Email and spam

Webmail interface

Using https://webmail.tf.uni-kiel.de you can manage your emails worldwide from every browser window. The webmailer uses a certificate that must be imported at first use. Read the instructions for Mozilla Firefox here and for the Internet Explorer here.

In the menue Options / Message Filters of the webmail interface you can define Mail Filtering Rules. With these you automatically filter your email for freely defined keywords and define a action that happens to this email. Common uses are

• spam filtering (already installed by default, see this page below)
• moving messages from the inbox to certain mail folders
• delete messages silently
• redirect (forward) to another email address
• automatic email answer in case of a vacation (Keep the rule for SPAM on top)

Standalone email client (like Mozilla Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook etc.)

Use these settings:

• Mail address: yourlogin@tf.uni-kiel.de, i.e. xyz@tf.uni-kiel.de
• Server type: IMAP
• Server name: mailhost.tf.uni-kiel.de
• Connection type: SSL, port 993
• Outgoing server / SMTP server: mailhost.tf.uni-kiel.de (authentication required, SSL over STARTTLS, port 587)

Here are detailed configuration guides for Mozilla Thunderbird and Microsoft Outlook:

Windows 8 Mail App:
Mozilla Thunderbird 13.0.x and later:
Microsoft Outlook 2003 (Outlook 2007/2010: Hints at the end of the guide in blue color)

Important hint for using Thunderbird:

Per default, Thunderbird switches on Message Synchronizing. This must be switched off, because it slows down the network connection and may cause other trouble. Go to "Tools -> Account settings -> Synchronization and storage" and uncheck Message Synchronizing.

Important hint for using the Windows 8 mail app:

To configure the Windows 8 mail app, you first have to import the TF-Root certificate. This is attached to the email you receive when your account is created or can be download from this download directory from within the faculty's network. Please note that this directory is not accessible from outside the faculty.

Delivering emails from outside the TF via the TF email server

If you use Outlook or Thunderbird for your E-mail account at the TF and just want to configure the outgoing mail for use from outside the TF, here are special guides for this:

Mozilla Thunderbird 3.0.x and later:
Microsoft Outlook 2003 and later:

Remark

If you create new mail folders, you should place them under the structure of the mailhost.tf.uni-kiel.de. Then you can access them worldwide, no matter, what email program you are using.

Active Directory adressbook

If you would like to use our central Active Directory as an additional addressbook here are detailed configuration guides for Thunderbird and Outlook for this:

Mozilla Thunderbird 13.0.x and later:
Microsoft Outlook 2003 and later:

Spam

Every email coming into the faculty is scanned automatically for spam parameters and gets points for its characteristics. If the email scores enough points, then it will be considered as spam and gets an additional remark in the so called mail header: spam-status= yes. This remark can be read by your mail filter, who sorts the email to a mail folder called spam.

• Note, that the emails will not be deleted. You have to do that yourself.
• Very rarely, a wanted email can be considered as spam and can be moved to the spam folder. So please check the spam folder carefully before deletion.

If you do not want the spams to be sorted out, you have to disable or delete the mail filtering rule within the webmail interface in the menue "Options / Message Filters".