Information and Technology

Story posted May 23, 2010

The upgrade from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010 is taking place during the month of July. When Information Technology rolled out Exchange, we promised cross-platform webmail. It's here with Exchange 2010! Webmail will be the same whether on a Mac or Windows machine, at home or work.

What are the benefits of Exchange 2010 ?

1. Webmail is vastly improved!
   • Same Webmail look and features on all browsers (e.g., Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer)
   • Better and Faster Search
   • Conversation view: Groups related messages for easy viewing
   • More Calendar views: Monthly Calendar views, Side-by-side Calendar views
2. Designated people will be able to share group/departmental calendars
3. More control and sharing of distributed email lists

What to expect when my mailbox is moved?

• You can continue to use email and your calendar, even while your mailbox is being moved to the new server.
• After your mailbox has been moved, your email client (e.g., Outlook, Entourage, Thunderbird) will disconnect from the Exchange server and need to be closed and opened.
• Webmail will always be available to access your email and calendar at https://webmail.bowdoin.edu
• Shared or departmental accounts? While mailboxes are being moved, if you or your students use Webmail to access shared email or calendar accounts, follow these instructions.
• If you created a bookmark for Webmail or set Webmail as your homepage, update the URL in your browser.

When will my mailbox be moved to Exchange 2010?

June 30th - July 15th  Students mailboxes move
July 19th - August 1st  Faculty and staff mailboxes move

The mailboxes will move on a rolling basis, five at a time. You will know that you are on Exchange 2010 when you login to https://webmail.bowdoin.edu and see the new Webmail interface. The URL address will contain "webmail.bowdoin.edu" rather than "webmail07.bowdoin.edu".

Will my favorite email client work with Exchange 2010?

Yes! Outlook, Entourage, Thunderbird, Apple, Eudora and Pine will work with Exchange 2010. Entourage users who have not yet upgraded to Entourage Web Services, will need to do so.

Webmail is so improved, you may find it easier than your current email client, especially for those who access email from home or on the road. Try it out!

What can I do to prepare?

Empty your trash. (Right click on the "Deleted Items" folder and select "Empty your Deleted Items.")

You can set up your email client to do this automatically by following these steps.

Are there any known issues that may arise?

Given the variety of email clients and versions that people on campus use, we are posting any known issues and resolutions below.

Issue: I am getting a 404 error (File not Found) when I access a shared email or calendar account from Webmail
Resolution: While the email and calendar accounts are being moved, follow these temporary instructions.

Issue: I am using Outlook from home or a non-Bowdoin computer and get an error message reading "Unable to open your default e-mail folders" or "The connection to the Microsoft Exchange Server is unavailable." 
Resolution: Change the encryption setting in Outlook with these instructions.