return to: Frequently Asked Questions
VAX Mail Questions
Q1. How can the VMS mail defaults be changed?
A1. After invoking the VMS mail utility, use the SET command
to change your VMS mail environment. Look at HELP SET in mail
to see what parameters can be set by the user. Here are a couple of
common examples:
Change the name associated with your email address:
MAIL> SET PERSONAL_NAME "John Doe"
Your personal name can be removed by typing:
MAIL> SET NOPERSONAL_NAME
The following display a prompt, CC:, each time you send/reply so that you
can send carbon copies of messages to yourself or other users:
MAIL> SET CC
Q2. What does it mean to PURGE/COMPRESS my mail and how often
should I?
A2. When you delete mail, it is not completely removed from your account.
When you PURGE/COMPRESS, your mail is completely removed, at that point.
You should compress your mail, at least weekly, by pressing "k" on the
main menu.
Q3. What is mail.mai? What are those long file names like
MAIL$E14CA0F800050098.MAI;1? How do I get those files out of my
directory?
A3. Mail.mai is a file that stores your mail messages. It should not be
tampered with in any way or you could lose your mail messages. The long
file names are mail messages that are too large to be stored in your
mail.mai but mail.mai has pointers to these files so that you can
read them.
If you wish to get those mail files, such as MAIL$E14CA0F800050098.MAI;1,
out of your directory, type the following at the "MAIL>" prompt:
MAIL> set mail [.mail]
Q4. How do I send Internet email?
A4. While in mail, type the following:
MAIL> SEND
TO: IN%"username@address"
This format must be used when sending mail to any user who is not on
TEN-Nash.
Q5. What is my Internet email address?
A5. Your email address at TEN-Nash is your_username@ten-nash.ten.k12.tn.us.
For example:
helpdesk@ten-nash.ten.k12.tn.us
Q6. How do I look at mail messages I've already read?
A6. In mail type:
MAIL> SEL MAIL
MAIL> DIR
Q7. How do I access my new mail messages?
A7. In mail type:
MAIL> SEL NEWMAIL
MAIL> DIR
Another way is:
MAIL> READ/NEW
Q8. How do I list my mail messages?
A8. In mail type:
MAIL> DIR
Q9. How do I forward my TEN mail to another email address?
A9. While in mail, type:
MAIL> SET FORWARD IN%"""the_username@the_forwarding_address""
Q10. How do I print mail messages?
A10. You must first extract, from mail, the message you wish to print.
Extracting a mail message creates a text file in your TEN directory which
contains your mail message. While reading the messages you wish to print,
type:
MAIL> EXTRACT/NOHEADER
Note that is the file you want your message placed within. Then,
e(X)it the menu, to the $ prompt and type XPRINT , where
is the name of the file you wish to print. You can also, in
mail, do an EXTRACT/NOHEADER/ALL which will extract all mail
messages in the current folder into the same file. Then, exit mail, and
choose "F" for "File Maintenance" and then choose "T" for "Print text file
to PC printer" and at the "Enter file name:", prompt type the name of the
file to which you extracted.
Q11. What is an electronic discussion group?
A11. A group of Internet users that are interested in a particular subject,
about which they converse.
Q12. How do I join a discussion group?
A12. Follow these steps:
1. Send an email message to in%"mailserv@hostname"
2. Leave the subject blank
3. In the body of the message, enter the following:
SUBSCRIBE list_name your_first_name your_last_name
For example:
MAIL> send
To: in%"mailserv@ten-nash.ten.k12.tn.us"
Subj:
subscribe library-project John Doe
Now, hold down the "Ctrl" key and press the "z" key. At the "*" prompt,
type EXIT. The system will respond, shortly, with a mail message
informing you that you have been added to the discussion group you
requested.
Q13. How do I leave a discussion group?
