FAQ
  1. Performance

    2. FocalMail is using a very power Server side script call PHP. This script allows special function within regular HTML page. However, this script requires web server to parse (process) the PHP coded pages. This will reduce the over server performance, and luckily PHP is currently one of the fastest server side script. We also fine-tune FocalMail code to allow it run faster in PHP enabled web server environment.

    A Pentium 166MHz with 32MB RAM can support up to 50 concurrent user logons. Please see Sizing Issue for details.

  2. Security Issue

    3. First of all there is no security system that cannot be hacked. FocalMail is a web server base email interface that access IMAP mail stream and report the information back to the user using HTTP protocol. Since FocalMail only allows user to check local server’s or ISP preset IMAP server, it should consider to be in a trusted environment where only system administrators have the access to monitor this traffic.

    FocalMail will use standard cookie to store user login and password information in client’s browser. FocalMail itself cannot and will not store any user’s login information. FocalMail will ask the browser to store the information in a special cookie name that will reduce security risk. Cookie that store in client’s browser may still be able to be reviewed but chance are very slight. FocalMail also will use a time out setting to force cookie to expire, and reduce the security risk.

    To ensure HTTP transaction secure, you may have to use the SSL to help secure the HTTP protocol to that no one can easy tag your connection.

    Due to the Encryption exporting laws, FocalMail cannot not support PGP at this moment.

  3. Sizing Issue

    4. FocalMail has been fine-tune for heavy usage. This is very import for ISP. As you can use a regular Pentium 166MHz with 32MB RAM computer to running MySQL, IMAP, and Apache web server, it can still support over 50 concurrent users. In reality, it can roughly serve 200 FocalMail pages / minutes. FocalMail can gain better performance with a faster CPU, and more RAM. With A Pentium PRO 200 and 64MB RAM, the throughput can be up to 400 FocalMail pages / minutes.

  4. Error when running FocalMail
  1. Fatal error: Call to unsupport function

    2. This means that your PHP is not successfully install with MySQL or IMAP.

  2. Displaying raw code

This means either you have not setup PHP correctly or you have not edit srm.conf file.

Most of the error may case by improper PHP and Apache installation. Please double check such setting before actually install the FocalMail

  1. Send attachment

FocalMail 1.2 is totally based on PHP 3.0.5.  This version uses PHP 3.0.5's special upload features that help to maintain and reduce the security risk.   However, all users must using the pages' buttons instead of browser's back and forward button because FocalMail will generate and pass information back to client side.   Back and forward simply will just load back the old information.
  1. User Profile

Instead of allowing any user to modify their own set of display color, FocalMail introduce a better solution called "Theme".  A theme is including with two parts - Color setting and Language setting.  Once changing the theme, the language will also be changed.  Any one can write theme for FocalMail.   We hope that we can share this developement, and if you develope any new theme, please notice us.  We can help you to distribute your theme.