RCC Google Mail FAQs

Why the switch?

We switched to Google Apps Mail service because our email servers are old and outdated. Also, Google gives you more flexibility and tools that would be useful for everyone.

Benefits of Google Apps Mail

Better spam protection, lots of space, built in search tool, and you can access your mail anytime, anywhere.

How much does it cost?

Using Google Apps mail does not cost the college anything. No more expensive equipment! The use Google Apps Education Edition for free since we are an institution of higher education.

I have a Gmail account already, how does that affect my RCC email account?

That’s alright. Your RCC Google Apps mail account does not affect your personal Gmail account. Your personal account uses the format ‘username@gmail.com’ while your RCC account uses ‘username@sunyrockland.edu’

How do I acquire a RCC Google Apps mail account?

When you sign up for classes or when you are hired, our system automatically creates a user account for you. Just go to our Activate my email account page to request a RCC Google Apps mail account. (https://www.sunyrockland.edu/cgi-bin/email_activate.pl)

I’m already an RCC email user. How will the switch affect me?

Since it will be a big task to move all accounts to the new e-mail system, we will set up a schedule and you will be inform when your mail is will be migrated. The schedule will be posted on the Webmail landing page. On that set date, you wont be able to use your email until migration is complete. Migration would usually take from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the size of your mailbox. To prevent you from accessing your email account, you will not be able to change your password until migration is done. Once the migration is done and you will need to reset your password. Please be patient during the migration process since we can only switch certain number of users at any given time.

During migration, I notice that the dates on the messages are incorrect

Messages uploaded or copied into Google Apps mail using IMAP may display the wrong date on your inbox. The correct date should appear in conversation view. Google is working to resolve this issue.

Why are some of my messages not moved to Google Apps Mail?

Some messages cannot be uploaded to Google Apps mail due to formatting compatibilities. Google currently does not have a support for uploading messages.

Are all email addresses being migrated?

Not all addresses will be migrated. Shared mailboxes won’t be switch to Google Apps mail since you will need to sign in and out of Google Apps Mail to read different account.

We decided to migrated all mailboxes to Google Apps Mail. Now, all mailboxes - individual and group - are now in RCC Google Mail.

What happens to Webmail?

Webmail will be replaced by Google Apps mail. Once migration is done, we will be deleting the Webmail system from our server. We will send out a message when Webmail cease to function.

I will not be using my email anymore, what should I do?

Nothing, you will continue receiving messages even though you are not accessing your Google Apps mail anymore. Once email accounts has been migrated, any email accounts which have remained inactive for at least 30 days (no one's logged into them even once in that time) will be removed. A Google dormant activity rule does not apply to Google Apps Users. Also, Google has rules with regards to recycling usernames so we would be deleting email address only when it’s necessary.

What browsers are supported by Google Apps Mail?

You can access your mail using the following fully supported browser: Google Chrome, Firefox 2.0+, Internet Explorer 7.0 and Safari 3.0.

You can also use the following browser but they won’t have some of the latest features: IE 5.5+, Netscape 7.1+, Mozilla 1.4+, Firefox 0.8+, and Safari 1.3+

If your browser is not listed above, you will be automatically directed to the Basic HTML view.

Can I still use Mozilla Thunderbird / Microsoft Outlook?

Yes, you can still use thunderbird and /or outlook once we switch to Google Apps mail. But we will not be supporting those email clients. You will need to rely on Mozilla / Microsoft Help Pages for support.

• To setup Google Apps mail in Thunderbird, click here
• To setup Google Apps mail in Outlook, click here

Google Apps mail also support the following mail clients: Outlook Express, Apple Mail 2 and 3, and Windows Mail. Click each mail client for instruction on how to configure these mail clients to receive Google Apps mail.

Can I get my Google Apps Mail through my wireless device?

Yes, Google Apps mail can be configured to your wireless device. Google Apps mail supports the following wireless mail client: Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Mobile 5 & 6, and Snapper Mail. Please click here for instruction on how to configure your wireless device.

Any tutorials?

Yes, the tutorials are located on the Help section of our website. You may also want to visit Google Apps Help site

Will my address book be migrated?

