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UH Email Account Practices

Online services are being offered by UH to make your university experience more convenient. A user account (username and password) is required for you to use any online service (such as registering for courses or checking email.) For UH, this user account is called your UH Username.

You must activate your UH Username before you can use your UH Email Account. (Note that this was called an UH Email Account previous to September 2004.) Please visit UH Username Practices to check on the eligibility requirements and the procedures on how to get your UH Username. After your UH Username is activated, your email address is your UH Username with @hawaii.edu (e.g. John Smith's email address will be johns@hawaii.edu) and will be referred to as your UH Email Account in this document. Your UH Email Account (username@hawaii.edu address) is used for important campus news and updates and should be checked periodically.

This document is in Q&A (question & answer) format. If you do not see answers to your questions, please contact the ITS Help Desk at (808) 956-8883 or toll-free from neighbor islands, (800) 558-2669 for assistance.


GENERAL INFORMATION

USING EMAIL

PASSWORDS

UNDELIVERABLE EMAIL

INSTRUCTIONAL OR ORGANIZATIONAL USES

OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT EMAIL

ACCOUNT TERMINATION, SUSPENSION, OR BANISHMENT


GENERAL INFORMATION

What is a UH Email Account and why would I want one?

Your UH Email Account is an easy and convenient way of using email services while you are at UH. Your account will have the @hawaii.edu domain ending so it is easy to remember.

There are a few important services that come with your UH Email Account to make communication through email safer. In an effort to reduce computer virus attacks, your UH Email Account has one layer of computer virus protection at the email server. While this protection will not prevent all computer viruses from getting to your computer, it will greatly reduce the risk of computer viruses reaching your computer. There is also a filter to prevent junk email, otherwise known as spam, from being delivered to your UH Email Account.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#itsemail


Who can get a UH Email Account?

You must be a faculty, staff, or registered student with University of Hawai‘i to obtain a UH Email Account. Emerti faculty and staff affiliates are also allowed. Your UH Email Account is your account for the duration of your career at the University of Hawai‘i. Please review the table below for examples of eligibility.

Email Account Type Duration of the account Where we get the information
Registered Student Until graduation Student Information System
Faculty Until termination of employment Office of Human Resources
Emeriti Perpetual, renewable annually by email reminder message President's Office
Staff Until termination of employment Office of Human Resources
Staff Affiliate 1 year, annually renewable upon request Dean or Director
Departmental Account 1 year, annually renewable upon request Dean or Director
RIO Account 1 year, annually renewable upon request Campus Center

Note: Non-Credit students. Due to the non-automatic creation of UH Usernames for non-credit students, there will be a nominal assessed fee to create accounts for programs that want their students to have a UH Username for email or access privileges. Previously, ITS was absorbing the costs, but regrettably now needs to pass on the costs. Fee is set at $10 per UH Username. For additional questions, please call the ITS Help Desk, (808) 956-8883 on Oahu or toll free (800) 558-2669 from neighbor islands, and ask to escalate to a staff member.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#whocangetone


Student: How do I get my UH Username?

You may request your UH Username online from the UH Account Management page by clicking on the "Get a UH Username!" link. Your account should be ready within six minutes. Most services, such as MyUH, will be available to you once your account is created. Your UH Email Account (@hawaii.edu) will be available for use after fifteen 15 minutes. Some services are not immediately available and will be available by 7:00 a.m. the next day.

You will need to provide the following information to apply for an account:

After you have completed the form, use the Continue button to submit your request. The online request system will check the Account Management database for your full legal name and the information above. If your information is found within the Account Management database, you will be asked to create a password for your UH Username. You need to select two questions and furnish the answers for these two questions. In the future, these two questions will allow you to reset your password online.

Your password is very important and should not be taken lightly. Please remember that your password should be something that you will remember but others cannot guess.

Password Tips

  • Your password must be eight characters long
  • Use at least two alphabetic characters, and at least one numeric or special character
  • Make it a habit to change your password frequently
  • Choose a password that is hard to guess. Do not use dictionary words, birth dates, or names
  • Make sure your password has nothing to do with the two questions and answers you provided when you initially set your password
  • Memorize your password and do not share it with anyone
  • Treat your password as you would treat any important confidential information about yourself

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/uhusernamepractices.html#student


Faculty: How do I get my UH Username?

You may request your UH Username online from the UH Account Management page by clicking on the "Get a UH Username!" link. Your account should be ready within six minutes. Most services, such as MyUH, will be available to you once your account is created. Your UH Email Account (@hawaii.edu) will be available for use after 15 minutes. Some services are not immediately available and will be available by 7:00 a.m. the next day.

You will need to provide the following information to apply for an account:

After you have completed the form, use the Continue button to submit your request. The online request system will check the Account Management database for your name and information. If your information is found within the Account Management database, you will be asked to create a password for your UH Username. You need to select two questions and furnish the answers for these two questions. In the future, these two questions will allow you to reset your password online.

Your password is very important and should not be taken lightly. Please remember that your password should be something that you will remember but others cannot guess.

