Boston University Information Systems Planning and Support

Email

Solutions to some common problems experienced with BU email.

  1. I have an iPhone. Can I connect it to my BU email? faq id: 11
  2. I get a lot of spam. Is there anything I can do? faq id: 7
  3. How can I check my email when I'm not at work? faq id: 8
  4. I'm not receiving email from people outside of BU. What's wrong? faq id: 9
  5. I want to share my mailbox (inbox, contacts, calendar, etc.) with a colleague. Is this possible and, if so, how do I accomplish this? faq id: 10

Questions and Answers

  1. I have an iPhone. Can I connect it to my BU email? faq id: 11

    Coinciding with the release of the iPhone 3G, Apple released the iPhone Software Update 2.0.  This update, among its many new features, has native support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync technololgy.  ActiveSync is Microsoft's implementation of "push" email to mobile devices, allowing the iPhone to deliver mail in real-time.

    Although the iPhone supports it, the Exchange environment that services the BU administrative units currently does not support ActiveSync for mobile devices.  If you require mobile push email services for your mailbox, BlackBerry is currently the only supported method of acheiving this.

    Users with mail accounts on ACS should visit the PCSC's iPhone configuration page to set up an ACS mailbox on the iPhone over the IMAP protocol.

  2. I get a lot of spam. Is there anything I can do? faq id: 7

    Yes. The Office of Information Technology maintains a spam filtering system called "Spam Assassin" that is available to anyone with a bu.edu address. For more information, visit the PCSC's Spam Management page.

  3. How can I check my email when I'm not at work? faq id: 8

    For users attached to the university Microsoft Exchange cluster (this includes most administrative staff), Outlook Web Access (OWA) provides online access to your mailbox when away from your workstation.

    To use OWA, go to https://xmsweb.bu.edu/.

  4. I'm not receiving email from people outside of BU. What's wrong? faq id: 9

    You may have an incorrectly configured entry in your mail gateway forwarding record.  To correct this, take the following steps:

    Note: the following information applies only to ISPS-supported users on the AD2 Windows domain.

    1. Go to http://www.bu.edu/computing/email/forwarding/
    2. Log in with your Kerberos credentials
    3. Under the "BU Mail: user@bu.edu Forwarding" heading, make sure that your "username@bu.edu" mail is being forwarded to "username@ad2.bu.edu"
    4. If it is not, follow the directions on the page to correct the forwarding address.

    ISPS staff are available to assist you if necessary.

  5. I want to share my mailbox (inbox, contacts, calendar, etc.) with a colleague. Is this possible and, if so, how do I accomplish this? faq id: 10

    Yes. One of the features of Microsoft Outlook with Exchange is the ability to share or "delegate" mailbox folders with designated users or "delegates".

    If you require help delegating folders, ISPS staff are available to assist.