Mail messages are stored in files called mailboxes. Your mailbox is a permanent file named /_sysfiles/mail.box under your personal userid.
The mailbox file is created automatically the first time you issue the MAIL8 command. Until the mailbox is created in this way, you cannot send or receive mail messages. The mailbox file starts with a size of two llinks. As mail messages accumulate, MAIL8 grows the mailbox file when necessary.
The maximum size of the mailbox file is initially specified as "unlimited". You may set a maximum size with the TSS ACCESS command. This usually isn't necessary unless you are very cramped for file space. You need not worry about other users filling your mailbox with large messages because the text of a message is not put into your mailbox until you ask for it to be delivered.
When your site installs a new version of MAIL8, your mailbox is converted to the format needed by the new version the first time you use MAIL8 again. On large mailboxes, this may take a significant length of time.
When MAIL8 creates or converts a mailbox, MAIL8 sets various options for that mailbox. Many of these options are dictated by your site administrator. For example, the usual MAIL8 installation procedure sets up mailboxes so that old messages Expire after 52 weeks, and deleted messages are discarded after one day. However, your site administrator can change these time periods to other values if the site has different preferences.
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