Use of address book in Outlook
Global access list
In Outlook you will find an address book with all Erasmus staff and resources. Resources are generic accounts like shared mailboxes, mailing lists, rooms, etc. This address book is called global address list or GAL.
Only family names
In the Outlook global address list all staff is listed by their family name. First names are not available in the global address list. That means that you can only look up colleagues by typing the first letters of their family name.
Maiden name versus married name
Many married ladies or staff with double family names will notice that they are not listed with the family name they would wish for. It is possible to change with which family name you would like to be listed in the Outlook global address list. You can make this arrangements at the ISS personnel office who will change it in the EUR personnel system. The information in Outlook comes directly from the personnel system.
Your contact details
Outlook global address list reflects the information that is visible on your profile on the EUR website. To check your details and make the necessary changes you will need to go to the EUR address book http://www.eur.nl/english/erna/address_book/ and change your contact information here https://personal.idm.eur.nl. Please ensure that you activate the ‘Visible in Directory from non-EUR domains’ button. This short manual will explain how to do this: Contact details in the EUR address book.
Looking up recipient names
When writing an email and typing names in the "To:" field, Outlook will not automatically look up in the address book the first letters of the name you typed. For outlook to look up in the address book, you need to click on "Check Names" in the Outlook ribbon.
Choosing default address book
When checking names, by default Outlook will look in the global address list, where all Erasmus staff and resources are listed. You can change where Outlook looks by default when checking names. Tip: change the settings so Outlook first looks in the ISS subset of the global address list. In this guide you will learn how (skip to chapter 2): Guide Outlook address books.
Student contact details in Outlook
By default not available
By default Outlook system is neither connected nor in sync with the student email system. Therefore a directory or address book with student details is not available in Outlook. Making the student details available in Outlook was out of the project scope and thus not delivered. ISS board and all staff were timely informed about this fact and its implications.
After the launch of Outlook on 16 January 2012 many ISS staff complained that this has severe consequences for the way they work. ISS has therefore requested EUR SSC-ICT to investigate the possibilities to sync the student directory with Outlook and make them available in the Outlook address book.
Temporary workaround fix
In the meantime, to ease the “pain”, we have created a workaround in order for staff to be able to find student details in Outlook. The way this fix is implemented is not sustainable and manageable and is only meant as temporary workaround. Available student details will be kept updated but without guarantees that all details are complete and up to date. Also, this temporary workaround fix is offered “as is”, and will not be further expanded or customized.
The student directory is only available for Outlook 2010 client. It is not available in the OWA Outlook Web Access. It is officially not accessible through Outlook 2011 for Mac, but it can be made visible with a little tweak.
Which students are included
In the temporary student directory following student groups are included:
- MA 2010-2011
- MA 2011-2012
- Current ISPs
- Current DIPLOMAs
- ISS students in foreign countries (Suriname, Vietnam…)
The last ones are marked as “External” and have not all the details available.
How to access student directory in Outlook
Follow the simple steps in this guide to access the student directory from Outlook 2010 (chapter 1 only): Guide Outlook address books.
Use BCC
When sending a message to a large number of students (in fact, to any group of recipients), by preference address them in the BCC field. That will prevent some mail servers bouncing the message back to you complaining about to large message header. Moreover it will conceal the recipients' addresses from being visible to everyone, which is a neat and respectful way of protecting your recipient's privacy.
Staff mailing lists in Outlook
In Outlook there are mailing lists for ISS staff and PhDs. Here are a few tips how to find and use them.
Where to find staff mailing lists
- ISS mailing lists are available in the Outlook global address list.
- All mailing lists start with ISS..., thus sortable when starting to type ISS.
- You can also type ISS in the "To:" field and click on "Check names" which will give you a choice of all ISS mailing lists and generic mailboxes.
