Your organization must provide external access to the Internet through an Internet gateway (gateway: A device that connects different e-mail systems and transfers messages between them.), or use an Internet Mail server that is already on a LAN. When you connect to the Internet through a LAN, your Internet e-mail server automatically checks for and delivers new messages at preset intervals. You can also specify a dial-up networking connection to use when the LAN is not available.

Your Internet service provider (ISP: A business that provides access to the Internet for such things as electronic mail, chat rooms, or use of the World Wide Web. Some ISPs are multinational, offering access in many locations, while others are limited to a specific region.) needs to provide you with the phone number, modem settings, and required network protocols.

If you would rather prompt the server when you want your incoming and outgoing mail to be delivered, you can connect to the server manually. For example, you might want to connect manually if you have a slow connection to your e-mail server using a dial-up networking connection, and you don't want to wait for the server to connect automatically.