3/12/09 10:30am Update
We've finished migrating mailboxes for faculty, staff and students. Accounts for 2008 alums, employee spouse/children accounts, and other guest accounts are importing now and will finish this afternoon.
We have discovered an issue with REALLY large mail folders: mailboxes with many thousands of messages did not import to the new mail server. Those messages are not lost and we will still be able to migrate them, but we have to revise the process to accommodate mailboxes of that size. If you believe this problem affects one or more of your email folders, please send a message to helpdesk@wabash.edu with a list of the affected folder(s). We are working now to revise the migration process and we will move those as soon as we are able. We should have those moved yet this week, but at this time I cannot provide a more exact estimate of when that will be.
3/11/09 12:50pm Update
We're in the last of six steps in the process to move mail from the old server to the new, but have had to throttle back this step a bit to ensure adequate system performance. Because of this, we now anticipate email folder migration from the old server to the new one to be finished on Thursday morning, instead of Wednesday afternoon.
3/11/09 9am Update
The migration of mailboxes from the old mail server to the new server should finish today. You will know your old email has been moved to the new server when you see old messages in your inbox. If you use Webmail or Thunderbird to access your email, you will need to resubscribe to any other mail folders in order to see those messages. Instructions are available here:
/technology/home.cfm?kb_id=263&pages_id=54
Eudora, Mac Mail, and Outlook should display the restored folders automatically.
3/10/09 11:50am Update
We've had reports from a few people who are getting an invalid password or username error when trying to log into their email account. If this is happening to you, changing your password should fix the problem. Click here to go to change your password.
3/9/09 4:30pm Update
All campus mailing lists should now be working. We've begun the email folder migration process, and are on schedule for all old/existing mail folders and messages to be moved to the new mail server by noon Wednesday, 3/11.
3/9/09 12:35pm Update
We are seeing some performance issues with Webmail, and will be tuning that over the next day or two to optimize the way it interacts with the new server software, which should improve its performance.
3/9/09 12:30pm Update
Our testing indicates that some of the campus mailing lists were not transferred to the new mail system. We're updating those lists now, and they will be available later this afternoon.
3/9/09 12:05pm Update
Shortly before noon, we enabled logins on Webmail. Incoming emails that were held earlier in the day have been released for delivery, and we have verified incoming and outgoing email delivery. At this time, all email is being processed by the new mail server, and your email clients should be able to check and send email.
If you continue to have problems with your email program, try rebooting your computer to see if that fixes the problem. If not, call the Help Desk x6400 (765-361-6400) for assistance. The Help Desk will be staffed from 1-4:30pm this afternoon.
3/9/09 11:25am Update
We have resolved some issues with receiving email to the new server from off-campus, and are fixing a few problems with sending email to off-campus addresses. Once that has been resolved, we will enable Webmail logins.
3/9/09 10:40am Update
We're working through a few issues with re-syncing various components of the email system after updating the server names. Email is not accessible yet.
Wabash IT Services is planning an extensive upgrade to the Wabash email system, much of which will occur during spring break 2009. This upgrade will result in a faster, more feature-rich email system. While the primary server-side upgrade will occur during spring break, new features will be rolled out throughout the spring semester and into the summer.
Core Mail System Upgrade
The first significant step will occur on March 9. At that time, our mail server software will change from Sendmail to Microsoft Exchange. The actual switchover will be pretty quick, and take place from 10am - 10:30am on the 9th. After 10:30, Webmail and other email clients will connect to the new mail server, and you will send and receive email using that server. No client changes should be necessary at this time.
Transferring Old Email
While the actual switch-over will be quick and relatively simple, it will be considerably more time consuming to move all existing email from the old server to the new server, and convert the mailboxes to the new Exchange format. Our tests indicate it will take about 48 hours to move all of the existing email, so will not have access to any existing messages until sometime on Wednesday March 11, even though you can continue to send and receive new messages.
If you will need access to some existing email messages during the conversion process, you can print those out, or you can create a backup of your messages in local folders. Instructions are available here.
Email Client Program Updates
After old email has been migrated to the new server, users may need to refresh their folder list to see the old mail. Instructions for different email programs are available here.
Webmail Upgrade
The current webmail system will be available until mid-May, but a new webmail program, Outlook Web Access, will be available beginning March 9. Once available, we will provide a link to the new webmail service from the old webmail login page.
Email Enhancements/Additional Features
Throughout the summer we will roll out new features of the email system. Enhancements include:
- Improved webmail interface
- Increased email quota (1Gb default for all users)
- Improved email performance, especially during times of heavy load
- Web-based personal calendar & todo list
- Move to Microsoft Outlook (Windows) and Microsoft Entourage (MacOS) as primary desktop email client for Windows and Macintosh
Why are We Making This Change?
There are two reasons. First, one of the key software components of our current email system is no longer sold or supported. This puts us in a vulnerable position should we have trouble with that system. Second, the new email system offers a number of enhancements, including improved performance under heavy load, better options for group scheduling, and an improved Webmail interface.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are building a list of frequently asked questions (and answers!).
For More Information
Please contact the Help Desk for question or more information on this upgrade.