What does POP3 & SMTP stand for?
POP3 (Post Office Protocol) is the current mail protocol/standard used to retrieve messages stored on an Internet/intranet e-mail server. POP3 is a ‘pull’ protocol. Whenever a client /computer wants to check for messages, it can connect to a Internet Service Provider’s e-mail server and uses POP3 to login to a mailbox to authorize and ‘pull’ down its messages. POP3 is well suited for dial-up environments because the computer does not need to be connected to the Internet/network when the mail is sent. The mail arrives at the server and is stored in the user’s mailbox. The server is always available on the Internet/intranet to receive mail. The client can dial-up and attach to the server at a later time to retrieve its messages. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the standard protocol for sending/transferring mail across the Internet. When an email message is sent, SMTP delivers the message to the appropriate destination, usually a POP3 email server.