No, You will have to move your address book to Google Apps mail since the process only migrates your mail. The tutorial on how to migrate your address book can be found in this link.

Will my filters be transferred to Google Apps mail?

The migration process will not transfer your filters from your old RCC email account to your new mail account. You will need to set your filters again once we switch your account. To learn how to set up filters, click here

I use Local Folders, will they be migrated?

Local folders will not be migrated during the migration process. Once the switch is done, you may move your local folders by following the Migrating Local Folders tutorial located here. If you are having trouble migrating your local folders, please fill out a ticket in to our online ticketing system

Does Gmail use folders?

No, Google Apps mail uses Labels instead of Folders. Labels are similar to folders but can do more. You can add more than one label to a message while you can only add a message to a folder. To learn how to set up labels, visit Labels tutorial here.

What other Google features will be available?

Google Apps Education Edition comes with Google Calendar, Google Chat and Google Docs.

Will I have the same username and password?

Yes, you will have the same username. Once we have migrated your account, you will need to change your password - either to your original password or to a new one.

Can I change my username?

You are not allowed to change your username. We will provide you a username once you are added to our system.

Can I change my password?

You can change your password through Google Apps mail but it is not recommended since changing your password through Google would not affect the other password protected systems (Web Advisor). You have to visit our password change page to change your password. (https://www.sunyrockland.edu/cgi-bin/email_pw_change.pl).

I forgot my password, what should I do?

Visit our password change page (https://www.sunyrockland.edu/cgi-bin/email_pw_change.pl).

Do you have any email policies?

Yes, we do and we highly recommend you read through it before accessing your email account. You can read the policy by clicking here

How much is the space limit for Google Apps mail?

The last time we checked, it was up to 7 GB and increasing. That means, no more worrying about hitting the limit and choosing which e-mails to delete. Your quota indicator, located at the bottom of any Google Apps mail page, will change from green to red if you approach your storage limit. Once you reach your limit, incoming messages will automatically bounce back to the sender.

Is trash folder part of my quota limit?

Yes, your storage is based on the size of all messages in your mail including Spam and Trash. Messages left in Trash for 30 days will be automatically deleted and cannot be recovered.

What is the maximum attachment size?

You can send and receive messages up to 20 MB in size. However, the size of a file may increase because of added encodings. If you exceed the 20MB limit, Google Apps mail will display a warning message.

Note: E-mail services have different maximum attachment size.

What file types am I not allowed to send as an attachment?

Google Apps mail does not allow you to send or receive any executable files. Google would not accept these files types even if they are sent in zipped format.

I accidentally added the wrong attachment, how do I remove it?

You can remove the attachment by removing the check mark on the checkbox next to the file.

I’m having problems accessing my mail?

Visit our help pages first (http://www.sunyrockland.edu/help). You may also want to visit Google’s Help pages. If you still are having problems:

• Faculty/Staff - please fill out a ticket in to our online ticketing system
• Students - please contact our Help Desk at (845) 574 – 4386

I was signed out automatically

Google Apps Mail automatically signs you out when:

• It detects that you've logged out from another browser window
• You sign in using another Gmail address from the same browser window.

This is done for your protection and to ensure the privacy of your information.

What is the difference between the Standard View and basic HTML View?

Standard View is what you will see when you sign in to your new RCC email account from a fully supported browser. If your browser is not supported, Google developed a basic HTML view of their service like that of Webmail.

Can I change the language of my email account?

Yes you can. Your new email account is available in many different language settings. To see what languages are supported, click here

Can I change the color of Quoted text?

No, Google set the default color of any text quoted from previous message as purple.

Can I change the colors of my new email?

No, you cannot change the color of your mail. Also, themes are not included in the Google Apps package.

Themes are now included with your Google Apps Mail. To access themes, click on Settings and go to the Themes Tab.

Is there a limit on how many emails I could send?

Yes, you can only send a message to no more than 2000 recipients. If you use Thunderbird, you can only send a message to 100 people at a time. If you exceed these limits, Google will temporarily disable your account. Your account should be re-enabled within 24 hours.

Spell check?

