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BU Email
When new users open an
ACS account, they automatically receive access to a BU e-mail
account. The Office of Information Technology is the final authority on BU e-mail issues, but below you'll find answers
to common questions and links to related OIT resources. For an overview of all e-mail related topics,
visit the PCSC's informative site at
http://www.bu.edu/pcsc/email.
Note about BU email downtime: if you are experiencing difficulty sending/receiving BU email you may wish to
check the status of the central BU email servers before calling for help. If the servers are down for reasons such as
scheduled maintenance you will see this information posted on the following website
http://www.bu.edu/webmail.
FAQ Topics
Accounts and Logging In
I already have an e-mail account elsewhere. Why should I sign up for an ACS account?
I've forgotten my BU Login name and/or Kerberos password. What should I do?
Can I access my BU e-mail over the Web?
I'm unable to send/receive BU email, what could be going on?
Vacations and Forwarding mail
How can I forward my BU e-mail to another account?
Can I set up an automated reply for times when I won't have access to my account?
Spam
What does BU offer to help me deal with spam?
SpamAssassin really isn't helping me enough. Isn't there something else I can try?
Other mail issues
What can I do if my mail quota is full?
FAQ Answers
Accounts and Logging In
I already have an e-mail account elsewhere. Why should I sign up for an ACS account?
An ACS account offers much more than an e-mail account. If you want to dial in with a modem, set up a Web site, or use
password-protected sites such as The Link, you will need a BU login name and Kerberos password. If you wish to, you can
forward BU e-mail to another account (see below).
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I've forgotten my BU Login name and/or Kerberos password. What should I do?
Complete the online forgot password form.
If you simply need to find out what your Login name is you can search for yourself in the BU directory.
Can I access my BU e-mail over the Web?
Yes; to do so go to www.bu.edu/webmail.
I'm unable to send/receive BU email, what could be going on?
BU OIT may be working on the central email servers due to unexpected problems or more likely routine maintenance. Check
the BU webmail site for the current status of the BU
email servers.
Vacations and Forwarding mail
How can I forward my BU e-mail to another account?
Use the online
mail forwarding form.
How can I set up an automated reply for times when I won't have access to my account?
Use the auto-reply form.
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Spam
What does BU offer to help me deal with spam?
The Office of Information Technology has made available a program to help combat spam on the central email servers. The
program is called “SpamAssassin”.
SpamAssassin scores and tags all messages destined for BU recipients as they pass through the central email servers.
Users can only take advantage of this scoring and tagging of spam, however, by exposing the header and creating a rule
within their email reader (e.g., Outlook, Horde). By creating a rule, email messages that are potentially spam are moved
to a particular folder. You can review/delete the messages in that folder at a later time.
If you are interested in taking advantage of SpamAssassin, you can read further about how it works and then follow the
instructions for setting up a rule within your email client at:
http://www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/spam.
Remember, spam tagging programs are not 100% accurate. Once you have set up a rule within your email client to move
potential spam messages to a particular folder, you may wish to check over the subject line or sender information before
deleting the messages in case they are legitimate!
SpamAssassin really isn't helping me enough. Isn't there something else I can try?
Well, yes, there are other options, but some of them take a little more work and time to set up, and results may vary. If
you're desperate for a stronger solution, however, you contact the
ITS Helpdesk and
we may be able to recommend something.
Other mail issues
What can I do if my mail quota is full?
The short answer is that you need to clear out some space in your 'inbox', or your new mail will not be received (and it
will return an error message to the sender). The PCSC has a fuller explanation with more details in its email help area
devoted to storing messages. You can view their recommendations at
http://www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/manage/quotas.html. Should you need assistance please contact the
ITS Helpdesk.
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