateway.
   3. If there are errors, ie there's a gateway, you must know the hostname of your telnet gateway. It's sometimes called firewall, internet, gateway.. Contact your system administrator if you cannot find the gateway yourself. In fact, there is no other way than making a "telnet" on the firewall itself, and "telneting" after this to your mail server and read there the mail.
   4. To try the name of the gateway, under the command shell type: telnet name 23, for example telnet firewall 23 to try firewall. If you have no errors, and it connects to, you can try telnet your_mail_server 110. If it works, then you'll have no problems using this Java application.

4. How to configure VasFireWallMailReader?
   To configure the application, you have just to edit the configuration file (mails.ini). No recompilation is needed. You must complete these parameters:
   • user=your_user_name - user name of the mailbox, without @your_server.com
   • pass=your_password - password of the mailbox
   • mailhost=mailhost - your personnal mail server, for example mail.chez.com
   • gateway=gateway||no - put here the name of the telnet gateway or "no" if none (ie you have a direct connection to the mailserver)
   • outputfile=mails.txt - name of the file where the mails will be stocked, by default mails.txt
   • wait=yes||no - if the program will wait the user input to specify the mails to read or will work automaticaly (option no), reading only unread mails (yes by default)
   Wrong lines in mails.ini file are ignored. Just modify the entries in mails.ini included in the VasFireWallMailReader.zip file.

   You should put everything like in any other email reading program. For example, to check this for Outlook Express, make Tools/Accounts/click on account/Properties/Servers tab and look in Incoming Mail Server section.

5. How do I use VasFireWallMailReader?
   To make it working, you should use the JVM to execute the class. To do this, under the command prompt type jview VasFireWallMailReader (on most Windows machines) or java VasFireWallMailReader.

6. How all this reading mail stuff works?
   Nothing complicated here. This is a standard POP3 (Post Office Protocol - version 3) communication. Described in RFC (request for comments) number 1939 at http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/computing/internet/rfc/rfc1939.txt
   1. You type USER your_user_name<CarriageReturn/LineFeed>. It must be without @your_server.com
   2. You say PASS your_password_here<CR/LF>
   3. You say LIST<CR/LF> to see the list of your mails on the server.
   4. You type RETR mail_number<CR/LF> to read one mail.
   5. You type DELE mail_number<CR/LF> to delete one mail.
   6. You say QUIT<CR/LF> in order to exit the session.
   Type HELP<CR/LF> if you have problems (only when you are logged in).
   POP3 command keywords are case insensitive, but login and password are case sensitive.

7. I made everything but it's still not working. What to do?
   Verify if you need a telnet gateway or no. Configure the application properly. If it's still not working, contact the author (give as much details as you can).
   Don't forget that computers make never mistakes, there's always a human error. Even when creating buggy computers. :-)

• The number of mails already read by the program is stored in the file mails.nmb. If you want to skip or re-read some mails, modify this file.
• A easy way to modify mails.nmb file is to use echo command (both on Windows and Unix platforms). For example, to mark that you have read 3 emails, make echo 3 > mails.nmb.
• To reset the mails counter (e.g. when arriving in the morning to the work), just remove mails.nmb file: del mails.nmb (Windows) or rm mails.nmb (Unix).
• The mails' content is appended to a text file (mails.txt by default). After reading your emails just remove this file: del mails.txt (Windows) or rm mails.txt (Unix).
• For a very fast use of VasFireWallMailReader, I'm using batch files (Windows) and shell scripts (Unix).
  • Windows
    • m.bat: jview VasFireWallMailReader
    • c.bat: more < mails.txt
    • r.bat: del mails.txt
  • Unix
    • m: java VasFireWallMailReader
    • c: more mails.txt
    • r: rm mails.txt
  So, I just type m to get the mails from the mailserver, c to read them and r to delete the mails' file.
• VasFireWallMailReader often saves me downloading time at home. When receiving useless big mails, I delete them directly on the server using POP3 protocol.