Using the Mozilla 1.7.x Web Browser and E-mail Program with TLS and SMTP Authentication
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Important Notice: This document has been tested for accuracy and technical quality assurance using Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition through XP Professional with Service Pack 2. If your results do not match those here, please consult your department computer support person or contact your campus Help Desk for assistance in obtaining updates and patches for your computer. You can also update your computer by visiting http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and http://www.mozilla.org. Please note you will need to use Internet Explorer to obtain the Windows updates.

What is Mozilla?

Mozilla is a free, open-source suite including a web browser and mail program which provide many helpful features such as tabbed browsing, pop-up window blocking, advertisement image blocking, and junk mail ("spam") filtering controls. Both Mozilla and its companion e-mail program closely resemble Netscape in appearance and in function. At first glance Mozilla and Netscape appear identical, and to an extent they are--they share the same source code, originally developed by the Mozilla Foundation and later adapted by Netscape as their proprietary Web browser and e-mail software

What is "open source" software?

Open-source software lets individual programmers fix any "bugs" then make the software available to anyone who wishes to use it or further work with the code. More information and the latest version of Mozilla "original" and Firefox, another Web browser, are available by visiting http://www.mozilla.org.

While this document addresses only Windows 2000-XP computers, Mozilla is also available for most Macintosh and GNU/Linux operating systems.

Switching from Netscape and Internet Explorer

Netscape users can change to Mozilla seamlessly since the two are so similar, even to the point of Mozilla automatically importing Netscape Bookmarks after it is installed on a machine. Internet Explorer users who wish to change to Mozilla would benefit from reviewing Importing Internet Explorer Favorites.

Obtaining and Installing Mozilla

  1. Open any Web browser and go to http://www.mozilla.org. The Mozilla home page changes from time to time but the download link is easy to find:



  2. Click on the link for the desired operating system and save the installation file on the computer's desktop:



  3. Doube-click the icon to begin installing the software:



  4. The Welcome screen will appear:



  5. Click Next to continue. After reviewing, and agreeing to, the Mozilla licensing agreement the product will install. That should take only a few minutes. Mozilla will automatically start and go to the Mozilla home page on the Internet. You're ready to browse the Web


Configuring Mozilla for the Web

Many people like to specify a home page when they start their Web browsers for the day. Among other helpful options, Mozilla allows specifying a home page when it is started as well as setting it to be the primary Web browser:

  1. From the menu bar on the Mozilla tool bar, select Edit then Preferences:



  2. When the Preferences window appears, enter the Internet address of the desired home page, such as http://www.rutgers.edu:



  3. Similarly, setting Mozilla to be the Default Browser, that is, the primary browser for use with the Web, by clicking the Set Default Browser button:



  4. Clicking OK will save the chosen options and close the Preferences window. Now whenever Mozilla is started it will open as the default browser to whatever home page was entered:



Exporting and Importing Netscape Bookmarks

Setting Mozilla as the default browser after using Netscape 7.x should require no special action since they have many of the same essential components, Mozilla should automatically import all Netscape bookmarks.

Note: Do not remove Netscape from the computer until importing of the mail program address book is also completed, or the e-mail addresses will have to be hand-entered.

Exporting and Importing Internet Explorer Favorites

To save time and trouble in configuring a new browser, Mozilla can import Internet Explorer favorites. But the favorites need to be exported to a file first:
  1. Start Internet Explorer, then under the File menu, select Import and Export:



  2. The Import/Export Wizard will start. Click Next:



    Select Export Favorites, then click Next:



  3. The Wizard will then ask from which folder the Favorites are to be exported. The Favorites folder should be selected by default. If not make sure it is selected, then continue by clicking Next:



  4. The Wizard now needs to be told where to save the Favorites file in the Export Favorites Destination dialog box. Try using the Browse function to place the favorites.htm file on the Desktop, because that will make it easy to find and import the file into Mozilla:



  5. Click Save then Next, and the Wizard should display a Finished dialog.

    Note: You must click Finish to complete the process to export the Favorites to the computer's desktop:



  6. The favorites.htm file will be saved to the Desktop:



Importing Internet Explorer Favorites into Mozilla

With the bookmark file on the Desktop, importing Favorites into Mozilla is easy:

  1. In Mozilla, click on Bookmarks then select Manage Bookmarks:





  2. The Mozilla Bookmark Manager will open. Select Tools then Import:



  3. Use the Browse button to find the bookmark file on the Desktop and click Open:


  4. The Favorites will appear in the Bookmark Manager:




  5. Click the X in the top right-hand corner to close the Bookmark Manager. The Internet Explorer Favorites are now Mozilla Bookmarks:



 


Configuring Mozilla Mail for the Rutgers Network

Mozilla Mail, as with all e-mail programs in use at Rutgers, requires enabling security features, in particular, TLS (Transport Layer Security) and SMTP Authentication (or "SMTP Auth," for short).

