The latter advantage is a feature with which many email users are well acquainted. This feature enables the user to check an email from multiple locations. Theoretically, any computer with access to the Internet and an email reader application can be configured to check the user's mailbox for messages. You can check your mail from home, from an office, or from a hotel room. This process of accessing the mailbox and downloading messages requires a mail retrieval protocol. In the following sections, you'll learn about Post Office Protocol (POP) and Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP).