OL97: How to Use Telnet to Test an Internet Mail Connection

ID: Q187785

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article describes how to use the Telnet terminal program to test a connection to a POP3 server.

The following topics are covered in this article:

MORE INFORMATION

Establishing a Telnet Session to the POP Server

Telnet is a terminal emulation program supplied with Windows. With Telnet you can establish a host session to a server using one of several emulation types.

To establish a Telnet session, follow these steps:

1. Use your Dial-up Networking connection to connect to the Internet 

   through your Internet Service Provider (ISP.)
2. Click the Start button, click Programs and then MS-DOS Prompt. On 
   Microsoft Windows NT this item is labeled Command Prompt.
3. In the MS-DOS window type the following: 

      telnet <POP server name or IP address> 110

   NOTE: The default port defined for communications to a POP server is
   110. Your ISP may have defined a different port for your server. If
   there is difficulty establishing a connection through the default
   port, consult the ISP for information about the server configuration.
4. Press the ENTER key. The Telnet window appears and displays a welcome 
   message. This message will be preceded by +OK and will vary depending
   on the software installed on the POP Server.
NOTE: Some ISPs may have implemented security features which may prevent Telnet access to servers within their domain.

Using POP Commands in a Telnet Session

This section outlines some basic POP commands which you may use to verify the connection and condition of your mail box on the POP server. Before sending commands with Telnet, you may want to define a log file to capture the text of the session. To capture a Telnet log, follow these steps:

1. On the Terminal menu, click Start Logging.

2. In Open Log File, type a file name for the current log. Note 

   the folder location of the file. The default location is Windows.
3. Click OK.

Telnet will capture the current session as you enter commands. The log will close when you exit Telnet. You may cancel the log at any time during a Telnet session by clicking Stop Logging on the Terminal menu.

NOTE: Telnet does not have a full-featured text editor. If you make a mistake and then backspace to correct the mistake, the command may not be recognized. In most cases you will receive a command error. Reentering the command is necessary in these cases. If you make a mistake when entering the password however, most servers will terminate the session causing you to have to establish a new session.

This command identifies you as a registered account on the server. After you see the server welcome message mentioned above, type "USER <account name>." After entering the USER information, the server will return a line which reads, "+OK Password required for <account name>." Type PASS <your password>. If the password is accepted the server will return a line similar to: "+OK <account name> has <n> message(s)(MMMMM) octets", where <n> is the number of messages stored in your mailbox on the server and (MMMMM) is the total size of all messages. Type LIST at the prompt. The server will return "+OK <n> messages <MMMMM> octets) a list of the messages including their numbers and the individual message sizes. This command will retrieve the text of a message. For example, if you wish to retrieve message number 4, type at the prompt, "RETR 4." This command allows you to delete a message from the POP server. To delete a message enter DELE <n>, where <n> is the message number determined from the LIST command. For example, to delete message number 4, enter the command "DELE 4."

NOTE: The DELE command should be used with care and in extreme cases where a specific message is blocking mail delivery. It is strongly recommended that you retrieve the text of the message into a log file as described above before attempting to delete it.

REFERENCES

For more information on configuring a Dial-up Networking connection to the Internet in Windows 95, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   Article-ID: Q138789
   Title     : How to Connect to the Internet in Windows 95
For more information on configuring a Dial-up Networking connection to the Internet in Windows NT, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   Article-ID: Q156569
   Title     : How to Connect to Internet Service Providers from Windows NT
               4.0
Additional query words: 97 outex outexw95 outexw98 outexnt inetmail olexpress 
Keywords          : kbdta CfgIM IntpOthr 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: April 16, 1999