Learn how to set up your Pepperdine University email account on your computer using applications like Mac Mail, Entourage, Outlook, and more. Note: The best way to access your Pepperdine mailbox from the network is by using Web Mail (everyone) or Remote Access Server (faculty and staff).
There are 3 different ways that you can configure your email program to access Pepperdine email messages:
IMAP - IMAP is a standard Internet protocol that keeps your messages on a server. You must connect to that server to view them. An example is an Internet Service Provider server, such as mail.earthlink.net. A benefit of IMAP is the ability to use different computers to access your messages.
POP - POP is a standard Internet protocol which downloads your messages from a server onto your computer when you connect. If you have a home email account, chances are that it is using the POP protocol. POP is somewhat faster than IMAP in that once the messages are downloaded, they are located on your local computer for viewing. However, you cannot access your messages from any other computer if you use the POP protocol.
MAPI - MAPI is the protocol that indicates your messages are stored on Pepperdine’s Exchange server. You must either use Web Mail (Outlook Web Access or OWA) or be logged on to the Pepperdine network to view your messages. You will be able to use different computers to access your messages.
Choosing the Proper Server Name
imap.pepperdine.edu for use with IMAP protocol
pop.pepperdine.edu for use with POP protocol
xmail.pepperdine.edu for use with MAPI protocol on the Pepperdine network
Explanation of Mail Server Authentication
To authenticate your identity to prove you have the right to send mail through the Pepperdine Exchange email server (and you are not some spammer), Pepperdine has an authenticated SMTP server, called authmail.pepperdine.edu, which is best used in email program setup when you move back and forth between campus and remote locations. Using this SMTP server name will require you to enter your Pepperdine email username and password.
From a remote location (off-campus, such as your home), you should use authmail.pepperdine.edu unless your Internet Service Provider (ISP) blocks that port (25) in which case you will have to use your ISP's mail server -- for example, mail.earthlink.net.
Authmail.pepperdine.edu requires encryption (sometimes called SSL or TLS).
Pepperdine's Microsoft Exchange server acts as an email post office for all faculty, staff and students, delivering mail to each person’s mailbox. Although Microsoft Outlook is fully supported and being used extensively throughout the University, other e-mail programs can also be used (see above). All email programs require that you connect to the Internet or the Pepperdine network to send and receive e-mail messages.