CDS e-mail

Your CDS e-mail can be retrieved using a mail client and the IMAP protocol. At the present time, we do not provide a web interface to your CDS mail.

Note: you need to log in via ssh to www.cds.caltech.edu at least once before attempting this, in order to create your home directory first, where your mailbox files are held. ('ssh username@www.cds.caltech.edu' on Linux or Apple machines; PuTTY can be downloaded and used on Windows machines.)

Accessing e-mail using IMAP

To read e-mail using Apple Mail, follow these instructions (other mail clients are similar):

1. Open Mail (click it on the Dock or open it from the Applications folder).
2. If the "Welcome to Mail" assistant does not appear, choose Add Account from the File menu.
3. Fill in the Full Name, Email address, and Password fields. Use your CDS e-mail address (user@cds.caltech.edu) and your IMSS password.
4. Deselect "Automatically set up account" if it is enabled. Click Continue to proceed.
5. Choose the Account Type "IMAP".
6. Give your account a useful description, such as "Anne's CDS account" or just "CDS". It can be called whatever you want.
7. Enter your Incoming Mail Server, User Name and Password. For the mail server, use 'imap.cds.caltech.edu' and your IMSS username and password. Click Continue to proceed.
8. Set up the Outgoing Mail Server. Enter "CDS" for the description, 'smtp.cds.caltech.edu' for the Outgoing Mail Server and check the Use Authentication Box. # # Select "Use Authentication" and enter your IMSS User Name and Password. Click Continue to proceed.
9. Verify your settings in the Account Summary. Check "Take account online". Click "Create" to complete the process.

For other mail clients that may not automatically recognize the settings (e.g., Thunderbird):

1. For imap.cds.caltech.edu, use port 993, Connection security: SSL/TLS, Authentication method: Normal password
2. For smtp.cds.caltech.edu, use port 465, Connection security: SSL/TLS, Authentication method: Normal password

Forwarding your mail

To forward your e-mail to another computer, create a file in your home directory on www.cds.caltech.edu named '.forward' and put the e-mail address where you would like your mail forwarded.