Information Services provides access to the FS_Mail domain for groups who wish to use Microsoft Exchange but do not maintain their own Active Directory domain. There is no charge for FS_Mail accounts. Each department has access to their own Organizational Unit (OU), and permissions are delegated to the Departmental Computing Administrator (DCA).

FS_Mail Domain Benefits

  • Free: There is no fee for an OU in the FS_Mail domain or for accounts created there.
  • Delegated Permissions: The DCA has complete control in the OU, and can create objects, delegate permissions, set group policy, etc.
  • Redundancy: There are two domain controllers in the fs_mail domain, housed in separate locations, and backed up by UPS power.
  • Maintenance: Three full-time staff maintain the domain controllers and keep them up-to-date with the latest security patches.
  • Production Standards: The FS_Mail domain controllers are monitored 24x7, and outages that may affect customers are performed only during scheduled maintenance windows.
  • Support: Network Engineering does not provide desktop support for users of the FS_Mail domain, but we will provide some assistance to DCAs. Departments who are interested in full desktop support should contact Community Network.

Requirements For Using an FS_Mail Domain

  • DCA: Each department wishing to create accounts in the FS_Mail domain must have a DCA to perform this task, and be the point-of-contact for Network Engineering staff. Departments who do not have a DCA should talk to Community Network.
  • Licensing: Network Engineering will purchase client access licenses for departments that are not part of the Microsoft Campus License Agreement, but it is up to each department to pay for Windows and Office licenses at the desktop.

Services Not Provided With FS_Mail

  • Desktop Support: Network Engineering will consult with DCAs but we do not provide desktop support.
  • Email: Exchange Email is a separate service which does have a fee - read the Exchange documentation for more information.
  • Server Support: Network Engineering will charge a fee to provide support of departmental servers.

Departments interested in using the FS_Mail domain should contact us.