Yes, Google Apps mail provides a spell check. Just click on “Check spelling” along the top of the message you are composing. The spellchecker operates in the same language you’ve selected for your interface and is not available in Basic HTML view.

Can I use Emoticons?

Yes, Google Apps mail provides emoticons. Emoticons are images that you can use to depict emotions. The Emoticon button is a face that is located on the toolbar between Highlight Color and the Link button.

Can I add a signature to my emails?

Yes, you can by clicking on Settings and entering your signature text in the Signature box option. Signatures are added in grey at the very bottom of your message. Google apps mail does not support rich text formatting or HTML in your signature.

Can I use filters?

Yes, Google Apps mail lets you create filters. For instruction on how to set your filters, click here

Are there any keyboard shortcuts?

Yes, you can see the list of keyboard shortcuts here.

Can I search my mailbox?

Yes, Google Apps mail has a built-in search tool that can retrieve the message that you are looking for by using keywords, and/or Boolean operators. To find out more, click here.

What do I do when my account has been locked?

Your Google Apps mail account can be locked by:

• IT department if the account has been hacked into and being used to send spam mails – we will guide you to the process of unlocking your account.
• Google detects abnormal usage that may indicate that your account has been compromised. If this was the case, it will take between one minute and 24 hours for access to be reinstated, depending on the behavior detected by their system.

I have received a message asking for personal information

We would never ask for any personal information to access your email account so please do not reply to those messages. Google Apps mail will flag a message it deemed as a phishing email. If you receive a message that Google doesn’t pick up, click Report Phishing to send a copy of the message to Google.

My email connection is slow

The response time for opening messages, switching labels or performing actions is slow but no error appears.

This might be cause by either a conflict with software on your computer, browser cache that needs to be cleared or a temporary problem on Google’s server. Please click here and follow the instructions on how to resolve this issue.

My messages are missing

Your messages disappear in your Google Apps mail due to one of the following:

• Settings applied to incoming mail, such as a filter or forwarding.
• A configuration issue with IMAP or POP access
• Deliberate or accidental human action, or possibly a compromised account.

Please click here and follow the steps on how to resolve this issue.

My mail was marked as spam

If your mail was wrongfully marked as span, you can unmark the message by selecting the message and clicking the Not Spam button that appears at the top and bottom of your current view. This will instantly move your message to your inbox.

What is archiving mail?

Archiving moves messages out of your inbox and into All Mail. This process allows you to tidy up your inbox without the need to delete anything. All messages you have archived can be found in All Mail. If someone replies to a message, Google will automatically move that message back to your inbox.

I have thousand of messages and my email client is crashing

Most desktop mail clients will perform poorly with large numbers of messages. The number varies from each mail client and also will depend on your machine’s performance and memory. Google recommends doing some housework to clean up your labels in the Web interface.

I’m having trouble logging in with my username and password

• Make sure you only enter your username without the ‘@sunyrockland.edu’
• Make sure your Caps Lock is not on. Passwords are case-sensitive.

If the issue persists, visit https://www.google.com/a/sunyrockland.edu/UnlockCaptcha in order to clear the CAPTCHA.

What is Google Labs?

Google Labs is a repository of experimental new features in Google Apps mail. Please bear in mind that RCC does not endorse any of these new features and that the IT department cannot be responsible if something breaks in your mail. If you encounter a problem while using a feature from Google Labs, you can disable it by going to http://mail.google.com/mail/?labs=0 and your account should go back to normal.

For more information about Google Labs, click here.

I got an error “Lockdown in Sector 4”

Google has detected an unusual activity with your account and disabled your access temporarily. You should get your access back within 24 hours.

 

I got an error message “Too many simultaneous connections”

Google Apps mail account is intended for single use and has a limit of 10 simultaneous IMAP connections per account. This means that you have the same account open with different mail clients at the same time. Try closing or signing out of mail clients you are not actively using.

I got a “Temporary Error (502),” what should I do?

The error means your mail is temporarily unavailable and would usually resolve themselves within a few minutes. If you still getting this error please click on this link: http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=46346&ctx=sibling#502

Can I mark a part of a conversation unread?

Yes, you can mark a part of conversation unread by opening only that part of the thread and marking it unread.