Overview

The GFI MailEssentials User Interface can be configured in the following two modes:

Local Mode: Loaded on the installation machine only.

IIS Mode: Accessible via HTTP over the network.

Environment

• GFI Product: MailEssentials
• Version: 21.4
  
  

Process

Selecting the mode

1. Launch the GFI MailEssentials Switchboard from Start > Programs > GFI MailEssentials > Switchboard:

   

2. From the UI mode area, select one of the following options:
   
   

   Option	Description
   Local mode	GFI MailEssentials loads in an HTML viewer application, accessible from the machine where GFI MailEssentials is installed only. Note: If using Local mode: Spam digest links will not work. User portal will not be available - users will not be able to manage personal whitelists and blocklists and their personal quarantine.
   IIS mode (recommended)	GFI MailEssentials loads in your default web browser using the IIS setup settings configured during installation. The user interface is also accessible over the network via HTTP. Note: IIS setup settings can be altered using the Website name, Virtual directory and RSS virtual Directory fields. The Security options enable the configuration of an Access Control List and IIS Authentication.

   NOTE: Some services are temporarily stopped while performing this operation. This may affect mail flow and/or email scanning.

3. Click Yes to restart the displayed services.
   
   
4. Click OK.

   

5. The Security button within the UI mode tab enables you to configure an Access Control List and Authentication method. Continue to the next section of this article for more information.
   
   

Access Control List

The Access Control List specifies who can access GFI MailEssentials and what features are available for which users or groups. Administrators are granted full access to GFI MailEssentials by default. It is possible to configure users or groups with different levels of access.

To add a user:

1. Launch the Switchboard by navigating to Start > Programs > GFI MailEssentials > Switchboard.
   
   
2. Select the UI Mode tab.
   
   
3. Click IIS Mode and select Security:

   

4. Click Add... and provide the name of the user or group to add to the list.
   
   
5. Select one of the following access types to grant:
   
   

   Permission	Description
   Full Access	The user can access and configure all the features of the product.
   Quarantine	Allows access to quarantine search and search folders.
   Reporting	Enables users to generate reports.
   RSS	Allows users to subscribe to the quarantine RSS feeds.

6. Click OK to finalize the setup.
   
   

IIS Authentication Mode

IIS Authentication Mode enables you to choose the authentication method to use when accessing GFI MailEssentials.

1. Load the Switchboard by navigating to Start > Programs > GFI MailEssentials > Switchboard.
   
   
2. Select the UI Mode tab.
   
   
2. Click IIS Mode and select Security.
   
   
3. Select the Authentication tab.

   

4. Select one of the following options:
   
   

   Option	Description
   Windows Mode	Windows authentication enables GFI MailEssentials to make use of the credentials of the currently logged on user and does not provide log-off and automatic timeout of the user interface session.
   Forms Mode	(Default) Forms authentication provides the ability for users to log off. It also enables you to configure an automatic timeout from the user interface session. This is recommended if the end users are accessing their GFI MailEssentials user console, especially if used from public computers.

5. Click OK to save the settings.