Employee Calendar/Email FAQs

Email

• What data will actually be migrated to the new system?
• Will I lose my folder hierarchy or any email when we move to the new environment?
• I currently forward all of my email to my external account. Will my mail continue to be forwarded when we move to the new system?
• I currently forward all of my email to my external account. Will that get transferred or does it need to be done again on the new system?
• Will my email address stay the same?
• Will my personal contacts be migrated?
• I use distribution lists for various groups. Will these still work?
• What is the maximum message size, including attachments, that be sent or received?
• What will my mailbox quota be?
• I’ve heard that trash folders will be emptied automatically, is this true?

What data will actually be migrated to the new system?

Your Sheridan email will be migrated to the new Exchange environment, including any mail folders you have created.  Due to the large volume of email to be migrated, we will initially migrate the last six months of email data during the cut-over to the new system, followed by older email data throughout the week of the roll-out. Access to the old mail system and data will be available via web mail if needed during this transition. Note that some of your folders may initially be empty if they contained only messages that were greater than 6 months old.

Will I lose my folder hierarchy or any email when we move to the new environment?

Your Sheridan email will be migrated to the new Exchange environment, including any mail folders you have created. The contents of your trash folder will not be migrated to the new system. Access to the old mail system will be available via web mail if needed during this transition.

I currently forward all of my email to my external account. Will my mail continue to be forwarded when we move to the new system?

No. Forwarding configurations on the old mail system will not be carried over to the new server.

I currently forward all of my email to my external account. Will that get transferred or does it need to be done again on the new system?

It depends on how your transfer settings were configured. If you set the option to leave a copy of the mail on Sheridan’s servers, then your messages will be transferred. If not, there will be nothing to transfer.

Will my email address stay the same?

Your primary email address will change from first.last@sheridanc.on.ca to first.last@sheridancollege.ca

• Email to first.last@sheridanc.on.ca and first.last@sheridaninstitute.ca will still be accepted and delivered to your new inbox.
  
  
• Any mail sent to you with your old email address will still be routed to your inbox, but you should know that any new email you send will appear to recipients with your new email address.

Will my personal contacts be migrated?

You will need to re-create or manually export and import your contacts into the new environment.

I use distribution lists for various groups. Will these still work?

Lists that you have personally created will need to be re-created. Lists that you requested to be setup by IT (using listserv, mailman, or email aliases) will still exist and continue to work.

What is the maximum message size, including attachments, that be sent or received?

Under the new system the maximum size of an email you can send or receive (including attachments) is 25MB. If you are a user who typically sends or receives large files, you should start considering other ways distribute large files—network shares, FTP, and SharePoint are some alternatives that Sheridan staff have at their disposal. If you have questions or concerns, contact the IT help desk and we can help you determine the best solution for distributing and/or receiving large files.

What will my mailbox quota be?

Users’ email boxes will now have an enforced quota of 10GB. If you believe that 10GB will not meet your needs, contact helpdesk@sheridancollege.ca so we can ensure you have the storage space you require.

I’ve heard that trash folders will be emptied automatically, is this true?

Items in a user's trash folder that are more than 30 days old will be automatically removed. You will have an additional 30 days before the item(s) will be permanently deleted. To recover a deleted item in Outlook 2007/2010 or the Outlook Web App (OWA) right click on the 'deleted items' folder and choose 'recover deleted items'.

Calendar

• I require the history of my calendar. How can I make sure that my past meetings/ notes/ tasks etc. will be synced to the new system?
• I’m not clear on what I need to do with calendar appointments that I have with other parties on my existing calendar for future dates.
• Should I start using the new calendar to book appointments right away?
• How will room bookings work in the new environment?
• What if I create a meeting in Exchange and it conflicts with a room previously booked in Oracle Calendar?
• How do I restrict which calendar items are visible to others?
• Will the entries people are entering into the new calendar system prior to November 5 be preserved or deleted?

I require the history of my calendar. How can I make sure that my past meetings/ notes/ tasks etc. will be synced to the new system?

I’m not clear on what I need to do with calendar appointments that I have with other parties on my existing calendar for future dates.

Unfortunately, there is no automated migration process that will reliably import user’s calendar data into the new system.  Entries will need to be manually re-created. We are asking each meeting owner/designate (i.e. the person who originally created the meeting in Oracle calendar) to recreate their entries in the new environment.

Our recommendation is to create calendar entries in Exchange working forward from November 5th, using Oracle calendar as your guide. Remember to only re-create entries where you were the meeting owner. The entries created by someone else will begin to appear as others undertake the same process.

If you need a historical record of your past calendar appointments, we suggest you print a hard copy from Oracle Calendar.