Password Tips

  • Your password must be eight characters long
  • Use at least two alphabetic characters, and at least one numeric or special character
  • Make it a habit to change your password frequently
  • Choose a password that is hard to guess. Do not use dictionary words, birth dates, or names
  • Make sure your password has nothing to do with the two questions and answers you provided when you initially set your password
  • Memorize your password and do not share it with anyone
  • Treat your password as you would treat any important confidential information about yourself

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/uhusernamepractices.html#faculty


UH staff: How do I get my UH Username?

You may request your UH Username online from the UH Account Management page by clicking on the "Get a UH Username!" link. Your account should be ready within six (6) minutes. Most services, such as the SECE, will be available to you once your account is created. Your UH Email Account (@hawaii.edu) will be available for use after fifteen (15) minutes. Some services are not immediately available and will be available by 7:00 AM the next day.

You will need to provide the following information to obtain your account:

After you have completed the form, use the Continue button to submit your request. The online request system will check the Account Management database for your name and information. If your information is found within the Account Management database, you will be asked to create a password for your UH Username. You need to select two questions and furnish the answers for these two questions. In the future, these two questions will allow you to reset your password online.

Your password is very important and should not be taken lightly. Please remember that your password should be something that you will remember but others cannot guess.

Password Tips

  • Your password must be 8 characters long
  • Use at least 2 alphabetic characters, and at least one numeric or special character
  • Make it a habit to change your password frequently
  • Choose a password that is hard to guess. Do not use dictionary words, birth dates, or names
  • Make sure your password has nothing to do with the two questions and answers you provided when you initially set your password
  • Memorize your password and do not share it with anyone
  • Treat your password as you would treat any important confidential information about yourself

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/uhusernamepractices.html#staffgetacct


UH affiliate: How do I get my UH Username?

Before you can get your UH Username from the online request system, ITS requires a memo from your sponsoring UH department or office on departmental letterhead identifying you and officially requesting that you have access to UH services and resources. The letter must contain the your full name, date of birth, social security number, and length of affiliation, and signed by the department's dean or director. Once your request has been reviewed and approved, you may request your UH Username online from the UH Account Management page and clicking on the "Get a UH Username!" link. Your account should be ready within six minutes. Most services, such as the SECE, will be available to you once your account is created. Your UH Email Account (@hawaii.edu) will be available for use after 15 minutes. Some services are not immediately available and will be available by 7:00 a.m. the next day.

You will need to provide the following information to apply for an account:

After you have completed the form, use the Continue button to submit your request. The online request system will check the Account Management database for your name and information. If your information is found within the Account Management database, you will be asked to create a password for your UH Username. You need to select two questions and furnish the answers for these two questions. In the future, these two questions will allow you to reset your password online.

Your password is very important and should not be taken lightly. Please remember that your password should be something that you will remember but others cannot guess.

Here are some tips on choosing a password:

  • Your password must be eight characters long
  • Use at least two alphabetic characters, and at least one numeric or special character
  • Make it a habit to change your password frequently
  • Choose a password that is hard to guess. Do not use dictionary words, birth dates, or names
  • Make sure your password has nothing to do with the two questions and answers you provided when you initially set your password
  • Memorize your password and do not share it with anyone
  • Treat your password as you would treat any important confidential information about yourself

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/uhusernamepractices.html#uhaffiliategetacct

USING EMAIL

I have a UH Email Account. How do I use it?

There are a number of different way to access your UH Email Account and the one that you choose should fit your needs. The following is a list of UH recommended methods of accessing your email. If you need the software for any of these methods, please select the links in the Examples of the software column or you may pick up an ITS CDROM from one of these locations. If you need instructions on how to install and use them, please go to What are the email server settings and how to use Web Mail, Pine, POP and IMAP client software?

MethodExplanationChoose this method if...Examples of the software
Web Mail This is one of the most portable methods of accessing email because you can use a web browser from any where to access your email. Web Mail uses graphics so it is recommended for beginners to get started with. you use email from many different locations especially in public computer labs. Web mail requires only a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape for Windows, or Netscape, FireFox or Safari for Macintosh.
Pine on uhunix The use of Pine is very portable but it will depend on software that every computer might not have. The software that it relies on is called secure telnet. Pine is also text-based and does not have any graphics. you use email from many different locations and you already know how to use Pine. SSH for Windows
iterm for Macintosh 
POP POP email clients use graphics and is easy to use. POP email client software will download your email messages to your local computer's hard drive and not leave any email messages on the UH email server. There is an option within POP email client software to leave email messages on the UH server but it will still download a copy of your email messages to the local computer's hard drive.
  • you will only use email from a single computer and have the POP email client software installed on that computer.
  • you use a modem because it will only use the Internet connection when you check for new email or send out new email messages.
Windows: Thunderbird or Outlook
Macintosh: Thunderbird or Mac Mail
IMAP IMAP email clients use graphics and is easy to use; in fact, most of the POP email clients can also function as an IMAP email client by changing the way the program gets the email. The difference between IMAP and POP email clients is the way that it downloads your email. IMAP email client software will not download your email messages to the local computer's hard drive like POP email clients do. It will display a list of your email messages and will retrieve the entire email message when you select the message from the list. All of your email messages will stay on the UH email server.

