Shared Mailboxes at NC State

Do I need one?
Here are some situations where a shared mailbox can help you:

• You want to allow specific individuals to access a mailbox.
  You can grant or withdraw access as needed. For example, if you chair a committee and have a shared mailbox for it, you might want selected committee members to respond to its email only while you are on vacation. Or you might want them to have ongoing access to the box.
  
  
• You want a mailbox dedicated to a specific use.
  For example, if you are a journal editor, you might want to receive manuscripts and related correspondence in a mailbox separate from your Unity email, one that a secretary and other persons (e.g., reviewers) may need to access.

How does it work?
OIT creates a mailbox whose address and storage space are separate from those of your campus email account. You can choose an address (alias) for the mailbox that reflects its purpose; e.g., journal-editor@ncsu.edu.

How much storage space does one have?
Each shared mailbox comes with 100 MB of space (quota), which you can increase if needed. See the page on current ITD Service Rates for the cost of additional storage space.

Who is eligible to have one?
Anyone who has a Unity account is eligible to have a shared mailbox.

How do I access a shared mailbox?
You can access it in one of two ways:

• Through a Web-based email program at http://shared-mail.ncsu.edu/. Log in with your Unity ID and password. This method uses the same software that provides the Webmail service at NC State.
  
• Through your regular IMAP-based email program (e.g., Thunderbird, Outlook Express). When you set up your email, be sure to specify shared.mail.ncsu.edu as the "Incoming Server."

• Add more users to the access list for the mailbox
• Remove users
• Create subfolders in the mailbox
• Post messages
• Delete messages

How much does a shared mailbox cost?
The cost of a shared mailbox depends on the cost of resources used and the level of service provided by OIT. Currently, the charge is $50 per fiscal year if the user administers the access permissions for the box and $75 per year if OIT does so.
NOTE: General Ledger 5 accounts cannot be used to pay for this service.

How can I get one?
To obtain a shared mailbox, submit a request to help@ncsu.edu. The request must include:

• the names of all the persons who will be responsible for the mailbox
• their affiliation with NC State

OIT will then prepare a Service Level Agreement, which covers the use of a shared mailbox for a period of one fiscal year. Once this is signed, OIT will set up the mailbox, and the administrator specified in the agreement will grant access to it.

• Definitions
• Permissions allowable on a shared mailbox
• Combining permissions
• Setting permissions
• Commands available

Please send questions, comments or suggestions about shared mailboxes to help@ncsu.edu.

Last modified February 28, 2008 by cawalker