Many mail systems require you to use and maintain a dedicated server. A dedicated server is simply a computer which is devoted to the task of receiving mail from one computer and then sending it off to another. Dedicated servers almost always tie up at least one of the Macs in your office and require that a “system administrator” spend a good portion of his/her week setting it up and keeping it running. Another drawback of using dedicated-server technology is that every piece of mail you send is first sent to the server and then sent to its final destination– a process that can take twice the time and produce twice the network traffic of point-to-point delivery .
It is often the case that offices do not need any form of server to use e-mail effectively. With Snap Mail, as long as computers in the office are on, mail will be sent directly from the sending computer to the receiving computer. If the receiving computer is not on, the mail will be held until the receiver does come on. This method is efficient and does not require dedicated hardware.
Although dedicated servers have many drawbacks, there is one main advantage: servers allow mail to be delivered even if the sending computer has been shut off. One of the ways Snap Mail distinguishes itself from other e-mail systems is the flexibility and ease in which it handles mail servers. A server is simply a computer that volunteers to hold outgoing mail for computers that have shut down.
• Allow this computer to function as a server
Check this preference if you want your Mac to be a server. It is possible to have many Macs acting as servers or none at all. If a server is available, a Mac that is shut down can forward its pending mail to the server for delivery when the destination computers are turned on. The default setting for this option is off. If your Mac is set to be a server and you shut it down, an attempt will be made to send any pending mail off to another available server. Note that if there is no other server available, any mail being held by your computer will be stranded until you turn it back on again.
• Send mail to server at shut down
If you would like your undelivered outgoing mail to be sent to a server when your Mac shuts down, then you should check this preference. Once your mail and alerts have been sent off to a server, they can no longer be “unsent.” The default for this preference is to allow mail to be sent to a server.
