Introducing FirstClass
New in this version
FirstClass objects
About the FirstClass system
Connecting to servers
Introducing FirstClass
FirstClass is an easy-to-use, advanced communications and information system. With FirstClass, you can:
• send and receive electronic mail (email), voice mail, and faxes
• transfer text and graphics files so that other users can access them
• browse and send messages to online forums
• organize items for easy access
• publish information on the World Wide Web (web).
Depending on the way your administrator has set up your user account, you may not be able to use all of FirstClass' features. For example, you may be able to read messages in certain areas, but not delete them. In addition, to use all of FirstClass' features, you need to have JavaScript enabled on your browser.
If you are unclear about whether you should be able to use a particular feature, contact your administrator.
For detailed information about how to update a FirstClass form, click About this Form with the form open. This help generally documents how FirstClass works using the default FirstClass interface on Internet Explorer. If you are using a different web browser, or your administrator changed to a different interface, functionality may change.
For more information about our products, or to download software, visit our web site at www.centrinity.com.
Top
New in this version
General
• specify your time zone
• import POP3 mail from other mail accounts
• create conferences and folders
• move and rename objects
• sort and group by column in listings
• change Mailbox and calendar permissions
Messages
• Directory opens when you type a partial name with multiple matches
• add your signature to specific messages only
• toggle unread flags off and on
• approve messages
• use stationery that was created with the FirstClass client
Calendaring
• check participants' free times and conflicts
• calendar events display whether participants have accepted or declined
• specify the start and duration of your work day, plus default event start times and duration
Top
FirstClass objects
Messages
Messages are pieces of email that are sent through FirstClass. Messages may be sent:
• locally on the same FirstClass server
• through a gateway that connects another FirstClass server or another messaging system
• through the Internet to anyone who can receive email.
Documents
You can create documents in FirstClass much as you do messages. These are the differences between a message and a document.
A message:
• is intended for mailing to someone electronically, and therefore includes space for address information
• cannot normally be edited after being sent (although FirstClass does let you unsend a message)
• expires after a certain period by default
• is automatically named with the name of the sender (for mail received) or recipient (for mail sent).
A document:
• is intended for posting directly to an area where others can see it, and therefore cannot be mailed
• can be edited after it has been posted
• never expires by default
• must be named explicitly.
Uploaded files
There are several ways to transfer text and graphics files so that they are available to others. You can attach these files to messages or copy them directly to FirstClass. These files are all called uploaded files.
Folders
FirstClass folders work just like other folders you are used to on your operating system. You can create and name folders, then put messages and documents in them to organize your work area for easy access.
In addition, your administrator may create external folders.
Conferences
At first glance, FirstClass conferences look just like folders. A conference serves the same purpose of putting items with a common topic into one place, but there are some important differences.
A conference:
• is intended mainly as an online forum for the exchange of information
• has controlled access; you need to be given certain permissions to be able to see and work with it
• can be the recipient of messages
• is flagged when it contains unread mail.
A folder:
• is intended mainly as an organizational aid
• does not have directly controlled access; the object within which the folder was created determines the folder's access
• can only hold messages that have been moved there
• does not indicate that it contains unread mail.
Calendars
FirstClass includes online calendars that record time commitments, such as meetings, and tasks that you need to complete. In addition to your own personal calendar, you may have access to public calendars that let you schedule meetings at mutually convenient times.
Your Desktop
Once you are connected to a FirstClass server, your Desktop opens. It contains your Mailbox, plus any containers that you or your administrator have placed on your Desktop.
Your Mailbox
Your FirstClass Mailbox contains:
• messages that have been sent to you
• all messages that you have sent
• messages that you have created but not yet sent.
Changing your Mailbox permissions
You can update the permissions on your Mailbox to:
• stop messages above a certain size from being accepted
• specify when messages expire
Expired messages are deleted automatically.
• control specific users' access to your Mailbox.
To update your Mailbox permissions:
1 Click Mailbox.
2 Click Permissions.
3 Update the Mailbox Permissions form.
Reminder
You can access detailed information about Mailbox permissions by clicking About this Form with the Mailbox Permissions form open.
