PureMail Version 1.3
User Authentication System for Email

Installation & Operation Guide

Introduction by Stephen Waelder

I have decided to write this document since the ZDNet.com review of PureMail, which described PureMail as the "Ultimate answer in the war against unsolicited mail", found only one weakness, Its Documentation. I also found myself writing Louie R. Orbeta for answers to questions, which were answered the same day. PureMail is an excellent tool and once you understand how it operates, very easy to install, configure, and utilize.

PureMail is distributed in a compressed ZIP file, or self-extracting ZIP executable. I recommend that you uncompress the ZIP file, or self-extracting ZIP executable into a temporary directory from which you install. In the case where you have a self extracting ZIP executable, just store the file in a temporary directory and run it. The files extracted from the ZIP file will include:

   PureMail.exe - The PureMail program 
   Readme.txt - Main documentation 
   Install.txt - Author's Installation instructions 
   License.txt - Some legal mumbo-jumbo stuff.. 
   Descript.txt - PureMail description 
   Letter.txt - Letter from the author 
   Changes.txt - Summary of changes of each version 

Installing PureMail

1.	Create a directory where PureMail will be installed. I recommend C:\Program Files\PureMail. Open, depending on your system, Windows Explorer or Windows NT Explorer. Goto the C:\Program Files directory:

2.	Left Click File, Select New, and left click Folder, Enter PureMail as the directory name:

3.	Move the PureMail.exe from the temporary directory into the PureMail directory and then open the PureMail directory:

4.	Start PureMail for the first time by double left clicking on the PureMail.exe file icon. The PureMail icon will appear on the tool tray and PureMail will initialize the configuration files that it will use. Please note that PureMail may seem slow or unresponsive since the default configuration contains an invalid POP Mail Server Name. PureMail will try to connect to this non-existent system and will time out the connection after a short period. At this point, the PureMail directory will now contain additional files:

Configuring PureMail

1.	Left click the PureMail icon on the tool tray to open PureMail to its main window:

2.	Left click Tools, then User Information to display the User Information, PureMail Timer Settings, and Mode of Operation:

3.	Enter your Email account name, Your Email account Password, and your ISP's POP Email server name. This is the same information that you use in configuring your Email reading software. If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact your ISP. Select how often you want PureMail to check for new mail by selecting a Timer Settings value.  Select the Type of Operation - Normal mode will erase any rejected email and display rejected headers.  Read-only mode will simulate what emails will be accepted or rejected.  This feature is nice if you're curious of what PureMail can do for you:

Left click OK when you have completed.

4.	Left click Tools, then Stamp Configuration to display the Stamp Configurations. I have found that the default values are acceptable. If you ever need to create a Stamp which differs, you can open the Stamp Configuration and change the parameters as needed:

Left click OK when done.

Defining Filters

PureMail has three filters to validate incoming Email messages. 

Stamps
Trusted Senders
Trusted Mailing Lists

PureMail performs the following tests when processing an incoming Email message:

Does the SUBJECT: contain a Stamp listed in the Authorized Stamps list?
Answer – Yes:
If the Stamp has an Expiration Date, is the Current Date before the Expiration Date?
Answer – Yes:
Result – Keep the Email message
Answer – No:
Does the FROM: or REPLY-TO: contain a string listed in the Trusted Senders list?
Answer – Yes:
Result – Keep the Email message
Answer – No:
Does the TO: or CC: or SENDER: contain a string listed in the Trusted Mailing Lists list?
Answer – Yes:
Result – Keep the Email message
Answer – No:
Result – Delete the Email Message

Stamps are either a PureMail generated string followed by an expiration date or a string that you configure with an optional expiration date. People sending Email to you use a Stamp as the subject of each message. You provide a valid Stamp to people you wish to authorize. Stamps are case and content sensitive. If a person alters a generated Stamp, it will no longer be valid and any Email containing the invalid Stamp is deleted. A Stamp can have any text before or after the stamp to make it easy for the recipient to read the email without opening it up. This is PureMail's most secure operation.

Trusted Senders are people you trust and do not need to use a Stamp. PureMail will search the "FROM:" and "REPLY-TO:" fields of incoming Email headers. Trusted Senders are not case sensitive and will also permit additional information in the field. If a match is found, then the Email is accepted.

