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E-mail is a paperless form of mail. Unlike the conventional postal system, e-mail is completely electronic, and is
stored on computers. Each e-mail message is created by you and is sent between computers. Because it is
electronic instead of paper-based, a computer must be used to create, send, receive, and display each e-mail
message.
You run an e-mail or web-browsing program locally on your computer. These programs display e-mail or web pages.
They also allow communication directly to the servers that make up the Internet and allow you to download web
pages or e-mail.
A server is a computer that provides specific services to other computers. Some of the servers that make up the
Internet are:
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HTTP Server (Hypertext Transfer Protocol ) - provides web pages
POP3 Server -(Post Office Protocol Version 3) -downloads e-mail messages from an electronic mailbox to
the user's computer.
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SMTP Server (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol ) - sends e-mail messages to the destination mailbox.
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DNS Server (Domain Name Service ) - maps, or converts, user entered alphabetical Internet computer
names to computer usable numeric addresses.
In order to provide a service at all times, servers are always running and connected to a data communications
network that links them to the Internet.
This connectivity allows computers to request services from other computers. Examples of these services are the
electronic publishing of documents on the World Wide Web or the sending and receiving of e-mail.
See Also:
Contacting a Wireless IP Network Carrier
Network Coverage Guide
Minstrel V Configuration