 

you need to use email from different locations and you have an IMAP email client software installed at each location. Windows: Thunderbird or Outlook
Macintosh: Thunderbird or Mac Mail 

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#howtouse


What are the email server settings and how do I use Web Mail, Pine, POP and IMAP client software?

Web Mail

If you are using Web Mail, you need to start the web browser first. After it is finished loading onto the computer, you need to click in the address box and type in mail.hawaii.edu. If you are able to reach the UH mail server, you should see this webpage and you should log in with the UH Username and the password for this account.

picture of the ITS web mail log in screen

Pine on uhunix

If you're an experienced Pine user, you need to start a secure telnet software program first. Each secure telnet program starts up differently. You will need to find the Open connection or Make a connection option. In the host box, you will enter uhunix.hawaii.edu and if the software asks for your UH Username and the password for this account, you should type this information in the appropriate box. If the software does not ask you for the UH Username and password, uhunix will ask you for this information once a successful connection is made.

POP

After you install the software, you will need to answer questions about the location of the UH mail server so that the software can communicate with the correct email server. If you choose to use a POP email client software, you will need to use the following information to complete the set up of the software. Note: Enter only the bolded information.

  • POP server or incoming mail server: mail.hawaii.edu
  • SMTP server or outgoing mail server: mail.hawaii.edu
  • Additional security settings: http://www.hawaii.edu/askus/675
     

IMAP

After you install the software, you will need to answer questions about the location of the UH email server so that the software can communicate with the correct email server. If you choose to use a IMAP client software, you will need to use the following information to complete the set of the software. Note: Enter only the bolded information.

  • IMAP server or incoming mail server: mail.hawaii.edu
  • SMTP server or outgoing mail server: mail.hawaii.edu
  • Additional security settings: http://www.hawaii.edu/askus/675

Once you have proper information entered into the POP or IMAP client software, you should be prompted for your password. After you type in your password, you should see your email messages displayed in the window.

ITS has written documents that will walk you through the installation and configuration of email client software. You may obtain the documents and the software on either CDROM or by download (PC or Mac ).

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#emailserversetting


How do I change my UH Email Account's settings?

Some things cannot be changed on your UH Email Account such as your UH Email Account's name. However, there are a number of options that you may change for your UH Email Account at the UH Account Management page . Options include:

  • changing your password
  • changing your secret questions and answers used to change passwords online
  • checking how much disk space and email quota you are using
  • requesting or editing a mailing list
  • creating or disabling a personal webpage
  • managing your spam and spam filter settings such as blocked lists
  • changing mail forwarding options
  • requesting to restore files on UHUNIX
  • checking the network settings for wireless connection at the Manoa campus

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#emailprefs


Can I change my UH Email Account's name?

Your UH Email Account name is based on your UH Username. UH Usernames are automatically assigned based on your legal name, as it appears on official UH records. Please read about UH Username changes

http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#changemyaccountname


What is an email quota?

All UH Email Accounts have an initial email quota of 500 MB  for faculty/staff and 250 MB for students. It is necessary to have email quotas because everyone that has a UH Email Account must share the resources on the email server.

When the email quota reaches close to full utilization, a warning email message is automatically sent to you. When the email quota reaches 100% utilization, you will not be able to receive email messages. You might be able to still send email messages if you do not save a copy of the outgoing email messages.

ITS encourages you to keep your email mailboxes clean by periodically deleting old email and unnecessary email messages. There will be times when cleaning up is not enough. In this case, you may request that your email quota be increased; however, there are restrictions to requesting an increase in your email quota. Increases to your email quota will be granted only if it is required for your academic studies, UH work, or teaching-related requirements. Additional disk quota may be requested via the UH Account Management page. Click on the "Check Quota/Request More Space" link to find how much email or disk space you are using and to request more space. Students need a faculty or staff sponsor to request additional disk space. Please note that email quota is different from disk quota for for files on uhunix accounts. For more information on increasing file quota, please read "How do I get an increase in my email or disk quota?"

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#emailquota


What are the privacy policies for my UH Email Account?

Under normal circumstances, email is considered private and is not subject to audit or review except as stated in UH Executive Policy E2.210: "Use and Management of Information Technology Resources" Section V: "Ownership and Disclosure of Information":

"Files stored on University systems may be subject to disclosure under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act or the Hawai‘i Uniform Information Practices Act. In addition, it is the policy of the University to cooperate with all legally empowered investigations initiated by law enforcement agencies when presented with a legitimate court order such as a warrant or subpoena. As has been made abundantly clear in highly publicized legal cases, this may include archives of electronic mail sent or received. In addition, the contents of files on University systems may be inspected in the context of a duly authorized University investigation."

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#privacy


I need to send attachments. Can I send them?

Yes, you can send email messages with attachments. In order to maintain a reliable email service, there is a 20MB email message size limit. This means that any email message, including the attachments, that exceeds 20MB will not be delivered. (Note: this includes the actual message itself, so attachment size can vary but a 14-15MB attachment is usually ok.) If you need to send larger files, please review our filedrop service at: http://www.hawaii.edu/filedrop   (The Help link is listed at top right.)