A13. From the MAIL> prompt, type the following:
MAIL> send
To: in%"mailserv@hostname"
Subj:
unsubscribe list-name
For example:
MAIL> send
To: in%"mailserv@ten-nash.ten.k12.tn.us"
Subj:
unsubscribe library-project
Now, hold down the "Ctrl" key and press the "z" key. At the "*" prompt,
type EXIT. The system will respond, shortly, with a mail message telling
you that you have been removed from the discussion group.
Q14. How do I get a list of all known discussion groups (listservs)?
A14. At the "MAIL>" prompt, type the following:
MAIL> send
To: in%"listserv@wvnvm.wvnet.edu"
Subj:
list global
Now, hold down the "Ctrl" key and press the "z" key. At the "*" prompt,
type EXIT. The system will respond, shortly, with a mail message telling
you that you have been removed from the discussion group.
If you are looking for a listserv on a particular subject, type the
following in the body of your email message:
list global/subject
Note: "subject" is the particular subject for which you're looking.
Q15. How do I create a new folder in mail?
A15. In mail, while reading a message you want to place in a new folder,
type MOVE where is the new folder in which you want to
place the message.
Q16. How do I see what folders I have in mail?
A16. While in mail, type:
MAIL> DIR/FOL
Q17. How do I send mail to multiple users at one time?
A17. At the TO: prompt in mail, you can separate usernames with a comma,
like:
TO: doejane,hammondr,doejohn
Q18. How do I create a distribution list, for sending mail to mutliple
users?
A18. E(X)it to the "$ prompt" and type:
$ edit .dis
where is the name of the file you wish to name your distribution
list.
For example, to create a distribution list containing all your friends on
TEN-Nash:
$ edit friends.dis
Then, within the FRIENDS.DIS file, type each username you want in the
distribution list, in a single column:
username1
username2
username3
.
.
.
usernameX
For example:
johnsonk
brownr
doej
etc
For users not on TEN-Nash, use this syntax:
in%"username@address"
For example:
in%"jimbo@johnny.com"
When you have all the usernames in the file, press "Ctrl-Z" and type EXIT
at the "*" prompt.
When you are ready to send mail to all the users contained within your
distribution list, send in this way:
MAIL> send
To: @
For example:
MAIL> send
To: @friends
Q19. My new mail count is not correct; how do I fix it?
A19. Enter mail and type:
MAIL> sel newmail
MAIL> move/all mail
MAIL> read/new
MAIL> read/new
MAIL> exit
If the above commands display an error message, do not be concerned, just
continue the procedure. Once you've typed the above commands and you exit
mail, your mail counter should be corrected.
Q20. How do I create and use a signature file, in mail?
A20. First, e(X)it to the "$ prompt" and type the following to create your
signature file:
$ edit signature.pine
Within the above file, type what you wish to appear as your signature. When
you are done, press Ctrl-Z and then type EXIT at the "*" prompt.
Now, access MAIL and begin composing a letter as you normally do. When
you've finished composing the message, with your cursor at the end message,
press Ctrl-Z and at the "*" prompt type:
*inc signature.pine
The above will paste the SIGNATURE.PINE file, containing your signature,
into your mail message. If you wish to view the message before sending it,
type a "c" at the "*" prompt or type EXIT at the "*" prompt to send the
message.
NOTE: By naming your signature file SIGNATURE.PINE, if you decide to use
Pine Mail, instead of VMS Mail, Pine Mail will automatically append your
signature onto any mail you send.
Q21. How do I take a file that I've created in a word processor on my
PC/Mac and send it as an email message?
A21. First, save your file in your word processor as "DOS text" or
"ASCII text" or simply "text". Then, you will need to upload the file to
your TEN-Nash account. For help with file transfer, please refer to the
"File Transfer" FAQ. Once you have transferred the file, go into mail and
type:
MAIL> send
where is the name of the file that you have transferred.
Q22. When replying to a message, how do I quote that message?
A22. With a particular message pulled up on your screen, type:
MAIL> reply/extract