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U-M Online User Guide
U-M Online is a package of computing services that the University offers to alumni, retired faculty and staff, and others affiliated with the University. The package includes help from the ITCS consultants at 4-HELP and Online Consulting, an e-mail mailbox, an IFS home directory, use of anti-virus software, and more. For details, see the U-M Online web site.
Table of Contents
Information About U-M Online
One of the best ways to explore U-M Online is to look at the U-M Online web site. Use any web browser, such as Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer, to get to the web site.
Documents Referred to in This Guide
Throughout this guide you will see many references to documents that have numbers, such as S4199 or S4269, at the end of the title. All the documents referred to in this user guide are on the web in the ITCS Information System. You can search the Information System by document number or title or by key words to find the documents you need.
Blue Disc Software
As a U-M Online subscriber, you may download and install the licensed software provided on the Blue Disc web site. This includes anti-virus software, software for making SFTP and SSH connections, and more. For details, see the list of available software on the Blue Disc web site.
How to Get Help
There are many ways you can get help when you need it with your U-M Online services.
Help on the Web
You can access ITCS computing help on the web at www.itcs.umich.edu/help. Resources there include lists of Frequently Asked Questions about computing services provided by ITCS.
Documentation on the Web
You can access ITCS documentation, including the documents referred to throughout this guide, at www.itcs.umich.edu/itcsdocs.
Help Over the Phone
You can phone the ITCS consultants with questions about using your U-M Online services and Blue Disc software at (734) 647-MICH (or 734-647-6424). Please identify yourself as a U-M Online subscriber.
Help Via E-Mail
You can send e-mail to umol.help@umich.edu for help from the ITCS consultants. Please identify yourself as a U-M Online subscriber. A consultant will usually respond within 48 hours.
Built-In Help
Most of the Blue Disc software includes built-in online help as part of the software. Look under the Help menu.
Help With Your Account
You can call the ITCS Accounts Office with questions about your account or your billing statement at (734) 764-8000 or toll-free at 888-UMONLINE (that is, 888-866-6546). You can also call the Accounts Office if you forget your password and need to request a new one. Please identify yourself as a U-M Online subscriber.
Policies and Guidelines
The University of Michigan provides information technology resources—such as U-M Online—to a large number and variety of users, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents of students, and spouses/domestic partners of faculty and staff. All users have the responsibility to use those services in accordance with the University's Proper Use Policy and other policies regarding information technology use. When you initially subscribed to U-M Online, you agreed to abide by these policies by signing the application.
Information about these policies is on the web at www.umich.edu/~policies. This web page also features important information about the security and proper use of your UMICH password.
Changing Your Password
Choosing a safe and secure password provides security and privacy for your personal records, such as e-mail and other files. Your UMICH password allows you to authenticate, or prove, your identity when you access U-M Online services. You may freely tell anyone your uniqname because it provides a means for others to identify and locate you. However, never tell anyone your password!
After receiving your uniqname and UMICH password, you should immediately choose a new password. Then, the first time you connect to U-M Online, change your UMICH password to your new selection.
You can change your password on the web at accounts.www.umich.edu/kpasswd.
For instructions on changing your password and selecting a good one, see Choosing and Changing a Safe and Secure UMICH Password (R1162).
Sending and Receiving E-Mail
What Is My E-Mail Address?
Your U-M e-mail address has the following form:
For example, if your uniqname is bjensen, your e-mail address is bjensen@umich.edu.
Dealing With Spam E-Mail
ITCS offers two anti-spam services you can use to reduce and manage your spam: the Do Not Spam List and SpamBox. We recommend that you use both of these services together for best results.
- Do Not Spam List. Rejects e-mail from known sources of spam. This will reduce, but not eliminate spam. Many spammers switch identities frequently and therefore avoid being listed as a known spam source. Using the list is a good first step in reducing spam. For more detail, see Using the Do Not Spam List to Reduce Spam (S4323).
- SpamBox. Puts suspected spam messages in a SpamBox folder, where you can do a quick check for any messages you might want to keep before deleting the spam. Use SpamBox to keep the spam messages that get past the Do Not Spam List from cluttering your INBOX. For more detail, see Using SpamBox for E-Mail Spam Filtering (S4314).
