Campus UMail System - Technical Information

Note: bold red text indicates clickable links

Complete Overview of the Migration Process
Department Migration to UMail
Test Accounts
Exchange System Security
Email Clients/Access
Client Configuration Basics
Delegated Administration
Scheduled and Unplanned Outages
Known Issues
For More Information

Overview of the Complete Migration Process

Email administrators planning to migrate to UMail should review an overview, including timeline, of the complete department migration to UMail process, including required documentation and authorization forms, and necessary user preparation steps.

Department migration to UMail

IT managers: If your department plans on using the UMail Exchange system, you should set up your UMail account, which has already been created for every campus member, for @utah.edu traffic and familiarize yourself with the interfaces. Get familiar with Exchange. Practice configuring the client on a number of machines. Practice sending email and making appointments. Start thinking about the sort of email and calendar functionality that your users value and see how you will provide those services with Outlook and Exchange. (Conference room scheduling is a good example of this.)

How can your department prepare? IT Managers should compile a list (in electronic .csv format) of their users' uNIDS and corresponding email aliases for each user. Also compile a list of all general department email addresses (i.e., registration@dept.utah.edu) and how those addresses are used. For example, do they redirect to one person, a group of people, or are they a separate mailbox checked by multiple users? Finally, discuss shared resources and proxies used by your department members. Are they working well in their GroupWise or current platform set up? Could they work better? You can look at a basic overview of how GroupWise and UMail-Exchange differ.

Departments ready to use the UMail Exchange system can become early adopters after March 2006. In order to be an early adopter, you will need to be able to configure your own email software on your workstation(s) and move any email you might need on the new system on your own. OIT will not be able to support large department moves to the new system until later in the year. OIT holds a monthly meeting for departments wanting to be early adopters or planned migrators. Details will be sent to the IT Managers list.

OIT will work closely with departments currently using GroupWise for smooth, planned migrations to the new system later in the year.

If you have questions about how Outlook and Exchange can meet the needs of your users, send email to emailprojectteam@lists.utah.edu. We are happy to work with you to find solutions for your department. The Outlook client is intuitive and most users love the product.

Test Accounts

Test accounts are available for campus IT managers who want to familiarize themselves with Exchange. These accounts should not be used in the same way as your main business email account. Do not use this for critical communication as this account or email sent from it could be dropped, destroyed, rebuilt, etc. To request a test account, email the Campus Help Desk at helpdesk@utah.edu. You'll get an email reply when your account is activated with information on accessing your account.

UMail System Security

The UMail system uses SSL certificates to encrypt credentials and data sent between email clients and the system servers. It is the same technology that is used to secure communications for online banking. It requires secure protocols to be used for the encryption: RPC over HTTP, Secure POP, Secure IMAP, and Secure HTTP.

Email Clients/access

Preferred Clients:

Outlook 2003 - provides all system features
MS Entourage 2004 SP2 - provides all system features
OWA (Outlook Web Access) with Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher - https://www.umail.utah.edu

Other Recommended Clients:

Linux: Novell's Evolution 2 (formerly Ximian Evolution) - provides email and calendar with limited features
PDA access for supported devices through Server ActiveSync, Outlook Mobile Access

Alternate Clients:

Other Secure IMAP clients - provide email only

Email client configuration basics - Production System

RPC over HTTP (only available with Outlook 2003 on Windows XP with Service Pack 1 and hotfix Q331320 or higher)

Note: If needed, first install SP2, apply this month's Windows updates, upgrade to Microsoft Update, then see if the Control Panel looks right. If required, do a fresh install of Outlook 2003 instead of an update.

Exchange Server: public.xds.umail.utah.edu
Enable Use Cached Exchange Mode
user Name: your uNID
More Settings (cancel login prompts or alerts) -> Connection Tab
Enable Connect to my Exchange mailbox using HTTP -> Exchange Proxy Settings
Proxy server for Exchange: 'www.umail.utah.edu'
Principle name for proxy server: 'msstd:www.umail.utah.edu'
Check On slow networks, connect using HTTP first, then connect using TCP/IP
Check On fast networks, connect using HTTP first, then connect using TCP/IP
Use Basic Authentication
Users should login with 'unid@umail.utah.edu' and their CIS password.

Complete User Instructions - Outlook Configuration

Outlook PRF Configuration file

This profile file will automatically create the user's Outlook profile with Exchange system information.

Right-click to download the file. Upon launching this .prf file, replace "unid" with the user's uNID before running the file.

If a user runs the file without modifying it, the user will be prompted for their username and password twice. After the second prompt, a message will come up indicating that the name could not be resolved. Click OK on that message, replace "unid" with the user's uNID, click Resolve Name, and Outlook is ready to go.

Complete User Instructions - Outlook Configuration via .PRF File

IMAP

Incoming mail server: 'imap.umail.utah.edu'
Use secure/encrypted connection (SSL) over port 993
Outgoing mail server: 'smtp.umail.utah.edu'
Use secure/encrypted connection (TLS/SSL) over port 25

POP

Incoming mail server: 'pop.umail.utah.edu'
Use secure/encrypted connection (SSL) over port 995
Outgoing mail server: 'smtp.umail.utah.edu'
Use secure/encrypted connection (TLS/SSL) over port 25

Web

https://www.umail.utah.edu

Exchange Active Sync

User name: your uNID
Domain: 'umail.utah.edu'
Server Name: 'www.umail.utah.edu'
This server uses an SSL connection

Entourage 2004 with SP2

Basic

Account id: uNID
Domain: umail.utah.edu
Exchange Server: www.umail.utah.edu
This DAV service requires a secure connection (SSL)

Advanced

Public folders server: www.umail.utah.edu
This DAV service requires a secure connection (SSL)
LDAP server: adam.umail.utah.edu (*this service not yet available)
This server requires me to log on
This LDAP server requires a secure connection (SSL)
Override default LDAP port. Enter 3269 in the port text box.
Maximum number of results to return: 100 (or any number of your choosing)
Search base: dc=xds,dc= umail,dc=utah,dc=edu

Other

The iCAL interface does not support HTTPS connections, but there is a workaround to add HTTPS sources. We are currently testing this.
GroupCAL appears to provide the necessary extension for HTTPS, but it does not work on Tiger (10.4).
Exchange ActiveSync provides access to Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks.
We are working to resolve issues with connectivity to the Global Address List from Evolution.
You can configure your machine's email profile to allow GroupWise and Outlook to run simultaneously.

Delegated Administration

IT Managers and Help Desk staff will be able to access Delegated Administration Tools (listed below) and provide support for their departments. Delegated Admins will be able to make changes only to users in their department. A Delegated Administration application and approval process will be required to be granted DA rights.

Change passwords
Change quotas
Change email aliases
Enable/disable accounts
Create/edit/delete resource items and public folders

Scheduled and Unplanned Outages

The regular UMail system maintenance window is the third Saturday of each month from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am Sunday morning. To be kept aware of issues and regular outages for the UMail system, subscribe to the UMail outages list at www.lists.utah.edu/wws/lists/Special_Interest/UMail.

Known Issues

Known Issue: currently, Outlook Web Access will mark a message as "Replied" or "Forwarded" if you just click to reply, regardless if you actually send the reply or forward the message, no matter which browser. We hope to get this issue resolved.