Intelligent Session Handling

What are Intelligent Sessions?
Intelligent sessions allow you to keep an open line of communication with the AOL mail servers. Instead of normally logging off after sending or receiving mail, eMail2Pop will keep the session alive. The next time you try to send or receive e-mail with that screen name, eMail2Pop will bypass the lengthy login phase and jump to processing your mail instantly. This feature will save a significant amount of time for users that frequently check their AOL mail. As an added bonus, eMail2Pop can also periodically notify you of new mail through a pop-up balloon from the eMail2Pop Tray Icon. Note that only one open session is allowed per computer, so if you sign on a different screen name, your existing session may be logged off.

Security Warning
Because Intelligent Sessions will keep an open line of communication with the AOL server, there is a remote possibility of someone monitoring your internet connection to intercept your session and manipulate your e-mail. The security risk involved with Intelligent Sessions is very small, but security and mission-critical e-mail account holders may reconsider using Intelligent Sessions. If someone were to intercept your session, that person will not get your AOL password, nor can that user use your AOL mailbox once eMail2Pop closes the session with the AOL mail server. The most someone can do to an intercepted session is limited mail reading and writing until the session is closed.

Enable Intelligent Session Handling
For security reasons, extended Intelligent Sessions are disabled by default. If this option is disabled, then eMail2Pop will timeout all idle sessions after 5 minutes and end sessions with a cumulative session time of greater than 10 minutes. Enabling Intelligent Sessions will allow you to customize Sessions features.

Session Idle Timeout (0 for infnite)
If Intelligent Sessions are enabled, then eMail2Pop will log out any open sessions that have been idle for this amount of time. If you do not wish for eMail2Pop to log out of idle sessions, use 0 to disable this timeout.

Maximum Session Time Limit (minutes - 200 max)
If Intelligent Sessions are enabled, then eMail2Pop will log out any open sessions that have been open for this amount of time. This option measures the cumulative amount of time that the session has been open and disregards any mail activity or idle time. eMail2Pop will force log-off any session that has been open for 200 consecutive minutes or more.

Restrict Intelligent Sessions to Specific Screennames
If this option is enabled, then only the specified screen names will be allowed to use Intelligent Sessions. Because eMail2Pop only allows one open session at any time, this feature is useful to designate one screen name to have an open session while allowing other screen names to log in without closing the existing open session.

Examples of Use
Consider this example: Joe has 2 AOL screen names: Joe1 and Joe2. For now, let us focus only on Joe1. Joe enables Intelligent Sessions and uses the default values of 10 minutes for Session Idle Timeout and 30 minutes for Maximum Session Time Limit. He chooses not to enable Restrict Intelligent Sessions.
Joe uses eMail2Pop and checks e-mail on Joe1. He waits for eMail2Pop to log in and then gets his e-mail. He replies to a piece of e-mail within the 10 minute idle limit and clicks Send. eMail2Pop skips his login phase and sends the e-mail immediately. Joe leaves for lunch. After 10 minutes of inactivity on his Joe1 screen name, eMail2Pop logs out the screen name.
Joe returns from lunch and checks his e-mail again on Joe1. eMail2Pop logs into the AOL mail system and gets the new mail. After that, every 5 minutes Joe clicks the Send/Receive button on his e-mail program to see if there is new mail on Joe1. Each time, eMail2Pop bypasses the login phase and instantly notifies Joe if he has new mail or not. Because Joe does something with his Joe1 account and never leaves it idle for 10 minutes or more, the Session Idle Timeout never triggers. However, after 30 minutes, the Maximum Session Time Limit of 30 minutes triggers and logs out Joe1. The next time Joe1 logs in, a new session will be initiated.
This time Joe logs in Joe1. 5 minutes later he logs in Joe2. Because eMail2Pop allows only one open session at any time, eMail2Pop logs out Joe1 automatically. The next time Joe uses Joe1, eMail2Pop will have to log in Joe1. However, this can be prevented. Joe enables the Restrict Intelligent Sessions to Specific Screennames option and enters Joe1 into the box provided. This time he logs in Joe1. 5 minutes later he logs in Joe2. This time Joe1 is not logged off automatically by eMail2Pop, and Joe2 does not get an open session.

New Mail Notification

Enable New Mail Notification
If Enable Intelligent Session Handling is checked, then eMail2Pop can notify you when you have new mail in the e-mail account with the open session. eMail2Pop will check for new mail approximately every 10 minutes. If new mail is found, a balloon popup will appear next to the eMail2Pop Tray Icon.

Minimum Number of New Messages before Alert
If you want to specify a minimum number of messages to have in your New Mail box before eMail2Pop notifies you of new mail, you can set the number here. For example, if you put in a setting of 5, you will not see the eMail2Pop New Mail balloon until you have at least 5 new messages in your mail box.