How to send messages to all staff
- There is not a generic "ALL STAFF Mailing list" in Outlook. That is because of a maximum of 200 members per mailing list that Outlook system impose. If you need to write a message to all ISS Staff please include following mailing lists:
- ISS all ACADEMIC staff mailing list
(all academic staff + HOTOs + + DRR + Deputy Ac. Register) - ISS all TAS staff mailing list
(all Support staff) - ISS all GUESTS mailing list
(retired personnel + guests with temporary contracts) - ISS all PHD mailing list
(all PhD candidates)
- ISS all ACADEMIC staff mailing list
Members not visible
- It is not possible to see who are the individual members of a mailing list. That is due to technical implications in the Outlook system. It is being worked on to fix this.
Using shared mailboxes
The shared mailboxes in Outlook have some caracteristics you should be aware of.
How to keep Sent items in the shared mailbox
The sent items (and drafts) you create while working in a Shared mailbox are stored in your personal sent items and not in the Shared mailbox' sent items. Other people working in the same Shared mailbox can not see your sent items.
If you want the sent items you sent when working with the Shared mailbox to appear in the shared mailbox sent items, you can do this in several ways:
1. Manually move the sent items from your personal sent items folder to the Shared mailbox sent items folder.
2. Create a Quickstep button to make method 1 one step easier
3. When sending email as Shared mailbox, always Bcc the shared mailbox. A copy of your sent item will appear in the Shared mailbox inbox. If you request ILIAD to create an OWA inbox rule, this message will be automatically moved to the Shared mailbox sent items folder.
How to Open Another Mailbox using Outlook Web Access
If you have access to another shared mailbox; then you can use Outlook Web Access to open that mailbox. Please login into your own mail account in Outlook Web Access and follow the steps given below.
1. Click on your name in the upper right corner of the window to open the Open Other Mailbox dialog box.
2. Enter the name or alias of the shared mailbox that you want to open (for example rooms).
3. If more than one match is found, Outlook Web Access displays a list of possible matches.
4. Click the name of the mailbox that you want to open.
Bring your own device
Outlook email and calendar can be configured for use on almost every device with internet access. If you have an Outlook (Microsoft Exchange) compatible device, you will need to know these four thing in order to configure it to access your ISS mail and calendar:
Your email address: | lastname@iss.nl |
Your login name = ERNA account: | 12345abc@eur.nl |
Your password = ERNA password: | <your ERNA password> |
Server name (optional): | exchange.eur.nl |
For few standard devices a guide is available here:
http://www.eur.nl/english/erna/services/erna_account_management/mailcalendar_settings/
Transferring email at home
Transfer script for home use
This is not an officially supported method, but in case you would like to experiment, here it is:
We have created a experimental beta-script so you can also transfer your content from First Class to Outlook while not at ISS. It replaces the "MOVE mail from FirstClass to Outlook" script as described in the Do-it-yourself manual. You just need a fast enough internet connection and should be able to do the transfer from any place in the world.
Be aware: it is a beta experiment, so no guarantees and limited support from ILIAD. If you get stranded, we might not be able to help and you will need to continue the transfer once you are back at the ISS. By the way, the risk that the this migration script would mess up your First class or Outlook mailbox is not any higher than if you would run it at ISS. If that gives you any peace of mind, please free to experiment.
Download the script
You can download the script for home use here: imapsync-HOME-USE.zip. Just unpack the ZIP file on any location, run the script called "imapsync-MOVE.cmd" and keep on following the Do-it-yourself manual.
Safe transfer by using VPN
Before running the script from home, we suggest you make a VPN connection to EUR network. It is technically not necessary, but as this transfer happens unencrypted over the internet, it could by tapped by hackers. By using VPN you can prevent that.
Avoid exclamation mark in your password
Using an exclamation mark ! in your ERNA password will make the transfer script which moves files from First Class to Outlook not function. Solution is simple. Change your ERNA password to something else and make sure you do not use the exclamation mark ! in your password.
You can change your ERNA password here: https://personal.idm.eur.nl