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#sendattach


Are you filtering attachments?

Yes, to minimize the spread of email-borne virus attacks and in accord with "best practices," email attachments into or out of the @hawaii.edu email servers are scanned and handled in the following ways:

  • All messages containing any known virus in an attachment, including .zip files, will be deleted without notification to sender  or receiver.
  • All messages with attachments that have file extensions on the list of dangerous extensions below will be deleted without notification to sender or receiver.  Messages with attached .zip files that contain these extensions will be delivered. (CHANGED: July 27, 2006)
  • Messages with attachments that cannot be analyzed (e.g. encrypted  zip, 'corrupt' files, and multi-part files) will be delivered with "[Possible Virus: Unscannable Attachment]" added to the subject line.  (CHANGED: March 24, 2006)

During times of high infection with an unknown virus, ITS reserves the right to block or delete messages with encrypted zip attachments as necessary to preserve email service to the UH community. Please visit http://www.hawaii.edu/technews/ for attachment filtering status information.

Remember that attachments are one of the primary ways to become infected with a virus.  Email users are responsible for determining if attachments are legitimate files expected from a colleague or friend. ITS strongly recommends deleting any attachments received from an unfamiliar source. 

Banned Attachment File Extensions
*.ade *.adp *.bas
*.bat *.chm *.cla
*.class *.cmd *.com
*.cpl *.crt *.email
*.exe *.hlp *.hta
*.inf *.ins *.js
*.jse *.lnk *.msc
*.msi *.mst *.ocx
*.pcd *.pif *.reg
*.scr *.sct *.shb
*.shs *.url *.vb
*.vbs *.vbe *.wsf
*.wsh *.wsc  
*.???.exe *.???.lnk *.???.pif

The only double extensions that are being dropped are the ones that end in .exe, .lnk, and .pif

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#attach


Are mailing lists available?

You may choose from two types of mailing lists: mail alias and LISTSERV.

Mail Alias: The simpler of the two types of lists to use, the mail alias is used to redirect mail to one or more addresses. A file stored on the mail server contains the email addresses of people associated with the mail alias. The alias is accessible to anyone, however, only the owner can make changes to the list.

LISTSERV: LISTSERV adds list moderation, user-requested subscriptions, multiple list owners, and many more features. Owners of LISTSERV lists have more control of the list, but must take the time and effort to manage them. Lists can be managed via the website or through commands sent to the program in the body of an email message.

Requesting a mailing list: http://www.hawaii.edu/account (Login and go to Request a Mailing List under Mailing List Administration)

More information about the Mail Alias and LISTSERV Discussion Lists: http://www.hawaii.edu/itsdocs/cen/dscnlist.pdf

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#mailinglists

PASSWORDS

Student: I forgot my password. What should I do?

Please remember that your password is case-sensitive (i.e. this password Pa$sT3!E is not the same as pa$st3!e).

Online

If you do not remember your password or it is not working, you may be able to set a new password over the Web. When your UH Username was activated, you were asked to select two questions and provide the answers to these two questions. If you know the answer to these two questions, you may visit the UH Account Management page and select the Forgot Your Password link to set a new password. The new password could take up to 14 minutes before it is ready to be used.

In Person

If you do not remember your password and the answer to the two questions, you will need to visit a campus representative and show an official government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's license, state ID, or passport). The new password could take up to 14 minutes before it is ready to be used.

Student out-of-state, abroad, or those with medical hardships

You may fax in a request for a password reset. The request must include the following required documentation:

  • Full name (first, middle, last)
     
  • UH Username
  • UH Number or last four digits of social security number
     
  • One government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's license, state ID, or passport)
  • Month/day of date of birth
  • Your telephone number

Please fax the request and the required documents to the ITS Help Desk at (808) 956-2108. After your documents have been verified, ITS personnel will call you with the new password.

 

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/uhusernamepractices.html#studentforgottenpassword


Faculty: I forgot my password. What should I do?

Please remember that your password is case-sensitive (i.e. this password Pa$sT3!E is not the same as pa$st3!e).

Online

If you do not remember your password or it is not working, you may be able to set a new password over the Web. When your UH Username was activated, you were asked to select two questions and provide answers to these two questions. If you know the answer to these two questions, you may visit the UH Account Management page and select the Forgot Your Password link to set a new password.

In Person

You may visit any campus representative and show an official government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's license, state ID, or passport). They will assist you. The new password could take up to 14 minutes before it is ready to be used.

By fax

Documents that you will need to provide for fax if on campus:

  • One official government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's license, state ID, or passport)
  • Subject: Requesting UH Username password change
  • Legal Name (first, middle, last) of account holder
  • UH Username of account holder
  • UH Number or last four digits of Social Security Number of account holder
  • Month and day of date of birth
  • Campus telephone number of account holder

SAMPLE MEMO

Fax copies of the required documents to the ITS Help Desk (808) 956-2108 along with a campus telephone number where you can be contacted with the new password.

