Installing the Mail.dat Client

For manual file transfer and batch processing of Mail.dat files, users must download and install the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client. Users must also configure the location in which log files will be stored. For more information, see the Postal Service Mail.dat Technical Specification.

NOTES:

• Multiple instances of the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client may be installed on any given computer; however, users should be careful to allow sufficient memory for each installation. If files will be uploaded to multiple environments, a separate installation is required for each environment. For example, if a business will send files to both the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) and Production (Prod) environments, two separate installations are necessary in separate folders.

•  All mailers must succeed in file transfers in the TEM environment before transfers to Production are permitted.

• Batch processing requires that at least one instance of the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client is installed on the same computer as the batch processor.

• Mail.XML file transfer does not require installation of a client or the use of an online client; mailers can submit Mail.XML files directly, but the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client is required to view validation and upload metrics.

To install and configure the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client:

1. Launch Windows Explorer and in your root directory, create an installation directory. This is where you will place the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client software.

   NOTE: Give the folders a name that you will readily remember, such as: C:\postal1.

2. Create the necessary support folders. The PostalOne! team suggests making these folders subfolders of the installation directory. Support folders are:

   • Log file directory (all installations) - this stores the text file containing validation results

   • Repository directory (batch processing) - stores the data files to be transferred to the PostalOne! system

   • Successful files directory (batch processing only) - stores the files successfully transferred to the PostalOne! system.

   • Unsuccessful files directory (batch processing only) - stores the files that failed to transmit successfully.

   • Receipt files directory (batch processing only) - stores the status receipt files sent by the PostalOne! system. This folder is optional, as receipt files are only sent if the Mail.dat Client uses a command line to request them or a separate receipt polling installation is used. For additional details, see the Postal Service Mail.dat Technical Specification.

3. Download the client install files. This zip file will be labeled “MDRClient-<environment>-win32.zip.

4. Extract the files into the installation directory using WinZip or an equivalent program (double-click the zip file and extract the contents). Once extracted, the directory should contain three subfolders, a README text file, and a number of executable batch files (Windows) or shell files (Solaris UNIX). No files are added to Windows System folders. The three subfolders should be:

   • Config – Stores configuration files, including the mdrsettings.conf file

   • Jre1.5.0_07 – Stores Java installation

   • Lib – Stores resource files for the application.

   NOTE: If your unzip program offers the option, ensure the optional check box to preserve directory structure is selected.

5. To configure the Mail.dat Client program for manual file transfer (Windows machines only):

   1. Open the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client program. To do so, double-click the run-mdclient.bat file. The PostalOne! team strongly recommends creating a shortcut on the computer desktop to enable faster access.

   2. Enter your ACE username and password, then click Sign In.

   3. Click Settings at the top of the page.

   4. Enter or select the location to which log files should be written. To select a location, click Browse. A browser dialog box opens. Navigate to the location files should be stored. Click OK. The browser dialog box closes and the folder path appears in the Log File Location box.

      NOTE: If multiple installations of the Mail.dat Client exist on your network, ensure each installation has a different log folder to prevent logs from being overwritten by multiple instances.

   5. Enter your time zone. All dates displayed will use this time zone. By default, this is set to Central Standard Time (CST).

   6. Click the Batch Configuration tab, then enter your user name and password.

      NOTE: This is required even if batch processing will not be used.

   7. Click OK.

If this installation is performed on a Windows workstation, the computer is now ready for manual file transfer. To set up the machine for batch processing, additional steps are necessary. See the Postal Service Mail.dat Technical Specification for batch processing setup instructions.