Trusted Mailing Lists are Internet mailing lists that you have subscribed to and wish to continue to receive Email from. PureMail will search the "TO:", "CC:" and "SENDER:" fields of incoming Email headers. Like Trusted Senders, Trusted Mailing Lists are not case sensitive and will also permit additional information in the field. If a match is found, then the Email is accepted.

1.	Left click Stamp, then Generate Stamp to create a Stamp. Note that you will have to provide this Stamp to people who will be sending Email to you. This is the most secure operation that PureMail provides. If none of the other tests have been passed, PureMail will delete any message that does not have a valid Stamp. If any portion of the Stamp is changed, the Email message will be deleted. A Stamp may also be any phrase or line of text. Left Click Stamp, then Create Own Stamp to define a Stamp. You enter the text that PureMail will utilize as a Stamp exactly as you want it to be used. Stamps are case sensitive and must match completely. You can apply an expiration date. Following the line of text, enter the expiration date as Month, Day, and Year in the format of mm/dd/yyyy. This is the same format for expiration date as shown below for the generated Stamp.

Left click Stamp, then Save Stamp List to write the configured Stamps to the Stamp.lst file.

Only messages containing:

AOHE93Y1 04/30/1999
Need your Help

As the Subject will be accepted, any messages with Subjects of:

Aohe93y1 04/30/1999
Need Your Help
Free Money, Retire Today

Will all be deleted if they do not also pass the Trusted Senders and Trusted Mailing Lists checks.

2.	Left click Senders, then Add Sender to authorize Email sent to you from specific people. Note that entries in this list will not need to use a Stamp and they do not even need to know that PureMail is filtering Email from them. Also note that PureMail will accept partial address strings. This is less secure than specifying each sender but easily authorizes any Email sent from an Internet domain. In the example below, I have entered geocities.com which uses this feature to allow anyone at Geocities to send Email:

Left click Senders, then Save Senders List to write the configured Trusted Senders to the Sender.lst file.

3.	Left click Mailing List, then Add Mailing List to authorize Email sent to you from specific Internet Email lists. The entries in the Trusted Mailing Lists operate identically to the Trusted Senders. Note that entries in this list will not need to use a Stamp and they do not even need to know that PureMail is filtering Email from them:

Left click Mailing List, then Save Mailing List to write the configured Trusted Senders to the Maillist.lst file.

This completes the Configuration of PureMail.

Defining a PureMail Maintained Email Signature File

1.	In the PureMail main window, left click a stamp that you wish to use in your signature file, then left click Stamp, then Print Current Stamp to file. This creates three more files in the PureMail directory:

The Sig1.txt and Sig2.txt contain the text of your signature. The Sig1.txt is before the PureMail Stamp and Sig2.txt is placed after the Stamp.

2.	Double left click the Sig1.txt file icon to open the file in Notepad. Enter the text you want for your signature that will appear before the included Stamp, Example:

When you have completed, save the Sig1.txt file and exit Notepad.

3.	Double left click the Sig2.txt file icon to open the file in Notepad. Enter the text you want for your signature that will appear after the included Stamp. Example:

When you have completed, save the Sig2.txt file and exit Notepad.

4.	In the PureMail main window, again left click Stamp, then Print Current Stamp to file. This will recreated the PureMail Signatur.txt file with the selected Stamp and the contents of the Sig1.txt and Sig2.txt files. Example:

5.	In your Email reader software, configure the PureMail maintained signature file, C:\Program Files\PureMail\Signatur.txt, as the signature for Email that you send out. The Email reader software vendor determines the ease and ability of any given Email software to do this. Please contact their technical support group if you have any questions in this area.

Configuring PureMail to autostart

1.	Copy the PureMail.exe file from the C:\Program Files\PureMail directory and paste a shortcut into your computers Start Menu\Programs\StartUp directory:

Note that the specific path to the Start Menu\Programs\StartUp directory can vary depending on the specific Operating System that you are using, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT.

This concludes the installation, setup, and configuration of PureMail.

Acknowledgement

Original Document written by Stephen Waelder, Jan 1999
Modified by Louie R. Orbeta, Jan 1999