TLS encrypts and protects messages while in transit between computers and prevents electronic "eavesdropping." It does not protectinformation while it resides on a machine, just while it is in transit.

SMTP Auth enables mail systems to verify that any mail it is instructed to deliver is actually originating from a valid Rutgers user account. Most newer versions of e-mail software utilize SMTP Auth, which can be configured in e-mail settings by sending an e-mail username and encrypted password before transmitting outgoing messages. It also helps protect e-mail from viruses and hackers who are looking to steal people's private information.

The Rutgers University Office of Information Technology (OIT) also strongly recommends the IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) protocol be used for sending and receiving e-mail. IMAP permits a "client" e-mail program Mozilla Mail to retrieve and manipulate messages from a desktop computer at home, a wo\ rkstation at the office, or a laptop computer while traveling without the need to transfer messages or files back and forth between those computers as required by the older and less effective POP protocol.

 

  1. Start Mozilla. Select Window from the menu then Mail & Newsgroups:




  2. When the Mail & Newsgroup dialog box opens, click once on the Add Account button to start the Account Wizard. Make sure Email account is selected then click on the Next button:




  3. Enter your name and Rutgers e-mail address then click the Next button:




  4. Click the Next button and the Server Information dialog will open. Make sure IMAP is selected as the server type, then enter your Rutgers e-mail address in the following format as appropriate to your campus:
    • eden.rutgers.edu (New Brunswick/Piscataway students)
    • rci.rutgers.edu (New Brunswick/Piscataway faculty/staff)
    • pegasus.rutgers.edu (Newark students)
    • andromeda.rutgers.edu (Newark faculty/staff)
    • clam.rutgers.edu (Camden students)
    • crab.rutgers.edu (Camden faculty/staff)

  5. Enter smtp.rutgers.edu as the Outgoing Server (RCI and Eden only; users on other campuses should also use the Incoming Server Name as the Outgoing Server).



    Note: The IMAP Server might already have been set if you previously set up a profile in Mozilla Thunderbird or in Netscape Mail. RCI and Eden users will need to adjust the settings through Mozilla's Mail & Newsgroup Account Settings to ensure the outgoing server is smtp.rutgers.edu.

  6. Then click the Next button. The User Name dialog box will open. Enter your Rutgers NetID (user name) in all lower-case letters, then click the Next button:



  7. Enter a name for the account; many people simply use their Rutgers e-mail addresses. Then click the Next button:



    A Congratulations! dialog box with a summary of the new account information should be displayed. Review the entries carefully; the mail account will not work properly if any information is mistyped. Use the Back button to navigate to any of the dialog boxes that contain incorrect entries and proceed as before:



  8. The dialog should close and the Mozilla Mail screen should be displayed.

Configuring Mozilla Mail with SSL and SMTP Authentication

  1. In the Mozilla Mail window, click on the account name for your Rutgers e-mail account then click on View Settings for this Account:




  2. Click to select Server Settings. OIT suggests selecting the following items so that your screen looks like the picture below the list:
    • Use secure connection (SSL)
    • Check for new messages at startup
    • Set Check for New Messages at 30 minutes
    • Set When I delete a Message to Remove it immediately
    • Empty Trash on exit





  3. Click OK.

4. Set the SMTP Authentication by opening the Mail and Newsgroup Settings window, click on Outgoing Server and enter these settings:

  • Enter the Server Name is entered as smtp.rutgers.edu
  • Enter 25 in the Port field
  • Check the use name and password box and enter your Rutgers NetID in the User Name field
  • Check the TLS radio button:

  1. Click OK. The Mozilla Mail main screen should reappear, and the software should be ready to receive and send messages securely on the Rutgers Network.

