Starting on March 27, 2017, OIT will begin moving Exchange 2010 mailboxes to our new Exchange 2016 system. Most of the changes will occur behind the scenes and should have a little noticeable impact on email service. Users of webmail will have noticed the updated experience that was implemented in January to the Outlook web client. These changes will allow for better collaboration, improved search, and of course, that improved Outlook web experience for all web browsers.
Users will receive an email from IT Communications before their mailbox is migrated. The migrations will occur the following business day and should complete by 9 a.m. We expect a smooth rollout of Exchange 2016, but if anyone experiences problems with the email application after the migration, they are urged to contact the IT Help Desk. Users will still be able to use webmail.smu.edu to handle urgent emails while the IT Help Desk resolves your issues.
Here is a quick look at some of the new features in Exchange 2016.
Notice for Outlook for Windows Users
If using Outlook on Windows when the migration completes, the application will prompt to restart the application once the mailbox finishes the migration. If composing a message when Outlook prompts to restart, save your messages as a draft. After the restart, the message can be re-opened from the Drafts folder. If Outlook does not properly reconfigure after one or two restarts, please contact the IT Help Desk immediately.
Notice for All Other Email Users
All other clients (e.g. ActiveSync, Outlook for Mac, POP, non-Microsoft) should continue to work without any changes. If your mail application prompts any unexpected messages, please contact the IT Help Desk immediately.
Notice for IMAP Users
IMAP users on Thunderbird may receive a benign error message. This error message will disappear once the mailbox has been migrated. However, you can also modify your settings to eliminate the popup error. For instructions, please see support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1064915.
More Information about the Migration
For more details about this migration, please see Faculty and Staff Email Upgrade to Exchange 2016.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the IT Help Desk at 214-768-HELP or help@smu.edu.