Faculty out-of-state, abroad, or those with medical hardships

Faculty who are out of state, abroad, or otherwise unable to fax in their request from a campus fax machine should ask their department to fax a copy of the SAMPLE MEMO with your information (Legal name (first, middle, last), UH Number or last four digits of Social Security Number, UH Username, and month and day of date of birth). In addition, the request must include a phone number for the requester (not the department) and the memo must be signed by the department's dean or director. This memo should then be faxed to the ITS Help Desk at (808) 956-2108.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/uhusernamepractices.html#facultyforgottenpassword


UH staff: I forgot my password. What should I do?

Please remember that your password is case-sensitive (i.e. this password Pa$sT3!E is not the same as pa$st3!e).

On-line

If you do not remember your password or it is not working, you may be able to set a new password over the web. When your UH Username was activated, you were asked to select two questions and provide answers to these two questions. If you know the answer to these two questions, you may visit the UH Account Management page and select the Forgot Your Password link to set a new password.

In Person

You may visit any campus representative and show an official government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's license, state ID, or passport). They will assist you. The new password could take up to 14 minutes before it is ready to be used.

By fax

Information that you will need to provide for fax if on campus:

  • 1 official government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's license, state id, or passport)
  • Subject: Requesting UH Username password change
  • Full Name of account holder
  • UH Username of account holder
  • UH Number or last 4 digits of the Social Security Number of account holder
  • Month and day of date of birth of account holder
  • Campus telephone number of account holder

SAMPLE MEMO

Fax copies of the required documents to ITS Help Desk (808) 956-2108 along with a campus telephone number where you can be contacted with the new password.

Staff out-of-state, abroad, or those with medical hardships

Staff who are out of state, abroad, or otherwise unable to fax in their request from a campus fax machine should ask their department to fax a copy of the SAMPLE MEMO with your information (Legal name, UH Username, UH Number or last 4 digits of the Social Security Number, and the month and day of date of birth). In addition, the request must include a phone number for the requestor (not the department) and the memo must be signed by the department's dean or director. It may then be faxed to ITS at (808) 956-2108.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/uhusernamepractices.html#uhstaffforgottenpassword


UH affiliate: I forgot my password. What should I do?

Please remember that your password is case-sensitive (i.e. this password Pa$sT3!E is not the same as pa$st3!e).

On-line

If you do not remember your password or it is not working, you may be able to set a new password over the Web. When your UH Username was activated, you were asked to select two questions and provide answers to these two questions. If you know the answers to these two questions, you may visit the UH Account Management page and select the Forgot Your Password link to set a new password.

In Person

You may visit any campus representative and show an official government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's license, state ID, or passport). They will assist you. The new password could take up to 14 minutes before it is ready to be used.

By fax

Documents that you will need to provide for fax if on campus:

  • One official government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's license, state ID, or passport)
  • Subject: Requesting UH Username password change
  • Full Name of account holder
  • UH Username of account holder
  • UH Number or last four digits of the Social Security Number of account holder
  • Month and day of date of birth of account holder
  • Campus telephone number of account holder

SAMPLE MEMO

Fax copies of the required documents to the ITS Help Desk at (808) 956-2108 along with a campus telephone number where you can be contacted with the new password.

 

UH Affiliate out-of-state, abroad, or those with medical hardships

UH Affiliate who are out of state, abroad, or otherwise unable to fax in their request from a campus fax machine should ask the UH department that they are affiliated with to fax a copy of the SAMPLE MEMO with your information (Legal name, UH Number or last four digits of the Social Security Number, UH Username, and month and day of date of birth). In addition, the request must include a phone number for the requester (not the department) and the memo must be signed by the department's dean or director. This should then be faxed to ITS at (808) 956-2108.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/uhusernamepractices.html#uhaffiliateforgottenpassword


I do not like my current password. How do I change it?

ITS recommends that you change your password periodically to ensure the security of your UH Username. Your password should not be easily guessed or associated with you like your name written backwards, your name, birth date or your telephone number. The security of your UH Username is in your hands and will depend on your password.

You may change your password online on the UH Account Management page . You will be asked to login with your UH Username and your current password. After you have logged in, you should select the Change Password button and you will be asked for the new password. Please note that the new password may take up to 14 minutes to be changed. If your new password does not work, you may still use the old one until the new one takes effect.

Here are some tips on selecting your new password:

  • Your password must be eight characters long
  • Use at least two alphabetic characters, and at least one numeric or special character
  • Make it a habit to change your password frequently
  • Choose a password that is hard to guess. Do not use words from a dictionary, birth dates, or names
  • Make sure your password has nothing to do with the two questions and answers you provided when you initially set your password
  • A good way to build a password is to use the first letter of each word in a phrase that you would easily remember, using numbers and symbols if possible. For example, "One is the loneliest number by Harry Nilsson" can be used to build the password 1itl#bHN
  • Memorize your password and do not share it with anyone
  • Treat your password as you would treat any important confidential information about yourself

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/uhusernamepractices.html#iwanttochangepassword

UNDELIVERABLE EMAIL

How are undeliverable email messages handled?

