Effective December 5, 2023, we will no longer be creating shared network drives (Z: drive) for new hires because:
We have ongoing issues with the cost and problems resulting from maxing out storage on our on premise server
OneDrive cloud storage space is available to everyone. As well as being a good solution for point one above, OneDrive offers a more efficient and user-friendly solution for file storage and sharing.
How are you affected?
New employees and contractors with computer accounts created December 5 and after will be required to use OneDrive for their file storage needs for documents that are more individual/personal, don’t need to be shared, and are perhaps transient in nature (like a resume or a working document you’re using to prepare for a pdp conversation, etc.)
Every existing employee and contractor has a OneDrive, which we encourage you to use instead of Z: drive. However, anyone who already has a Z: drive network share can continue to use it.
To ensure a smooth transition for new employees and contractors, we request that hiring managers update their onboarding processes and training/reference materials accordingly. Please replace any references to the Z: drive with information about using OneDrive for file storage. Additionally, please let existing people in your areas know about this change so that they (a) are not inadvertently misdirecting new people and (b) know they are encouraged to use OneDrive themselves.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we implement these changes to improve our overall efficiency and collaboration within the organization.
Calendar items are archived, just like email
Just like email, calendar items are archived after 3 months. If you are looking for calendar items 3 months or more in the the past, please check your archive calendar for those entries. Your archive calendar can be found in the list you see when you are looking at your own calendar in Outlook.
Your archive calendar may not be listed right next to your active calendar but once you find it in the list of calendars, you can click and hold to drag it up to make it easy to find when you need it next.
** This (unexpected) change in behaviour started when we migrated to the new server.
Recurring meetings are visible in the ‘current’ calendar until the last one in the series reaches 90 days old.
Recurring meeting requests stay in the ‘current’ calendar even if they started more than 90 days ago. So, if you look at your ‘current’ calendar, you should be able to scroll back in time more than 90 days and still see recurring appointments. If you scroll back past 90 days ago, you won’t see any single meetings or any recurring meetings that ENDED before 90 days ago.
So, whether it is a recurring meeting or a single meeting, the important bit of information is when it has ENDED.
Single meetings end after the meeting and are archived 90 days later.
Recurring meetings (a series) end after the last recurring meeting in the group. Then 90 days after the last one, the whole series will get moved to the archive.
Do you want to see archived and current calendar information at the same time?
You could choose to open calendars and overlay them so that it still feels like one calendar. Here’s how to do that:
Select both calendars:
You’ll see both side by side, like this:
Click on the left arrow circled in the picture above to overlay the calendars so that they look like this:
If you decide you want to un-overlay them, click on the little arrow, which is now a right arrow.
The following services may experience brief service disruptions during the Thursday November 23rd 2023 maintenance period (4 am to 8 am PT):
Moodle
MyAdmin
staff.myrru
Unit4
RMI
CRM
PCS Destiny One course registration system
Thanks
IT-Services
PST files can no longer be stored on OneDrive or sync to OneDrive
Background:
Because we have personal/individual OneDrive space available, we have stopped creating Z: drives for new hires as of December 3, 2023. Existing Z: drives will remain in place.
Microsoft does not support accessing PST files from Outlook if they are stored on a OneDrive and PST files will not sync if they are stored on OneDrive. On November 20, we can no longer copy/move PST files to OneDrive.
We’re nearing the completion of work required to move our email mailboxes to the new server. The next step is to move to Exchange Online (the cloud), more details to come.
Exchange Online does not support PST files at all.
What are PST files?
Personal Storage Tables (PSTs) store local copies of messages, calendar events, and other items from an Exchange mailbox. These were used to store emails that people wanted to keep when we had limits on our mailboxes. This method is out dated and no longer supported by Microsoft.
Do I care about that I can’t upload PST files to OneDrive?
You might, if you have been here awhile and have PST files already on OneDrive because you will receive a sync error and will have to take action.
How do I know if I am affected by this change?
If you have PSTs already on OneDrive, you may get a sync error.
Your OneDrive cloud icon on your System Tray (next to the date/time on your task bar) will show an X indicating an error. When you click on the icon it will tell you there were “Sync issues” and shows you the files that didn’t sync.
Alternatively if you open the OneDrive folder on your computer, you will see a red X showing you a sync error.
What do I need to do?
The files need to be moved to a new location to prevent being reminded of these errors all the time.
If the files are in use in Outlook, please close Outlook first.
Move the files to a new location outside of the OneDrive.
Re-Open Outlook and if the files are in use, you will get an error saying that they can no longer be found. When asked where to look for the files, browse to the new location and select the appropriate PST file.
We strongly recommend that you no longer store emails in PST folders. Please contact IT for assistance in moving the emails into something else.
If the files are not in use in Outlook, then you might want to think moving them to offline storage like a CD or USB.
As of November 20, 2023, PST files can no longer be added to OneDrive and existing PST files will no longer sync with OneDrive Cloud.
Effective November 17, the default save location for MS 365 files will be the local C: drive on RRU computers. The folder will be sync’d with OneDrive and the contents will be backed up. You will need to specify a location if you wish to save files in a different place.
What is the problem?
RRU personnel who travel experience difficulties using MS 365 applications on their RRU laptops because it attempts to connect to the MS 365 default save location, which is currently the Z: drive. But it is only possible to connect to the Z: drive if the laptop is connected to the internet. When an MS 365 application attempts to connect to the default save location, there is a prolonged wait for a response which will never arrive – effectively preventing the device from being usable.
How will RRU fix the problem?
On Friday, November 17, we will update all RRU computers to change the default save location from the Z: drive to the C: drive (the hard drive on the laptop).
What do I need to do?
You don’t need to DO anything.
Do I need to worry about moving files when I next connect to the internet?
No, you don’t need to worry about moving or backing up files. When you next connect to the internet and log into your computer, the system will automatically sync with your OneDrive, making the file(s) available from the C: drive OR from OneDrive at the same time. This makes files more accessible across devices, ensuring you can work on them whenever and wherever you need.
What if my files need to be saved in a location that is not MY individual OneDrive?
In that case, when you next connect to the internet and the sync happens, you will need to move the files to whatever location is appropriate, just as you would have done had you been able to save on the Z: drive.
Can I simply decide where my files are saved?
Yes. That won’t change. If you are connected to the network on campus, or the internet elsewhere, you can still use File, Save As to choose another location. The new default save location doesn’t restrict where you can save files, as long as you have internet access. This change only affects people when they don’t have internet access.
Thank you
This is an abrupt change and we’ve given you very little notice.
We appreciate your understanding that the benefit of this change is immense to those who are unable to connect to the internet at times.
Questions?
Please let us know if you have any questions.
The following service may experience a service disruption during due to a vendor upgrade on Wednesday, November 15th 2023 starting at 5 pm PT:
Avanti (payroll)
The following services may experience brief service disruptions during the Thursday November 16th 2023 maintenance period (4 am to 8 am PT):
CRM
MyAdmin
RRUChangeMakers
Thanks,
IT-Services
The following services may experience brief service disruptions during due to a vendor upgrade on Wednesday, November 8th 2023 starting at 8 pm PT:
Websites: www, library, ourpeople, hatleypark, crcresearch, mc3
The following services may experience brief service disruptions during due to a vendor upgrade on Friday, November 10th 2023 starting at 8 pm PT:
Websites: www, library, ourpeople, hatleypark, crcresearch, mc3
Thanks,
IT-Services
We are looking into an issue where Outlook tasks appear to be missing.
It seems that they are NOT missing. You can find them by doing a search:
We’ll let you know what we find out about why your tasks aren’t all displayed where you expect them to be.
Do you have questions?
Send us a note with any questions you have about this subject.
This information is relevant to anyone at RRU who uses shared mailboxes.
In the past, if you sent an email from a shared mailbox, a copy was saved in the shared mailbox ‘sent items’ folder. This is desired behaviour.
What’s wrong?
What is happening instead: a copy of the sent item is saved in your personal sent items folder.
The change in behaviour appears to be related to the mailboxes moving to the new server. We’re looking into the cause and fix for this.
What to do
Until we solve this problem, if it’s important that sent email be visible in the shared mailbox sent items folder, you will be required to manually move them from your personal mailbox sent items folder to the shared mailbox sent item folder.
Do you have questions?
Send us a note with any questions you have about this subject.