Create a mailbox

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To create a mailbox

  • Using the Windows interface

  • Using a command line

Using the Windows interface

  1. Open POP3 service.

  2. In the console tree, click the computer_name node.

    Where?

    • POP3 Service/computer_name

  3. In the details pane, right-click the domain in which you want to create a new mailbox, point to New, and then click Mailbox.

  4. Check the Create associated user for this mailbox box if you are using local Windows accounts authentication or Active Directory integrated authentication, unless a user account already exists with the same name as the mailbox you want to create. If the check box is already selected, clear it only if an account already exists with the same name as the mailbox you want to create.

  5. In Mailbox Name, type a name for the mailbox.

  6. In Password, type the password for the mailbox, and then retype it in Confirm Password.

Important

  • If you are using Active Directory integrated authentication and have multiple POP3 e-mail domains, when creating mailboxes, you should consider whether the mailbox you are creating has the same name as an existing mailbox in another POP3 e-mail domain.

    Each mailbox is associated with an Active Directory user account, which has both a user logon name and pre-Windows 2000 user logon name. The user logon name is the name of the Active Directory user account and the POP3 mailbox. Usually, the pre-Windows 2000 user logon name is the same as the user logon name. If you try to create a mailbox and user account when an existing user account has the same pre-Windows 2000 user logon name, a naming conflict will occur.

    Active Directory does not support multiple accounts with the same pre-Windows 2000 user logon name. If there is a naming conflict, the mailbox name and e-mail address will not be affected, but the account's pre-Windows 2000 logon name will be modified to prevent any naming conflict with the existing account. If you are using Secure Password Authentication and a naming conflict has occurred, the pre-Windows 2000 logon name must be used for e-mail client authentication.

    To determine the modified logon name, go to the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in located in the Administrative Tools menu. Go to the Users folder, right-click the user account and then click Properties. Click the Account tab and the modified account name will be displayed in User logon name (pre-Windows 2000). You must note the pre-Windows 2000 logon name and provide it to the user. For more information about configuring e-mail clients to use Secure Password Authentication, see Related Topics.

  • Depending on your authentication method, certain characters are not allowed in mailbox names. Periods are allowed, but they must not be either leading or trailing. The following example illustrates the correct use of a period:

    john.someone@example.com

    The following table lists the characters that are prohibited for each type of authentication.

    Authentication method Prohibited characters

    Active Directory integrated authentication

    @ ( ) / \ [ ] : ; , “ < > * = | ? +

    Local Windows accounts authentication

    @ ( ) / \ [ ] : ; , “ < > * = | ? +

    Encrypted password file authentication

    @ ( ) / \ [ ] : ; , “ < > * = | ?

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.

  • To open the POP3 service snap-in, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click POP3 Service.

  • The Create associated user for this mailbox option is only available if the server is using Active Directory integrated authentication or local Windows accounts authentication.

  • The maximum length for a mailbox name is 20 characters for local Windows accounts authentication and 64 characters for encrypted password file authentication or Active Directory integrated authentication. The minimum length is 1 character.

  • If you are using Active Directory integrated authentication, you must log on to the Active Directory domain, not the local computer, to perform this procedure.

Using a command line

  1. Open Command Prompt.

    • If you are using Active Directory integrated authentication or local Windows accounts authentication, type:

      winpop addusername@domain_name [**/createuser:**new_user's_password]

    • If you are using encrypted password file authentication, type:

      winpop addusername@domain_name**/createuser:**new_user's_password

Value Description

winpop add

Creates a mailbox in the domain.

username@domain_name

Specifies the user name for the corresponding mailbox and domain name in which to create the mailbox.

/createuser

Creates a corresponding user in the Active Directory or local computer.

If you are using Active Directory integrated or local Windows accounts authentication, you must use this command when creating a mailbox, unless a user account exists already with the same as the mailbox you want to create.

If you are using encrypted password file authentication, /createuser is still required even though a user account is not created. If you have configured your server with this option as a default, this parameter will have no effect.

new_user's_password

Specifies the password that will be used to access the mailbox.

Important

  • If you are using Active Directory integrated authentication and have multiple POP3 e-mail domains, when creating mailboxes, you should consider whether the mailbox you are creating has the same name as an existing mailbox in another POP3 e-mail domain.

    Each mailbox is associated with an Active Directory user account, which has both a user logon name and pre-Windows 2000 user logon name. The user logon name is the name of the Active Directory user account and the POP3 mailbox. Usually, the pre-Windows 2000 user logon name is the same as the user logon name. If you try to create a mailbox and user account when an existing user account has the same pre-Windows 2000 user logon name, a naming conflict will occur.

    Active Directory does not support multiple accounts with the same pre-Windows 2000 user logon name. If there is a naming conflict, the mailbox name and e-mail address will not be affected, but the account's pre-Windows 2000 logon name will be modified to prevent any naming conflict with the existing account. If you are using Secure Password Authentication and a naming conflict has occurred, the pre-Windows 2000 logon name must be used for e-mail client authentication.

    To determine the modified logon name, go to the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in located in the Administrative Tools menu. Go to the Users folder, right-click the user account and then click Properties. Click the Account tab and the modified account name will be displayed in User logon name (pre-Windows 2000). You must note the pre-Windows 2000 logon name and provide it to the user. For more information about configuring e-mail clients to use Secure Password Authentication, see Related Topics.

  • Depending on your authentication method, certain characters are not allowed in mailbox names. Periods are allowed, but they cannot be either leading or trailing. The following example illustrates the correct use of a period:

    john.someone@example.com

    The following table lists the characters that are prohibited for each type of authentication.

    Authentication method Prohibited characters

    Active Directory integrated authentication

    @ ( ) / \ [ ] : ; , “ < > * = | ? +

    Local Windows accounts authentication

    @ ( ) / \ [ ] : ; , “ < > * = | ? +

    Encrypted password file authentication

    @ ( ) / \ [ ] : ; , “ < > * = | ?

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.

  • To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.

  • The maximum length for a mailbox name is 20 characters for local Windows accounts authentication and 64 characters for encrypted password file authentication or Active Directory integrated authentication. The minimum length is 1 character.

  • To view the complete syntax for this command, at a command prompt, type:

    winpop help

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

POP3 service administration tools
Manage Mailboxes
Configure Outlook Express for Secure Password Authentication