FAQ – Transitioning from ACS E-mail to Exchange E-mail
Faculty and staff e-mail accounts are being migrated from the ACS server to the University’s Exchange server. Since this transition will modify how you use e-mail, and will allow you do to things like meeting and resource scheduling, we know you will have questions and hope the following information will be helpful.
Will my e-mail address change?
No. Your e-mail address will continue to be login@bu.edu where login is your BU login name.
What if I currently forward my mail from ACS to another e-mail account?
Unfortunately, filters cannot be migrated from ACS and this includes the filters that forward your mail. If you had set up forwarding (for example, directing mail from ACS to Gmail) you will need to either
a) set up the forwarding again once you are on Exchange
or
b) keep your mail on Exchange, as is strongly recommended.
Can I forward my mail to a different account if I don’t want to use Exchange?
Yes, you can configure forwarding through the E-mail Forwarding System (EFS). However, forwarding is not recommended. Any alternative to “full Exchange” use will not give you the benefits of Exchange.
What are the benefits of using Exchange?
Once you are on Exchange, you will enjoy centralized collaboration through calendar, meeting, and resource scheduling. You will also benefit from centralized settings for mail filtering, a centralized contacts list, use of the global address list, and the ability to restore your deleted messages for up to 30 days. In addition, if you use a mobile device such as a Blackberry, iPhone or Android, you will be able to access your mail, contacts, and calendar from the device. Quotas will also be larger on Exchange than they have been on ACS.
Will I have to share my personal calendar with other people?
No. People will be able to see your free/busy time in order to know your availability for meetings. However, they will not be able to see what you are doing when you are “busy” unless you specifically authorize them to have access to your calendar.
Will my Horde Contacts be moved from ACS for me?
No, unfortunately, Horde Contacts cannot be moved for you. If you are a Horde user and have stored Contacts in Horde that you wish to keep, you should export your Horde Contacts to a .csv file and save that file for import into the mail client you will be using with Exchange. You will have access to Horde for a number of months after the migration to Exchange, so you can really move your Contacts list at any time; either before or after your account has been moved.
Will my filters be moved from ACS for me? What about spam filters?
All filters set up on ACS will need to be recreated in Exchange if you intend to continue using them. This might include, for example, a vacation message, a filter that sends all mail from Joe into a “Joe” folder, or messages marked with “X-Score-High: YES” into a “Spam” folder. If you have any such filters that you would like to keep, you should review what they are. To do that, login to the Filters menu in Horde and write down (or take a screen capture of) any filters that you will want to continue using, so you can more easily set them up again in Outlook. Note that you will still have access to Horde for several months after the migration, so you can refer to your filters as needed in order to recreate them; you do not need to try to recreate them all at once.
Filters will be recreated in Exchange as “Rules.” As described on the Rules page, you can create Rules in Outlook using Tools->Rules and Alerts or login to Outlook Web Access (OWA) available at http://xmail.bu.edu. Within OWA, click on Options and then Rules to find the interface that will guide you through the process.
Also note that, because you can use built-in Exchange filtering utilities to set an away message with the Out of Office Assistant or to control Junk Mail, you will have a different way to filter for these purposes than you had on ACS. In addition, since spam filtering is automatically configured on both the central mail gateways and on the Exchange server, all mail sent to login@bu.edu will be subject to a degree of automated filtering that might be all you need. For more information, see Managing Unwanted E-mail.
What will I need to do before and after the migration?
Your account will be migrated for you during a pre-determined window of time and you will receive a series of e-mail messages communicating that date. In addition to reviewing this FAQ page, the related Preparing your E-mail Program page gives you an overview of the recommended steps for each e-mail client and the Known Issues page gives you an overview of things you might notice that result from the migration.
Will I still be able to use e-mail while it’s being migrated?
During the migration, your email will be unavailable; it’s also a good idea to shut down all e-mail clients. However, all incoming email will be held and delivered to the new mailbox once it’s active, so you won’t lose any e-mail messages.
The duration of your account’s transition to Exchange will depend on the amount of mail in your mailbox; ranging from a few minutes to a few hours. However, we will make every effort to do migrations during non-business hours.
What are the recommended e-mail clients?
It’s recommended that you install the most current version of Outlook and/or use Outlook Web App (OWA) available at http://xmail.bu.edu and www.bu.edu/webmail. Microsoft products are now available to faculty and staff through BU’s Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. Outlook 2010 for Windows and Outlook 2011 for Mac are both available (along with the full Office suite) for use on a BU-owned machine AND for use at home. You can also access Exchange from devices such as your iPhone, Blackberry or Android.
Microsoft Outlook 2007, Entourage Mac Web Services Edition, Mac Mail, and IMAP clients (such as Thunderbird) are also available options, although none of them are optimal.
Will training be provided?
Yes. Outlook training is available through Microsoft E-Learning or you can register for hands-on Outlook tutorials at www.bu.edu/tech/training/.
Can I still use Thunderbird or another IMAP client? How?
Yes. Although doing so is not optimal, you can use IMAP with clients like Thunderbird to read mail on Exchange. This option is also useful if you want to use use phone/device clients that only offer IMAP access. However, please note that when using IMAP you will not have a centralized contacts list or be able to use the global address list. Also, in order to accept or send meeting invites, you will need to launch Outlook or OWA.
What if I’ve been using Eudora?
As mentioned above, you can use IMAP to read mail on Exchange. If you were using IMAP with Eudora, your server-stored mail will be available to you through the new client, just as it was before. That said, using IMAP with Eudora is not recommended, since you’ll be missing out on many of the benefits of Exchange. For that reason, it’s likely that your local IT support group will urge you to switch to an Exchange-compliant client, and might even require it. The College of Arts and Sciences, for example, is discontinuing support for Eudora: see http://cashelp.bu.edu.
If you have been using POP with Eudora, your access to POP will end as part of the transition to Exchange. However, since POP users generally have mail stored locally, Eudora can continue to act as an archive of your old mail, whether or not you switch to a new mail program. Mail-checking on acs-pop.bu.edu will no longer work for new/incoming mail, but old mail will remain (locally-stored on your computer) for as long as you need it.
Note that you can also import your address list into Outlook.
What will my mail quota be?
On Exchange 2010, the default quota will be 4GB.
Will I have to use the VPN to read my Exchange e-mail from off campus?
You shouldn’t need to. OWA, Outlook*, Mac Mail, Entourage 2008 (with Exchange Web Services installed) and compatible mobile devices, do not require use of the VPN because they are able to detect the BU affiliation. In addition, use of IMAP with SSL (port 993) does not require use of the VPN.
Older desktop clients do require login to the VPN, but are not recommended for use.
*Note: As needed, Outlook for Windows users can manually confirm that Outlook Anywhere is configured correctly.