ow to Perform Email Testing

Passwords

Our current mail server is named “mail.nova.org”. It offers IMAP and POP for incoming mesages and unencrypted SMTP for outgoing messages.
The old server login requires a user name (i.e., jsmith) and simple, non-complex, easy to break (hack) password.

The new server name is: “mailbox.nova.org”. It offers IMAP and POP for incoming mesages and encrypted SMTP for outgoing messages.
The new server login requires a full e-mail address user name (i.e., jsmith@nova.org) and difficult to break (hack) complex password.

The new server has different formatting requirements for passwords. The password must now contain

• A minimum of 8 characters in length
• At least one letter
• At least one uppercase letter
• At least one digit number
• At least one special character: #$%&'*+-,.:;!<=>?@[]/\(){}_`~

Don't change your password during testing, or at least change it back to what the NVIAC administrator assigns.
You can test changing your password during testing, but leave it as originally assigned as this is very helpful for the NVIAC administrators to aid in troubleshooting.
Change it permanently after the Day of Migration.

Web Clients

We have a new Web Mail client interface called SOGo. No more Squirrel Mail! Use the web mail client when you are not able to connect to the mail server using IMAP or POP or SMTP.

Test that your name and password are correct by logging into the new server using a web client. Your mailbox will be empty.

• https://mailbox.nova.org/SOGo

This is the format of your new username and password on the mailbox.nova.org iRedMail server, using the SOGO client.

• Username: username@nova.org ←note the @nova.org at the end
• Password: (password inserted here)

This is the link to the OLD Web Mail client, Squirrel Mail: https://mail.nova.org
The login format uses our original old format for username and password:

• Username: username
• Password: <old 8 character password>

POP vs IMAP

Read the Pop vs IMAP webpage. The operational difference seen with IMAP is that mailbox folders exist (Inbox/Drafts/Sent/Trash) and they are syncrhonized across all IMAP email clients. IMAP also has the option for coordinating contact lists and notes between devices via the new server. If mail is retrieved on several devices (e.g., PC/Mac, phone, tablet) and a message is deleted or moved on one of them it will also be deleted / moved on the server and other clients the next time upi log in. Copies of sent messages will be mirrored to all device the next time you log in and will disappear if deleted on any one of synchronized clients. So don’t delete a message on one device thinking it will still be on others as on the current mail.nova.org POP server.

INbound (Incoming) Mail Client Configuration

DO NOT EDIT/DELETE YOUR CURRENT CONFIGURATION! You must create/add a new account to your email client for testing.
The ports and other settings for e-mail clients will be different on the new server and can be found here:

• https://docs.nova.org/Main/NovaMailSettings ←the configuration settings

The new server requires the entire e-mail address (i.e., jsmith@nova.org) as user name and the password when setting up both IMAP and SMTP.
SSL or TLS authentication must be enabled for both.

OUTbound (Outgoing) SMTP Client Configuration

SMTP, the protocol used for sending out emails is now configured completely different. It used to operate UNencrypted and without authentication on the old server.
The new server expects the SMTP connection to be enrypted and authenticated on Port 587 using TLS. This is a big change. We have gone from no security, to the best available.

How to Pass the Test

Using the configuration settings above, you have added a new account to your favorite email client. Now let's test.
Successful Incoming Mail Server testing occurs, if using your new configuration, the email client can access the incoming mail server and read the contents of the EMPTY INBOX on mailbox.nova.org.
Your name/password is good, SSL works, no errors. Unfortunately your INBOX on the server is empty. If you are an IMAP user, you could could copy an email message into the INBOX.
It is a really good test to use IMAP to copy email messages into your INBOX.

Successful Outgoing Mail Server testing occurs, if using your new configuration, the email client can send email OUTBOUND via SMTP through mailbox.nova.org
Your name/password is good, TLS works, no errors.
If successful, you could start permanently using the OUTBOUND configuration for all your email clients.

@test.nova.org Email Test Domain

If you want to test even more in depth and not effect your primary personal account, an email test domain is available.
This is helpful for the testing of sieve filters, CalDav synchronization, WebDave synchronization, and Contact and Calendar importing.
Make a request to technical@nova.org, and explain why you want an additional test account.
We will set you up with an account in the domain username@test.nova.org

Windows 7

Are you using Windows 7? The default operating system encryption level is TLS version 1.0. This is unacceptable. You must change!

• You must (should) Update to enable TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 as default secure protocols for Windows 7 and other systems older than Windows 10.
• Download and use the Nartac Software IIS Crypto GUI to easily enable TLS 1.1 and 1.2.

Even better, you should disable TLS 1.0 using the Nartac software. Don't allow TLS 1.0 connections for your computer.
The mailbox server is configured to accept TLS 1.0 connections. We had turned it off, but feared the oldest user clients, like Eudora, would fail.
Which it does! The Eudora client, circa 2006, will not connect to the mailbox server without TLS 1.0 being enabled.

When you run the IIS Crypto software, the boxes may appear checked.

 

Greyed out means "default".

 

Default may mean Enabled or Disabled, no way to tell which.
You will want to tick the boxes of the security protocols you want to Enable or Disable.
This is what I have set up on my Windows 7 computer, after selecting the Schannel icon on the left side at the top
Server Protocols: TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2
Ciphers: Triple DES 168, AES 128, AES 256
Hashes: All of them
Key Exchanges: All of them
Client Protocols: TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2

MigrationProcess

If you want to migrate your INBOX and folders prior to the day of migration, you must be:

• a fearless expert in POP/IMAP/SMTP/SSL/TLS Email client configuration
• know and understand how an INBOX can be in two places at once.
• have an empty INBOX on mail.nova.org and/or
• you are willing to use IMAP to copy your old mail to the new server

This may seem like a lot, but if you know what you are doing, it is really very simple.
Everyone who completes testing successfully, should request to migrate their INBOX ahead of the Day of Migration. The migration process is not difficult. If interested in the steps for migrating before the Day of Migration, follow the MigrationProcess link.
If you do not migrate in advance, then On the Day of Migration, NVIAC will copy the contents of your INBOX and folders to the new server.
You will receive (possibly) another password, and your email will be waiting for you on the new server.