If the UH email server cannot deliver a message, the server queues the message, waits, and tries again to deliver the message. If the message cannot be delivered after several attempts, the original sender is notified that the message cannot be sent and no further attempts are made to deliver the original message.

The procedure for delivery attempts are as follows:

  1. The server will wait an hour from the original send date and time and will attempt to deliver the message again. If this fails, the server informs the sender that the message could not be delivered after an hour.
  2. The server will then wait 12 hours from the original send date and time and will attempt to deliver the message again. If this fails, the server informs the sender that the message could not be delivered after 12 hours.
  3. The server will then wait 24 hours from the original send date and time and will attempt to deliver the message again. If this fails, the server will inform the sender that the message could not be delivered.
  4. The server will then wait three days from the original send date and time and will attempt to deliver the message again. If this fails, the server will inform the sender that the message could not be delivered. At this point, the server stops trying to deliver the message.

In addition to the above schedule, delayed email delivery is attempted every 30 minutes, but for these attempts there is no message sent back to the sender should these attempts fail.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#handleundeliverable


Why would email not be deliverable?

Email will be undeliverable when the recipient does not have an email account on the mail server, the recipient is over his or her email quota, the email is greater than the maximum message size (10MB), or there is a problem with the sender's or recipient's mail servers. In rare occasions, there might be a network problem that hinders communication between UH and the Internet. Email will normally be delivered without problems.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#whyundeliverable

INSTRUCTIONAL OR ORGANIZATIONAL USES

My department or organization would like to get a UH Email Account. How do we request one?

There are times when a shared departmental or organizational UH Email Account is necessary to keep email organized and to help identify the department or organization to the world. UH normally discourages the sharing of UH Email Accounts because of security risks and the difficulty in managing a shared UH Email Account. In order to protect the integrity of the shared UH Email Account, only the owner of the UH Email Account will be allowed to give ITS instructions regarding this account.

Departmental Email Accounts:

To request this type of account, fill out a Departmental UH Username Request Form available online. Departmental email accounts are active for one year and must be renewed annually to stay active. Note that a new form must be submitted every time there is a change to the use of the account, i.e. change in authorized users of the account, change in account owner or contact telephone number, etc.

Registered Independent Organizations Email Accounts:

Only officially recognized Registered Independent Organizations (RIO) are permitted a single email account to represent the RIO. To request a RIO account, fill out a Organizational UH Username Request Form available online. RIO email accounts are active for one year and must be renewed annually and must be registered with Campus Center. Note that a new form must be submitted every time there is a change to the use of the account, i.e. change in authorized users of the account, change in account owner or contact telephone number, etc.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#deptorgemailacct


I am an Instructor. Can I set up an account for my students to send email to?

There are times when a shared instructional UH Email Account is necessary to keep email organized and to help identify the department or organization to the world. ITS normally discourages the sharing of UH Email Accounts because of security risks and the difficulty in managing a shared UH Email Account. In order to protect the integrity of the shared UH Email Account, only the owner of the UH Email Account will be allowed to give ITS instructions regarding this account.

To request this type of account, fill out a Departmental/Organizational UH Username Request Form available online. Instructional UH Email Accounts are active for one year and must be renewed annually to stay active.

UH Usernames for instructional accounts must reflect the name of the class. For example, if John Doe of Information Technology Services (ITS) is teaching a 101 class on IT services at UH, then the UH Username would be its101do. Note that a new form must be submitted every time there is a change to the use of the account, i.e. change in authorized users of the account, change in account owner or contact telephone number, etc.

Departmental/Organizational UH Username Request Form:  http://www.hawaii.edu/askus/101

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#classacct

OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT EMAIL

How is email handled for deceased students?

In the unfortunate event that a UH student should pass away, the following procedure will be used by ITS:

  1. The appropriate Dean of Student Services notifies ITS of the event. The following information is required so that ITS can create an auto-reply message and to ensure that no new email is accepted.
    • UH Username or UH Number of deceased
    • Name of deceased
    • Date of death
  2. ITS will set the account for auto-reply and do-not-save-messages to the account of the deceased. Standard message (subject to change by Dean) is:

    This is an automated message:
    The email account is no longer available.

  3. ITS clears the password.
  4. As of the date of death, the account enters the grace period. At the end of the grace period, the account is deleted.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#deceasedstudents


Where can I get information about email spamming and how do I block it?

We all receive junk mail in our mail boxes everyday. Unfortunately, junk email has reached our email boxes as well. To help reduce the number of junk email, also known as spam email, that reaches your UH Email Account, ITS has implemented an anti-spam service. The anti-spam service is a hybrid of subscription services to organizations that combat email abuse such as MAPS (Mail Abuse Prevention System) and use of the PureMessage software on the UH mail server. For more information about this anti-spam service, please visit http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/spam/

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#spaminfo


I accidentally deleted my email messages. Can ITS help me recover the email that I deleted?
ITS implementation of larger quotas (Aug. 16, 2006) has required substantial changes to the method used to back up the email servers.  Where previously we were able to back up mailboxes individually in order to facilitate individual restores, the current backup methodology provides only for disaster recovery restores in the event of a hardware or data center catastrophe.  So if a customer accidentally deletes an email message, we will no longer be able to provide a custom restoration. This is consistent with practices at most universities.

