E-mail works

The @ at sign, a part of every e-mail address

Electronic mail, commonly called email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages across the Internet or other computer networks. Originally, email was transmitted directly from one user to another computer. This required both computers to be online at the same time, a la instant messaging. Today's email systems are based on a store-and-forward model. Email servers accept, forward, deliver and store messages. Users no longer need be online simultaneously and need only connect briefly, typically to an email server, for as long as it takes to send or receive messages.

An email message consists of two components, the message header, and the message body, which is the e-mail’s content. The message header contains control information, including, minimally, an originator's email address and one or more recipient addresses. Usually additional information is added, such as a subject header field.

v     To understand this let us assume person a sends a mail to b.

v     The bgl sever checks the network of a mail server with the lowest traffic and upload a mail to this server.

v     This server in turn holds the mail while checking the network for a mail server with the lowest activity and uploads a mail there.

v     This process continues until the mail is uploaded to hotmail server into b mailbox

v      The recipient downloads it from the destination mail sever

v     Email works in the same way as the postal system does

v     When you write an email message and mail it. It gets posted in the mail server which could be on your private network or the internet

v     This is analogy to your local post office where all your letters end up after. You deposit them in the letterbox.

v     The mail server also plays or large parts in controlling the data traffic on the network.

v     It stores messages when network traffic is high and forwards them when network traffic is low there by reducing network congestion.

v     It also acts as a gateway or a translator between different types of email system like the internets POP3 or *400.

v     Once the message reaches the destination mail server. They are stored until the recipient collects it.