Mails Sent via SMTP should get reflected in the Sent folder on the Email Server too?
When using SMTP to send mails (email client or via a script), mails are normally not seen in the Sent folder on the email provider's server. But it does get reflected in the Sent folders of Gmail (Google Apps).
Is is not mandatory to save the mail in the Sent folder of the server too ? I consider Sent mails as my log for mails sent automatically.
Answer
Usually, an e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook will receive messages via IMAP4 and send messages via SMTP.
I am unaware of many mail servers that automatically save mail sent through them via SMTP in the server-based Sent folder besides Gmail/Google Apps.
Typically though, once an IMAP4 connection (as opposed to POP3) to the mail server is created for the receipt of incoming mail, one can set the e-mail client to copy sent messages to an IMAP folder. Alternatively, sometimes an automatic BCC can be set up from the e-mail client.
Copying outbound messages to an IMAP folder would cause the synchronization of the local IMAP folder with the mail server and therefore provide a similar effect to the functionality of Gmail/Google Apps. However, in this case, each message sent via SMTP is transferred to the mail server twice: 1) The sending via SMTP. 2) The synchronization between local folder storage in the client and the corresponding folder on the mail server.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Message_Access_Protocol#Disadvantages