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<small>[[Thunderbird:Feature_Discussions|<< Back to Thunderbird:Feature_Discussions]]</small> | <small>[[Thunderbird:Feature_Discussions|<< Back to Thunderbird:Feature_Discussions]]</small> | ||
__TOC__ | __TOC__ | ||
Author: Ben Bucksch | |||
Subpages | Subpages | ||
* [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:UI|UI screen proposals]] | * [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:UI|UI screen proposals]] | ||
* [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:ConfigFileFormat|Config file format]] | * [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:ConfigFileFormat|Config file format]] | ||
* [[MailServerList| | * [[MailServerList|MailServerList]] | ||
* [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:DNSBasedLookup|DNS TXT-based ISP config lookup]] | * [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:DNSBasedLookup|DNS TXT-based ISP config lookup]] | ||
* [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:Security|Security considerations]], [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:Security_review_FetchConfigFromISP|Security review]] | * [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:Security|Security considerations]], [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:Security_review_General|General Security review]], [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:Security_review_FetchConfigFromISP|ISP Fetch Security review]] | ||
* [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:MozillaWebservicePublish| | * [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:MozillaWebservicePublish|ISP configuration database]] | ||
* [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration: | * [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:NextSteps|Next Steps]] | ||
Other resources | |||
* [https://support.mozilla.org/kb/automatic-account-configuration End-user documentation] | |||
* [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Thunderbird/Autoconfiguration Description for administrators and technical users] | |||
= See also = | |||
This is the project page. The most up-to-date and readable documentation is the [https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Thunderbird/Autoconfiguration Description for administrators and technical users] at MDC. | |||
= Current situation = | = Current situation = | ||
Most people are using webmail these days, mainly because it's so easy. You only need to | Most people are using webmail these days, mainly because it's so easy. You only need to click on a link on the provider's homepage and know your email address and password, and there's your inbox already. ISPs, although all of them provide POP/IMAP, are leading users to webmail because of that ease of use (and free mail providers do so for the advertizing revenue). | ||
The Thunderbird account setup wizard requires knowledge of a lot of technical settings, most of which users have no clue what they mean nor where to get this information (even if it's provided readily by the ISP). | The Thunderbird account setup wizard requires knowledge of a lot of technical settings, most of which users have no clue what they mean nor where to get this information (even if it's provided readily by the ISP). For them, this is a real stop gap - at least sufficiently problematic to not bother. | ||
= Goal = | = Goal = | ||
Make my non-tech friends use Thunderbird, by making it dead-simple to set up. | Make my non-tech friends use Thunderbird, by making it dead-simple to set up. | ||
I.e. make it easy for as many users as possible to get a working Thunderbird configuration. | I.e. make it easy for as many users as possible to get a working Thunderbird configuration, and as secure as possible. | ||
Ideally, setting up Thunderbird should be as easy as download/install and entering real name, email address and password. The Account Setup Wizard consists of only one screen. | Ideally, setting up Thunderbird should be as easy as download/install and entering real name, email address and password. The Account Setup Wizard consists of only one screen. | ||
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*** Name, Email address, Password | *** Name, Email address, Password | ||
** Provide and offer preset configurations for at least all large ISPs | ** Provide and offer preset configurations for at least all large ISPs | ||
** Use SSL and/or password encryption where possible, to protect passwords and mail contents during retrieval. | |||
* Important Goals | * Important Goals | ||
** Set of configurations can be extended and updated | ** Set of configurations can be extended and updated | ||
| Line 81: | Line 94: | ||
The domain if the email address is used to determine the configuration (POP/IMAP and SMTP server names, SSL yes/no, authentication methods etc.), via several mechanisms: | The domain if the email address is used to determine the configuration (POP/IMAP and SMTP server names, SSL yes/no, authentication methods etc.), via several mechanisms: | ||
# Config files on harddisk, in <installdir>/isp/ | (For most current information, please see https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Thunderbird/Autoconfiguration .) | ||
# Config files on harddisk, in <i>installdir</i>/isp/<i>emailaddressdomain</i>.xml , e.g. C:/Program Files/Mozilla/Thunderbird/isp/example.com.xml . | |||
#* Same file format as below. | |||
#* This is only for intranet deployments, we won't be shipping any configs by default anymore, in favor of the following alternatives. | |||
# Try to get the configuration from the email provider | |||
## Try to contact http://autoconfig.<i>emailaddressdomain</i>/mail/config-v1.1.xml?emailaddress=<i>emailaddress</i> , e.g. http://autoconfig.example.com/mail/config-v1.1.xml?emailaddress=fred@example.com, as well as fallback http://example.com/.well-known/autoconfig/mail/config-v1.1.xml, and see whether that host/URL exists. The returned file must have the [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:ConfigFileFormat|ConfigFileFormat]] as below. | |||
## and/or (not yet implemented), define a DNS TXT record on domain example.net (for my.account@example.net) which contains an URL like e.g. https://www.example.net/mozilla.xml , which also returns this file format. A similar, but slightly different proposal is described in detail on [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:DNSBasedLookup|DNSBasedLookup]]. | |||
## and/or (not yet implemented) use DNS SRV records _imap._tcp.example.com etc. (Problem: Doesn't provide username form etc..) | |||
# Try to find the config at the Mozilla server (if the email provider does not provide the configuration) | # Try to find the config at the Mozilla server (if the email provider does not provide the configuration) | ||
#* Fetch https:// | #* Fetch https://live.mozillamessaging.com/autoconfig/<i>emailaddressdomain</i> , e.g. https://live.mozillamessaging.com/autoconfig/example.com . (Email address of user is not passed, otherwise Mozilla would have a list of email addresses of all users.) | ||
#* That file contains the mail configuration. Content is described on [[Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:ConfigFileFormat|ConfigFileFormat]]. | |||
#* This service will have the configuration for all the major ISPs and email providers, so there's a 90+% hit rate | #* This service will have the configuration for all the major ISPs and email providers, so there's a 90+% hit rate | ||
#* It will not work for corporate email accounts. | #* It will not work for corporate email accounts. | ||
#* If a provider disagrees with a setting there, it can override the configuration by simply providing the config server in step 2. | #* If a provider disagrees with a setting there, it can override the configuration by simply providing the config server in step 2. | ||
# If we couldn't find any configuration file, we try to guess the configuration using some heuristics. We try imap.<i>domain</i>, pop.<i>domain</i>, pop3.<i>domain</i>, smtp.<i>domain</i> and mail.<i>domain</i>, and for each, try the common 2-3 ports. We check whether SSL is available, which authentication algorithms are announces by the server in the CAPABILITIES etc.. | # If we couldn't find any configuration file, we try to guess the configuration using some heuristics. We try imap.<i>domain</i>, pop.<i>domain</i>, pop3.<i>domain</i>, smtp.<i>domain</i> and mail.<i>domain</i>, and for each, try the common 2-3 ports. We check whether SSL is available, which authentication algorithms are announces by the server in the CAPABILITIES etc.. | ||
# If all fails, we ask the user to enter the configuration manually. | # If all fails, we ask the user to enter the configuration manually. | ||
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The password dialog does not need to come up either, as the password has already been entered by the user and the wizard filled it in using the password manager. | The password dialog does not need to come up either, as the password has already been entered by the user and the wizard filled it in using the password manager. | ||
We should also provide an option to ignore the autoconfig and go into manual config, e.g. using | We should also provide an option to ignore the autoconfig and go into manual config, e.g. using a link button "Create in advanced editor" (this works exactly like the current "Email account" option) in addition to the new "Email account" option which does the automatic config. | ||
= Related Information = | = Related Information = | ||
The newsgroup discussion is at news://news.mozilla.org:119/mozilla.dev.apps.thunderbird (Subject: '''Proposal: Auto-configuration''', Date: 2008-03-04) | * The newsgroup discussion is at news://news.mozilla.org:119/mozilla.dev.apps.thunderbird (Subject: '''Proposal: Auto-configuration''', Date: 2008-03-04) | ||
* [ ] [ ] [https://hg.mozilla.org/users/dascher_mozilla.com/autoconfig/ hg branch] | |||
[ | * [http://groups.google.com/group/ispdb Google discussion group about ISPDB] | ||
[ | * The old/current RDF file format is documented at [http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Thunderbird_ISP_hooks Thunderbird ISP hooks] | ||
[https://hg.mozilla.org/users/dascher_mozilla.com/autoconfig/ hg branch] | * mscott made a [[Thunderbird:Easy_Account_Setup|similar proposal]] one year ago | ||
* An [http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-daboo-srv-email-02 Internet Draft] about SRV records for locating email services. | |||
The old/current RDF file format is documented at [http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Thunderbird_ISP_hooks Thunderbird ISP hooks] | |||
mscott made a [[Thunderbird:Easy_Account_Setup|similar proposal]] one year ago | |||
[[Category:Thunderbird|*]] | [[Category:Thunderbird|*]] | ||