Should I start using the new calendar to book appointments right away?

Sheridan will officially switch to Exchange calendar as the default calendar on November 5, 2012.  Oracle calendar will be the authoritative calendar until November 4 and will remain available as a read-only point of reference for historical data for a number of months following the transition.

How will room bookings work in the new environment?

Rooms previously booked through Oracle Calendar will be available to book in Exchange. Rooms booked in other ways (e.g. via Scheduling office, calling an individual for a special meeting room) will continue to be booked in the same way as before.

What if I create a meeting in Exchange and it conflicts with a room previously booked in Oracle Calendar?

Oracle Calendar will be the source of record when double bookings occur.

How do I restrict which calendar items are visible to others?

By default Exchange will only show free/busy information (no details) to other users.

Will the entries people are entering into the new calendar system prior to November 5 be preserved or deleted?

Entries made in the Exchange calendar will be preserved. After November 5th the Oracle Calendar will still be available in a read-only state.

Outlook Web App (OWA)

Can the default timeout in OWA be changed?

As it is currently set up the default seems to be 5 to 15 minutes when using the default radio button “public computer”. In order to have keep OWA open longer, select connect as a private computer which will enable the program default to be 8 hrs during that session — not recommended if you are using a shared computer.

How do you add a signature in OWA VIA Google Chrome?

As we provide support to IE7 (soon IE8), Firefox and Safari for Mac we suggest that you use one of these recommended browsers to get full access to the features in OWA.

Software Clients

• What are the recommended and supported software clients for the new email/calendar system?
• I run one of my PC computers on Windows XP. Will the new email platform be accessible using XP?
• I am a Mac user NOT using Outlook or Mail – what are my options?
• Can I use another email program other than those that are recommended?
• Will there be documentation regarding export/import with regards to address books from Thunderbird?
• Outlook prompts me to authenticate myself on the network at least once a day even though I have already entered my credentials and selected to save the password. What's up with that?

What are the recommended and supported software clients for the new email/calendar system?

When we change over to the new Microsoft Exchange email/calendar environment, using Microsoft Outlook will give you the richest user experience, offering you an integrated email/calendar client and access to features that are only available using Outlook.

Client Software Options

Below is a list of recommended email clients that will be supported by I.T. Many users may find that the Outlook web app offers them a completely satisfying experience and may never need to use a desktop client. The Outlook Web App (OWA) allows you to connect to the Exchange Server using a Web browser. No other client software is needed.

Windows 7 Users

1. Outlook 2010
2. Outlook Web App

Mac OSX

1. Outlook 2011
2. Outlook Web App
3. Apple Mail/iCal/Calendars†

† ical became Calendars in OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)

I run one of my PC computers on Windows XP. Will the new email platform be accessible using XP?

If you are running an older operating system, such as Windows XP, the Outlook Web App (OWA) will allow you to connect to the Exchange Server using a Web browser. Many users may find that the Outlook web app offers them a completely satisfying experience and may never need to use a desktop client.

I am a Mac user NOT using Outlook or Mail – what are my options?

You can use other email programs, such as Thunderbird, to connect to Sheridan’s Exchange server. However, you will only get email functionality. For a fully featured and supported user experience, use one of the Outlook options.

Can I use another email program other than those that are recommended?

You can use other email programs, such as Thunderbird, to connect to Sheridan’s Exchange server. However, you will only get email functionality. Plug-ins are available to add a calendar component to Thunderbird, but IT can only offer limited support to users who choose to use a software client other than the recommended options listed above. For a fully featured and supported user experience, use one of the Outlook options.

Will there be documentation regarding export/import with regards to address books from Thunderbird?

The process for export/import address books from Thunderbird will be documented in the Outlook e-mail section soon. The process involves cleaning up the contacts, exporting them and importing them into the Outlook address book.

Outlook prompts me to authenticate myself on the network at least once a day even though I have already entered my credentials and selected to save the password. What's up with that?

We are aware that Outlook currently request authentication more than once. In order to comply with our security policies attempts at signing in to the network need to be authenticated; however we are working to see if it is absolutely necessary to authenticate every session.

Mobile Clients

Will I be able to easily access my email/calendar with my smartphone or tablet?

Microsoft Exchange works well with most major brands of smartphones and tablets in use at the College—iPhones/iPads, Blackberries, Android and Windows devices. Many users will be relieved to know they will no longer have to use 3rd party sync clients or plug-ins to access their calendar data.

I currently use a mobile device to receive my mail. Do I have to set up my mobile device to work in the Outlook Environment?

Yes. However before doing anything with regards to Outlook with your mobile device please backup your device and ensure that you are using the most current software. For instructions with setting up your mobile device please visit the email self-help page.