Managing Your Mail with Filters
You can use a web application to create filters that will sort your incoming mail for you. These filters operate on the ITCS mail server at the time of mail delivery, so they work no matter what IMAP mail program you use. (POP mail programs cannot use server-side filters; POP users should use their mail program's filters.) Server-side filters are especially useful for people who routinely use more than one e-mail program.
You can create filters to file messages from your family or a particular work group into separate folders. You can have mail from a listserv or electronic newsletters put in designated folders.
The web-based application includes ready-made filters for an Accept List and a Block List. You can use the Accept List in conjunction with SpamBox (or with any other spam filter) to always accept mail from designated addresses no matter how SpamBox classifies it.
Which E-Mail Program Should I Choose?
U-M Online offers you these programs for handling your e-mail:
- Web mail (on the web at mail.umich.edu)
- Mulberry (included in the Internet Access Kit)
- Pine (runs on the ITCS Login Service)
If you want to use a different e-mail program, you may do so. ITCS provides instructions for setting up the following popular e-mail programs to access your U-M Online mailbox in Configuring Your E-Mail Program to Connect to the ITCS E-Mail Service (S4321):
- Apple's Mail Application
- Entourage for Mac OS X
- Eudora
- Netscape Mail 7
- Mozilla Thunderbird
- Outlook
- Outlook Express v6
However, the ITCS consultants are most familiar with web mail, Mulberry, and Pine. They may not be able to help if you run into difficulties with other mail programs.
Which e-mail program you choose depends on how you like to handle your e-mail. There are pros and cons for each of the e-mail programs offered to U-M Online users.
Web mail is the recommended program for accessing your e-mail. Use it by going to this web address: mail.umich.edu.
You can use web mail from any computer with web access, which makes it a convenient option when you are traveling or away from your own computer. Web mail looks like this:
Mulberry is an e-mail program for both Windows and Macintosh users that lets you access your e-mail on the central server machine. Mulberry allows for disconnected operation, which can be useful if you want to conserve dial-in time or keep your phone line open while you read your e-mail. You can use Mulberry interchangeably with Pine and web mail to access the same mailbox. Mulberry 3 looks like this:
IMPORTANT! The vendor that makes Mulberry filed for bankruptcy in 2005. While you are welcome to continue using Mulberry, no new versions will be made available.
Pine runs on a central server machine, so you can access it from any computer that has Internet access and an SSH program for connecting to the ITCS Login Service. You can use it interchangeably with Mulberry and web mail to access the same mailbox. To run Pine, you connect to the ITCS Login Service and type pine at the % prompt. To use Pine, you issue one-letter commands. Pine looks like this:
How to Use Your E-Mail Program
Instructions for using web mail, Mulberry, and Pine are in the documents listed below.
Web Mail
Mulberry
Pine
Publishing Web Pages
IMPORTANT! U-M Online subscribers may not use their personal web pages for commercial business purposes. Your U-M Online personal web page may, however, contain a pointer to another web page that is not affiliated with the University, where you are free to conduct business.
You can create your web pages using whatever web publishing/editing software you are most comfortable with. For general information about creating and publishing web pages at U-M, see the "Publishing Your Web Site Using Your Home Directory" section of Using Your IFS Home Directory Over the Web With mFile (S4311). MFile lets you set up your web space with the click of a button. You can log in to mFile at mfile.umich.edu.
Your web pages will be accessible at this address:
As a U-M Online subscriber, you are allocated 1 GB of storage space on IFS. You can purchase additional IFS space by calling the ITCS Accounts Office at (734) 764-8000 or toll free at 888-UMONLINE (or 888-866-6546). The cost of the additional space will be added to your monthly charge.
Storing and Sharing Files in IFS With mFile
Just as the ITCS e-mail service lets you access your e-mail from different computers at different locations, the Institutional File System (IFS) lets you access your documents and files from different computers at different locations. IFS is a central file storage, sharing, and retrieval system that you can access from Windows, Macintosh, and Unix computers. Your personal storage space on IFS is called your "home directory."
You can access files in your IFS home directory from any computer with an Internet connection and a web browser. This means you don't need to carry diskettes or other storage media around with you. Another benefit of IFS is that your files are backed up regularly for you.
You can also put files in your IFS home directory, or in other directories on IFS, for others to share. This is a good alternative to sending e-mail attachments, particularly when several people need access to the same file. IFS can serve as a shared work space for a group of people.
