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Introduction to Email


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Local Addresses and the Central Mail Hub >> Addressing Email

All email sent to users at Birmingham is addressed via the Central Mail Server. The mail address is formed by adding a name (known locally as a mailname) to the address of the central mail server. For staff, mailnames are normally made up of initials and surnames, the address of mail destined for Frederick Gerald Bloggs would become:

F.G.Bloggs@bham.ac.uk

Staff have central mailnames which follow this convention. In order to resolve clashing names, a number or a departmental code is normally added to the new mailname. For example:

J.S.Smith.20@bham.ac.uk

We do get requests from time to time for different formats of email address, but we do not support them. It is important, therefore, that you do not publicise your Central Email Address or have letterheads or business cards printed until you are certain of exactly what it is.

Students have a different format of mailname. This is composed of initials and a number. For example,

fgb123@bham.ac.uk

We do not support any other formats and mailnames and usernames are not changed except in extreme circumstances.

A directory of Central mailnames is available on the World Wide Web at http://emaildirectory.bham.ac.uk/. Further information on searching for email addresses is available in the Directories section of the "Introduction to email" WWW page.

It is possible to address email using a user's target mailbox, by quoting the username and specific system. For example

bloggsjg@is-fs175.bham.ac.uk

Whilst it is possible to address email in this way, it is not generally recommended as many people have more than one account and they may not check their mail on a particular system frequently. Furthermore, they may have redirected their email elsewhere (see email destinations section below) and servers are replaced from time to time so this style of address has a more limited life. It is recommended that such addresses are never quoted to others.

Last Updated 2 Nov 2005. Please mail any comments to C.B.Bayliss@bham.ac.uk


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