NOTE: Depending on your optional settings i.e. 'expunge on exit' or 'move to trash', your deleted messages might be stored in another folder in your mail program. Check your 'Trash', 'Deleted' or 'Deleted Messages' folders to see if the messages might still be within those folders. If so, move them to another folder to keep them.

If you use POP email client software, once your email is downloaded from the UH email server to your personal desktop's hard drive, you have a local copy of your email. You can back up this file to a CD or DVD to obtain your own backup of your email. Similarly, if using specific IMAP clients e.g. Outlook or Eudora, there are ways to also keep a local copy on your personal desktop. information on how to obtain a local copy and creating backups of your own may be found at  http://www.hawaii.edu/itsdocs/quota. (The UH Web Mail program and Pine do not support downloading to a local copy.)

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#emailbackups


How is email handled for a faculty or staff member that is unexpectedly out for various reasons, e.g. medical leave?

If a UH faculty or staff member unexpectedly goes out on leave and it is necessary to access their account for UH work the University has the right to authorize an email agent to access the person's account under emergency situations. With due authorization, the account of the faculty or staff member may be reset with a new password, and an authorized agent will be provided access to the account for University work.

The person who has full access to the person's email account is called the authorized agent. The person who gives the authorization is the Chancellor of the University or College where the faculty/staff works, or the President of the University of Hawaii for System employees.

The process for authorization of the agent requires the following: The Dean/Director/Supervisor notifies ITS of the event, submits a letter requesting emergency access with the required signature from the Chancellor or President to the ITS Help Desk, and ITS then changes the account's password. Should the Chancellor or President not be available, access cannot be granted to the email agent, but the auto-reply message can be requested by the Dean/Director/Supervisor while further approval is pending.

The letter requesting emergency access must contain the following information so that ITS can create an auto-reply message and ensure that no new email is accepted.

  1. Name of employee or staff (First Last)
  2. Date of leave
  3. Email address of employee or staff on leave
  4. Phone number of employee or staff on leave
  5. Text of the vacation message.
  6. Expiration date of the vacation message, if known
  7. 'Responsible party' in the unit to whom external correspondents can be referred, typically the supervisor, manager, dept chair, dean, director, etc. For this individual we need name, title and email address (must be an address on our email server, e.g. username@hawaii.edu.)
  8. 'Email agent', the person who is entrusted to go through the mail of the out-of-office staff to separate personal items from UH business materials. Often the 'email agent' and the 'responsible party' is the same person.

If only a vacation message is to be requested initially, the Dean/Director/Supervisor may authorize a vacation message be added to the account. There is no password reset or login of account by another person. Items 1 through 6 above are required for vacation messages. Requests may be made by emailing help@hawaii.edu or calling the ITS Help Desk at (808) 956-8883 on Oahu or (800) 558-2669 if calling from a neighbor island.

ITS will set the account for auto-reply and do-not-save-messages to the account of the staff on leave. Standard message (subject to change by Dean/Director/Supervisor) is:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

This is an automated message.

We are sorry, but First name Last name is away from the office from (date of start of leave) to (ending date - Month, Day, Year.) You may contact Responsible-First name Responsible-Last name, Responsible-Title, at responsible-email-address.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

ITS will then change the password and phone it to the person specified as the email agent.

The email agent identified by department logs in and reviews all old email to identify any unread messages that require official action/response. These are either replied to or forwarded as appropriate based on context. Upon completion of the review and handling, agent should email ITS.

As of the date of leave, the account will expire by the end of the calendar year and then will enter the transition period. At the end of the transition period, the account will be terminated. However, when the person comes back to work before the expiration time, either they or the Department should notify ITS and we will do a password reset of the account. That person can then change the password.

Example of message: Firstname Lastname is away from the office. Please resend your email or call <authorized substitute employee> at <email address> or <phone number> for any University of Hawaii business.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#medicalleave

ACCOUNT TERMINATION, SUSPENSION, OR BANISHMENT

What happens to my UH Email Account when I graduate or leave UH?

Students, Non-retiring Faculty and Staff, and UH Affiliates

Students who are not registered for classes for two consecutive (Fall, Spring) semesters, Faculty and Staff who leave UH, but are not retiring, and UH Affiliates whose affiliations expire, transition to the role of 'Ohana. 'Ohana will have a grace period of up to 180 days, during which they will continue to have full access to their UH Email Account, unless there is a request to terminate the UH Email Account sooner, or because of violations to the acceptable use policy (http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/policies/itpolicy.html). ITS will inform each individual via email when they begin the grace period and ITS will send periodic reminders throughout the grace period to help keep them aware of the approach of the end of the grace period. During the grace period, they will have the option to enable the UH Email Forwarding Service so that the UH email address may continue to be of use.

After the grace period ends, all email that remains on the UH mail server will be removed, even if the individual has opted in to the UH Email Forwarding Service.