You can connect to your IFS home directory over the web with mFile (mfile.umich.edu). For instructions for using mFile, see Using Your IFS Home Directory Over the Web With mFile (S4311).
You can also connect to IFS using Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) software. You can download SSH Secure Shell SFTP for Windows and Fugu for Macintosh from the Blue Disc web site.
For more about IFS, see IFS Overview (R1070).
Connecting to Other Computers
These programs are included on the Blue Disc to let you open terminal connections to other computers.
Many people at U-M use these to open a connection to the ITCS Login Service. Once connected, they can then type pine to use the Pine e-mail program.
ITCS provides a number of shortcuts/profiles on the Blue Disc web site to make it easier for you to open connections to popular host computers at U-M. Double-click a shortcut/profile to use it.
Using the U-M Online Directory
You can use the U-M Online Directory to
- Find e-mail addresses, street addresses, phone numbers, and more for members of the U-M community.
- Create e-mail groups.
- Redirect your e-mail to a different e-mail address—or to several addresses.
- Let your correspondents know when you are away from e-mail.
Creating E-Mail Groups
The U-M Online Directory allows you to create and use e-mail groups. Whereas an individual entry in the U-M Online Directory contains information associated with one particular individual, a group entry contains a collection of individual names or names of other groups. Once you create a group in the U-M Online Directory, an e-mail message sent to this group will be delivered to each member of the group.
To create an e-mail group, you must first "bind" to the directory as yourself. You'll be prompted for your uniqname and password. Once you are bound to the directory, click the Add button to create your group. Groups must be renewed annually.
For complete instructions for creating and maintaining e-mail groups, see the directory's built-in help (click the Help button on any directory page) or these documents:
Redirecting/Forwarding E-Mail
If you are changing from one e-mail system to another, or if you use more than one e-mail service, you can use the U-M Online Directory to redirect your e-mail. If you are leaving the University, you can also use the U-M Online Directory to forward your e-mail to your new e-mail address. For instructions, see the directory's built-in help or this document: Forwarding or Redirecting Your E-Mail Using the U-M Online Directory Via the Web (S4279).
Setting a Vacation Notice
The U-M Online Directory has a vacation notice feature that can be used to let people know when you're on vacation or just not reading e-mail. After you activate the vacation notice feature, the directory will send an automatic message to anyone who sends you e-mail letting them know that you're away from e-mail.
You can also customize your vacation message. For example, you could include the dates that you will be unavailable and the name and contact information of someone else your correspondents can contact during your absence. For instructions, see the directory's built-in help or the "Setting a Vacation Notice" section of The U-M Online Directory Via the Web: Finding and Changing Your Personal Entry (S4276).
Avoiding Computer Viruses
If your computer is connected to the Internet, it is susceptible to infection. It is essential that you protect your computer from viruses with anti-virus software. For more information about viruses and protecting your computer, see Computer Virus Protection at the University of Michigan (S4200).
Windows Antivirus Software
As a U-M Onlne subscriber, you may install and use the U-M-licensed McAfee VirusScan for Windows. VirusScan can be downloaded from the Blue Disc web site or installed from the Blue Disc CD-ROM. For more information, see the Virus Busters web site.
Macintosh Antivirus Software
As a U-M Onlne subscriber, you may install and use the U-M-licensed Sophos Anti-Virus for Macintosh. Sophos Anti-Virus can be downloaded from the Blue Disc web site or installed from the Blue Disc CD-ROM. For more information, see Installing and Using Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X (S4339).
Staying Informed About Viruses
New information about viruses and new antivirus software is always becoming available. To stay informed about new developments, refer to the U-M Virus Busters web page (virusbusters.itcs.umich.edu).
Keeping Your Software Up to Date
New versions of the U-M Internet Access Kit software on the Blue Disc are released regularly to keep the kit up to date with current technology. You can download the latest versions of the software in the kit from the Blue Disc web site.
Additional Resources
Visit ITCS's
Information System to obtain ITCS computer documentation
and other resources. A list of relevant documents follows:
We welcome your comments; please send e-mail.
ITCS's Online Help Desk provides a variety of computing help resources.
For further help with U-M Online, send e-mail to umol.help@umich.edu or phone (734) 647-MICH (or 734-647-6424). Please identify yourself as a U-M Online subscriber.
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