Important Notes:
  • If you are sending and receiving your Rutgers e-mail through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) instead of the Rutgers network (e.g. AOL, Comcast, or similar Internet resource), you can now switch to the Rutgers SMTP server, smtp.rutgers.edu, and use your Rutgers NetID and password. If you make this switch, you may need to check the section labeled Use secure connection: SSL . Contact your Internet Service Provider to verify that outlet utilizes SSL.
  • Authorized users of departmental (on RCI) or organizational (on Eden) accounts should log into those e-mail accounts the same as before. However, when prompted for a user name and password to send e-mail messages, users will need to enter their personal RCI or Eden NetIDs and the case-sensitive password associated with each account. That is, they should not use the departmental or organizational account name (with its associated password) when sending e-mail.

Enabling Junk Mail Controls
What is "Spam"?


Generally, "spam" is computer slang for the electronic equivalent of junk mail. Spam floods message boards, newsgroups, mailing lists, and Rutgers e-mail accounts with unwanted, unsolicited and often repugnant messages--usually advertisements, promotions or deliberate disruptions. It is also a flagrant violation of membership agreements with most Internet Service Providers. While spam is often identified as large numbers of messages, even just one unwanted message to someone can be considered spam. The term is attributed to a sketch performed by the British comedy troupe Monty Python in the 1970s about a repetitive breakfast menu in which each item has more Spam (the canned meat product) than the previous.

Mozilla can be configured so its e-mail reading software can perform a specific action on the spam, such as to automatically delete it. A junk mail message can be marked as "junk," and from that point on all messages from the sender will be considered junk mail and placed into a designated folder, such as the Trash folder, and deleted upon leaving Mozilla Mail or Thunderbird Mail. Legitimate messages sent to that folder can be mark as "Not Junk" and "rescued" from designation as junk mail.

However, the Mozilla junk mail controls work independently from the Rutgers spam filters OIT implemented to help catch and remove spam. OIT strongly recommends that all messages the Rutgers spam filter places into the Trash folder or other folder be reviewed for a few weeks to ensure no legitimate messages were placed there by mistake; of so, adjustments to the Rutgers spam filer may be needed. More information about using the spam filters, along with other helpful Web-based tools, is available for RCI at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/tools.php and for Eden at http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/tools.php.

To enable the junk mail controls in Mozilla:
  1. In Mozilla Mail, click on Tools on the menu then choose Junk Mail Controls:




    The Junk Mail Controls dialog box will open. Select the desired means to handle junk mail. OIT recommends these settings:
    • Enable Junk Mail Controls
    • Do not mark messages as junk mail if the sender is in my address book
    • Move incoming messages determined to be junk to:
    • Other (use the pull-down menu to select Trash on Local Folders)
    • Automatically delete junk messages older than 14 days from this folder
    • Delete messages When I manually mark messages as Junk:




  2. Click OK.

    Note: Depending upon the amount and content of e-mail received Mozilla may need up to three or four weeks to "learn" what spam is and what is not. Checking the folder to which junk mail is routed to ensure any legitimate messages did not end up there during that time is a good idea.

Importing Address Books

Mozilla offers easy importing of address books from most major e-mail programs such as Outlook Express, Outlook and Eudora:

  1. In Mozilla Mail, select Tools then Import:


  2. Select the Address book option if not already chosen:



  3. Click Next

  4. Select the e-mail program from which you wish to import an existing address book, in this case, Outlook Express:





    Click Next. Mozilla will import the address book then present a Finished dialog box:



  5. Click Finish and the Mozilla Mail main screen should reappear. Addresses in the address book are available by clicking on the Address Book button while composing a message. Click To --> to add entries as addressees and for carbon copy or blind carbon copy as desired.



Now That I'm Using Mozilla, What Do I Do with Netscape or Internet Explorer?

Mozilla coexists with both Netscape and Internet Explorer. Netscape can be uninstalled from the computer without any issues. However, Internet Explorer is often integrated with Windows so OIT does not recommend trying to remove it from a computer.

Changing the Look of Mozilla

Mozilla uses "themes" for a customized look. Many of the popular themes are available at http://themes.mozdev.org/. To use a theme:

  1. Navigate to the Mozilla theme page. Click on the Install it! link for the desired theme.

  2. Click on View, then Apply Theme and select the desired theme:



  3. A dialog box will advise the new theme will be applied when Mozilla is restarted, so the new theme should appear (in this case, "Pinball"):




Need Help Using Mozilla?

Contact the Help Desk on your campus:
  • Camden: 856-225-6274
  • Newark: 973-353-5083
  • New Brunswick/Piscataway: 732-445-HELP (4357)

You can also send an e-mail message to help@nbcs.rutgers.edu.

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Last updated: August 17, 2007, 4:04 pm