Definition of a Pop Server

POP servers help manage email.

The abbreviation POP stands for Post Office Protocol, which is a set of standards for downloading email messages from a mail server to a computer. A POP server is simply a mail server capable of using POP.

Features

Mail servers that use POP allow the email client on your computer to retrieve messages after the server verifies that the account password the computer submitted is correct. The protocol then asks if the server has any new messages in your email account. If the server does, the protocol downloads all of the new messages to your computer at one time.

Types

Mail servers use two types of POP. The earliest version is POP2 from the mid-1980s, and it requires the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, or SMTP, to send email messages. The most recent version is POP3, which does not require SMTP to function properly.

Considerations

Mail servers that use POP allow you to specify if you want the server to delete or save messages after your computer retrieves them. Because the default setting is usually to delete downloaded messages, according to The Rockefeller University, you must change the setting to save messages if you want to access your email from more than one computer.

References

• Bruin Online: POP vs. IMAP
• Kennesaw State University: POP Access
• The Rockefeller University: POP vs. IMAP vs. Outlook Anywhere Comparison Matrix
• Webopedia Computer Dictionary: What Is POP?
• Webopedia Computer Dictionary: What Is Protocol?