Retiring Faculty and Staff, and Emeriti

Faculty and Staff who retire from UH, as well as Emeriti, are allowed continued use of their UH Email Account. Use of the UH Email Account is subject to an annual renewal. Email reminders will be sent to Retirees and Emeriti regarding their respective upcoming renewal deadline. For more details about basic online services for Retirees and Emeriti, see http://www.hawaii.edu/askus/933.


After I leave UH, how long before someone else gets my UH Email Account name?

As of Fall 2002, UH no longer recycles UH Email Accounts. This means that your unique email account would be reserved and not be allocated to any other person in the future.

If you have setup a first.last email alias, it will remain available to you for as long as you continue to annually renew your participation in the UH Email Forward Service (see http://www.hawaii.edu/askus/930). However, once you fail to renew your participation, your first.last email alias will be made available for reassignment to someone else.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#itsusernamerecycle


How is email handled for deceased students?

In the unfortunate event that a UH student should pass away, the following procedure will be used by ITS:

  1. The appropriate Dean of Student Services notifies ITS of the event. The following information is required so that ITS can create an auto-reply message and to ensure that no new email is accepted.
    • UH Username or UH Number of deceased
    • Name of deceased
    • Date of death
  2. ITS will set the account for auto-reply and do-not-save-messages to the account of the deceased. Standard message (subject to change by Dean) is:

    This is an automated message:
    The email account is no longer available.

  3. ITS clears the password.
  4. As of the date of death, the account enters the grace period. At the end of the grace period, the account is deleted.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#deceasedstudents


How is email handled for deceased employees and UH affiliates?

In the unfortunate event that an employee or UH affiliated person should pass away, the following procedure will be used by ITS:

  1. As of the date of death, the account enters the grace period.
  2. Dean/Director notifies ITS of the event and ITS will change the account's password. The following information is required so that ITS can create an auto-reply message and to ensure that no new email is accepted.
    • Name of deceased
    • Date of death
    • Responsible party in the unit to whom external correspondents can be referred, typically the manager, dept chair, dean, director, etc. For this individual we need name, title and email address.
  3. In addition, Dean/Director tells ITS who will be responsible for reviewing the email of the deceased to ensure that no official business is outstanding - the email agent. The email agent would be the person who is entrusted to go through the desk of the deceased to separate personal items from UH business materials.
  4. ITS will set the account for auto-reply and do-not-save-messages to the account of the deceased. Standard message (subject to change by Dean/Director) is:

    This is an automated message.
    We are sorry to inform you that First name Last name passed away on Month Day, Year.
    You may contact Responsible-First name Responsible-Last name, Responsible-Title, at responsible-email-address.

  5. ITS clears password and forwards it to the person specified in step 2 above (email agent).
  6. Email agent identified by department logs in as the deceased and reviews all old email to identify any unread messages that require official action/response. These are either replied to or forwarded as appropriate based on context. Upon completion of the review and handling agent can either delete all messages or ask ITS to do so.
  7. At the end of the grace period, the account is deleted.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#deceasedemployees


How do I terminate an employee's UH Email Account?

A department head or administrative officer can request a UH Email Account termination for an employee by making a formal request on departmental letterhead. The Dean, Director, or administrative officer's signature is required. Requests should be sent to ITS Account Administrator. Note: Submitting a termination request does not always immediately cut off access, please see below.

By Campus Mail:

Information Technology Services
Account Administrator
Keller 102

By US Postal Service:

Account Management Office
Information Technology Services
2565 McCarthy Mall, Keller Hall 102
Honolulu, HI 96822

When the termination is requested, it is possible that the individual using the UH Email Account has established additional affiliations with UH, such as becoming a student or becoming a faculty or staff with another UH department. ITS will research all termination requests in order to ascertain if there are additional affiliations by the individual. If there are no other affiliations, the UH Email Account will be flagged for termination. By default, the UH Email Account will go through the normal grace period. If access to the UH Email Account must be immediately cut-off, the letter must explicitly request this.

Note that termination of the UH Email Account is synonymous with termination of the UH Username.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#terminateemployee


What if my UH Email Account is suspended?

A UH account is provided to students, faculty, staff and selected affiliates to facilitate teaching, learning, research, service and administration. If it is proven that an account has been misused, the account may be temporarily suspended or permanently banished. During the suspension, you may not access your email and you may not request another UH Email Account or UH Username.

Each user is responsible for understanding applicable policies relating to account usage, for protecting their account password, and for ensuring that their account is never used by anyone other than themselves.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#suspended


What if my UH Email Account is banished?

In rare circumstances, UH or an affiliate organization may request that an individual be banished. Banishment is permanent, results in account lockdown, and prevents a person from obtaining a new UH Email Account or UH Username and all cooperating affiliated campuses and departments. Requests for banishment should be sent to the ITS Security team. Requests will require substantiating evidence and a full explanation of why banishment is recommended. Requests will be investigated before a final recommendation is made and implemented. Legal action is also a possible outcome of the investigation.

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html#banishment

ref: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/email/emailpractices.html

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Article ID: 563
Created: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 3:12pm
Modified: Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:42am