Top
About the FirstClass system
Servers
A server stores all your messages and documents, and the Mailbox, conference, and folder structure that contains these items. It also contains information about all the users known to the server.
When you log into FirstClass, you connect to a server. Your organization may have multiple servers, and you may be able to connect to some of these servers as well. On each server, you will see the objects that the administrator for that server has given you permission to see.
The server to which you normally connect is considered your home server.
Clients
Client software runs on your computer. It connects to a server, and provides the interface (such as menu commands) that lets you work with FirstClass objects.
You can use one of the following clients to connect to a server:
• the FirstClass client, which runs on Windows, Mac OS, or UNIX
• a web browser
• a phone
• a handheld device.
Top
Connecting to servers
About logging in
Depending on how your administrator set up the server and your user account, you may be able to connect (log in) to a server as:
• a registered user
Your administrator provided you with a personal user ID and password.
• a user who can autoregister
Your administrator set up the server to allow autoregistration. When you autoregister, you supply the user ID and password that you want to use for future connections. The next time you log in, you do so as a registered user.
• a guest user.
Your administrator provided you with a user ID and password that accesses a guest account. Guests are generally more limited in what they can do than registered users.
To log into a server using a web browser, you must know the URL of the server. This URL will look something like this:
http://server name or address/login
For example, to access FirstClass Online over the web, type
http://www.centrinity.com/login
Note
If you have a dialup connection, call your Internet Service Provider (ISP), log in, then start your web browser.
To log in as a registered user
1 Enter the server's URL in your web browser to open the FirstClass Login screen.
2 Type the user ID and password in the appropriate fields.
3 Click Login to open the FirstClass Desktop.
To autoregister
1 Enter the server's URL in your web browser.
Do not type /login at the end of this URL.
2 Click the Autoregister link.
3 Update the autoregistration form.
For "User ID" and "Password", use the values that you want to use to connect to this server in the future.
4 Click Register.
5 Record your user ID and password from the confirmation page.
6 Click Login to open the FirstClass Login screen, then log in as a registered user to go to your FirstClass Desktop.
Logging in using an IMAP client
If you have a client that supports the IMAP4rev1 standard (Netscape IMAP client, or a Microsoft IMAP client such as Outlook Express), you can use this client to connect to a FirstClass server.
For instructions, see your client documentation.
Changing your password
If you are a registered user, your administrator provided you with a user ID and a password to give you access to a server. For security reasons, we recommend that you change the password to something only you know.
Make your password difficult to guess. Consider mixing numbers and letters. Do not use your own name or user ID, or any other easily guessed value, such as your birth date or the name of a family member or pet.
The maximum length of a password is 12 characters.
To change your password:
1 Log into the server for which you want to change your password.
2 Click Preferences.
3 Click Change Password.
4 Update the Change Password form.
Connecting to multiple servers
If you have access to multiple servers, and you can start multiple separate web browser sessions, you can connect to more than one server at the same time. You will see a Desktop for each server to which you are connected.
To connect to multiple servers, log into a different server with each web browser session.
Logging in with multiple user IDs
If you have multiple user IDs, or can autoregister, and can start multiple separate web browser sessions, you can open multiple connections to the same server with different user IDs. You will see a Desktop for each user ID.
To log in with multiple user IDs, use a different user ID with each web browser session.
Logging in from multiple computers
Your administrator may allow you to log into the same server using the same user ID and password from multiple computers.
If you are connected multiple times using the same user ID, and your administrator has limited the length of time you can connect per day, be aware that the time spent by all connections is added together and counted against your daily time allotment. This has most effect if one or more of your connections uses the FirstClass client, because client connections are continuous. In contrast, web browsers only connect when there is data to exchange.
To log in from multiple computers, simply log in as you normally do from each one.
Disconnecting from a server
Although you can go to a different web page to hide your FirstClass Desktop, it is still available to others, because it is not necessary to re-enter your user ID and password to reconnect to the server for the duration of your current web browser session.
Because this could pose a security risk, we suggest that you log out when you are finished with the server. This forces other users with access to your computer to supply a user ID and password to reconnect to the server. To log out, click Logout.
Top