One of the most talked about and loved features of any network and especially the Internet is e-mail. E-mail stands for electronic mail. It allows users to communicate back and forth using letters. In order to have access to Internet email the user must be connected with an Internet service provider (ISP) have a mail account and a client program.

Most users have a mail account and most browsers have a mail client application.

Internet e-mail is a lot like standard network mail except it is on a larger scheme to learn about network mail click here.

To send and receive mail messages, you must be connected to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and have an e-mail address. The program allows you to write the message and then to send it in the proper way to the server. There are several different types of mail service protocols. The two most common are MAPI and POP. The most common for outgoing mail is SMTP.

Network mail is very similar to Internet mail except network mail stays internal to the network. It can be used over a WAN or a LAN. It uses the same protocols but different server software. E-mail addresses often are based on the user name or placed back through the name of their local group. Most companies that use mail systems use the same mail system for their internal mail and their Internet mail.