|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||
OCMAIL, POWERED BY GOOGLE, IS HERE!
Google Apps for Education - Coming now to Oberlin College!
Sign-Up Period for OCMail started 07July 2008 and continues up until fall break 2008 |
CIT starts training sessions as sign-up period begins to assist users with transition process |
OCApps turned on during fall 2008 semester (Calendar, Docs, Chat, Sites) |
All users on new e-mail system by the start of fall break 2008, 18 October 2008 |
Old system deactivated during fall break - any mail remaining on old system no longer available |
OCMail: It's Here! Sign Up Continues!
As noted in the memo of 05 March 2008 from John Bucher, Chief Technology Officer and Director of Information Technology at Oberlin College, we are transitioning to a new e-mail system! This new system is known as OCMail, is powered by Google, and is expressly for Oberlin College personnel - faculty, staff and students. We will incorporate additional aspects of Google Apps for Education, which will be known at Oberlin College as OCApps, at a later date. Initially, we will just focus on the e-mail transition process in order to get everyone moved over from the old system by fall break, October 2008. Incoming faculty and staff, and all the new first-year students, are already being signed up to this new system. Sign-up for the rest of us began on Monday, 07 July 2008, and will continue until the deadline for the conversion, fall break 2008.
Getting Started * Sign Up * Training * OCMail FAQs
| Getting Started - Here are the Steps! |
| 1. Sign Up for your OCMail account (see below). |
| 2. Attend the CIT training/overview (in the classroom - see dates below - or online). The next steps are covered in the training and on the CIT Wiki. |
3. After your account has been created (generally, after 1 P.M. on the day you complete and submit the sign-up form), login to OCMail. Change your account to use IMAP. Set up a new account to add your actual e-mail address (first.last@oberlin.edu), and make this your default account. (Note: OCMail uses your ObieID as the login username, and includes the @oberlin.edu. You'll need to include your actual e-mail address as an additional account name in OCMail so mail sent to your e-mail address will reach you.) |
4. Using a desktop e-mail application, such as Thunderbird or Mail, set up a new account for OCMail. Step-by-step details on how to do this are on the CIT Wiki. If you do not currently use a desktop e-mail application, you will need to do so for the initial transfer of your e-mail messages. Download Thunderbird (Mac or Windows) or OSX Mail (Mac) from the CIT Standard Software web pages (go to the CIT main page and click on Standard Software. Enter your ObieID username and password to continue), then continue with step 5. |
| 5. Use a desktop e-mail application, such as Thunderbird or Mail, to drag and drop messages from the old system to your new OCMail account. |
- Go to the following web page and enter your ObieID (e-mail) username and password.
- The process to create the account is automated and starts daily at approximately 11 A.M. The length of time for creation is based on the number of users signing-up at any given time. We expect the process to be completed by 1 P.M. each day, with accounts then being available for use at that time. During the time that account processing occurs, you will still have access to the old system and all existing messages. You will also be able to send messages from the old system. You will just not be receiving any new messages during that time. New messages will arrive once the OCMail account setup process has completed.
- You may sign up on any day, Monday-Friday. (Sign-up requests are not processed on weekends.) Everyone will be expected to be signed up and moved to the new system by the start fall break, 18 October 2008.
Note: Once you have signed up, you will notice a forwarding address (if you look at your account information via mail.oberlin.edu) in the form: ObieID@ocapps.oberlin.edu. DO NOT remove this forwarding address. Since we are still using the old system until everyone converts to OCMail, this is what fowards mail to the new system for you.
Training: CIT will hold training sessions to assist people with moving to the new system. We recommend you attend right after signing up for the new system. These sessions will be held:
- every Tuesday morning, 1000-1130 A.M., 02 September - 14 October, in Mudd 202
- every Wednesday afternoon, 2-3:30 P.M., 03 September - 15 OCtober, in Mudd 202
- Thursday mornings, from 1000-1130 on September 4, 11, 18, and 25; and on October 2, 9, 16. These sessions will be held in Mudd 456. Space there is limited.
Please complete the online sign-up form if you are planning to attend one of these sessions: Online Sign-Up Form.
If you have a College-provided laptop assigned to you, please feel free to bring that with you.
If you already use a Gmail account, and/or are comfortable with making the transition on your own, we recommend you download and read the overview document and follow the step-by-step instructions on the CIT Wiki.
If you experience any difficulties or believe you need more one-on-one assistance in making the transition to the new system, please contact the CIT Help Desk at cit@oberlin.edu, x58197, or in person at Mudd 005.
Will my e-mail address change? |
No, your e-mail address will remain the same, in the form first.name@oberlin.edu. [Note that your actual username in OCMail will be your ObieID@oberlin.edu (i.e., flast@oberlin.edu)] |
Will all my existing messages still be available? |
Yes, you'll be able to move your messages from the old system to the new system. To do this, you'll use a desktop client application, such as Thunderbird, to drag & drop messages from the old system to OCMail. |
| Can I still use a desktop e-mail application, such as Thunderbird? | Yes, you can still use the same desktop application you were using. CIT supports the use of Thunderbird on Mac and Windows, and OSX Mail on Macs. |
| Can I still use local folders and have access to those messages? | If you used local folders with a desktop client application, you will still have access to those messages. You may elect to move them to the server, since you will now have a greatly increased amount of quota space allocated to your account (approximately 6.8 GB and rising). Moving them to the server has the advantage of making them accessible via a browser from anywhere. |
| Will I still have access to my address books? | If you use ObieMail, you can complete an online request form (linked below) to have your address books e-mailed to you in a .csv format that can then be imported into OCMail. If you currently use a desktop application, your address books will remain as they are and, thus, stay available. https://hera.cc.oberlin.edu/nos/ocmail/addressbook_request.html |
| Can I access OCMail through my personal Gmail account? | No. You will need to access OCMail through its special Oberlin/Google partner login page: http://ocmail.oberlin.edu |
| I don't want to change. Do I have to go to OCMail? | Yes, everyone will have to make the change by fall break in October 2008. The old system is at the end of its life cycle and must be replaced. |
| What do I get with OCMail and, later, with OCApps? | Read details about this online. |