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This document explains what IMP Webmail is and how to use it.
IMP is a web-based email client that is handy for when you're on the go and away from your office or personal computer. While not as full-featured as other email clients, it does give you the ability to check your email wherever you have access to a web browser. Connect by going to https://unet.brandeis.edu/ and click on IMP or go directly to http://webmail.brandeis.edu. For documentation, go to the Horde IMP FAQ.
Log in to IMP Webmail at http://webmail.brandeis.edu using your UNet account name and password.
IMP is handy for when you're on the go and away from your office or personal computer. Because it is slower and puts a heavier load on the server than a proper client, please do not use IMP for day-to-day use.
While composing a message, you type any fragment of a name or email into the To: box, and click "Expand Names." Separate email addresses with commas (,), not semicolons (;). Unique matches will be replaced. If there are multiple possible matches, you'll be given a popup menu from which you need to choose the particular match you need.
To add/edit/delete entries, you need to click "Addressbook" from the mailbox index, not a message composition window. Click on the name to edit or delete the entry. Clicking on the email address will compose a new message to that person.
By default, "Expand Names" will check entries in both your local address book and the Brandeis people directory. If you'd like to change this, choose Options from the top of the main mailbox index screen, then Addressbooks in the lower right.
The short answer is, "Your session timed out." The Webmail server maintains a "session" with your browser, so that you only get the pages you want, and only pages that "belong" to you. There may be many people using Webmail at the same time; Webmail sessions are how the server distinguishes between them. Sessions eventually time out due to inactivity between the browser and the Webmail server. If more than 35 minutes go by where there is no activity between your browser and the Webmail server (for example, if you spend a long time reading a single message, or a long time composing a message), the session will time out automatically. This is necessary to conserve resources on the Webmail server, and as a security feature in case you forget to log out on a public-use machine.
To prevent your session from timing out, especially when you are composing mail messages, leave the Webmail window displaying your INBOX, and refresh that page from time to time. This will keep your session alive.
The Webmail server will raise advisory popup windows 5 minutes and 1 minute before your session is about to expire. If you click "OK" to that message immediately, then your session will not expire. If you walk away from your computer and return to find the 5 minute and 1 minute warnings sitting there, your session has already expired. It is too late to click OK. Select the text of your message, copy it to the clipboard, close the window, log in again, and start a new message.
In some older browsers, such as Netscape 4.0, if you resize the Compose window after you have entered some text, your text will be lost. It is best to either resize the window before you start entering your message, or verify that resizing will not result in the loss of your message. This is a feature of your browser, not of Webmail, and affects all applications.
