Office of Information Technology

Exchange Migrations & Two-factor Authentication - 2018

You may have received this email message: 

By November 2018, two major changes are coming to the illinois.edu
email system.  Please consider opting in this summer to avoid changes
occurring inconveniently during the Fall semester.

Details available at: 
http://www.life.illinois.edu/help/faq/uc2off365_2018.php

1. Schedule your Exchange email migration

All illinois.edu email accounts will be migrated to a new
Microsoft-hosted service.  Please schedule the date to migrate your
account.  Expect to spend a small amount of time on the day the
migration occurs to become familiar with the new system and
to reconfigure software.

2. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA will be required soon to access common campus websites &
services, including illinois.edu webmail.  Please register at least
one device (smartphone or token) with the University's 2FA system (UI
Verify).

Contact us with questions at help@life.illinois.edu

1. Schedule your Exchange email migration

All illinois.edu email accounts will be upgraded to a new Microsoft-hosted service. Please schedule the date to migrate your account.

We are scheduling migrations each week to occur on Tuesdays. Please let us know a Tuesday that will work for you by emailing help@life.illinois.edu. We can schedule the migration for other days, but we must notify Tech Services four days in advance.

In 2011, a campus-hosted Microsoft Exchange email system was created by Tech Services. All active faculty, staff, grad students, and retirees have an email & calendaring account on this system. Now, in 2018, this campus-hosted Exchange system is migrating to a Microsoft-hosted Exchange Online system which is part of Microsoft's Office 365 suite.

2. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Please register at least one device (smartphone or token) with the University's 2FA system (UI Verify).

Consider how you will connect to campus resources in the event that your primary 2FA method becomes unavailable, for instance if your phone is lost. More info at: https://verify.uillinois.edu/, and we are happy to discuss the possibilities with you.

During October and November 2018, two-factor authentication (2FA) will be required to access many more campus services, including webmail and sites that use the Shibboleth authentication system (like https://learn.illinois.edu/). When 2FA is required, you will use a second device to verify your identity after providing your username & password. Typically this is done using the Duo Mobile app on an Android phone or iPhone. It is also possible to have a text message or phone call placed to a pre-registered phone number, or to use a token device to generate a code.

We will provide one token per person for faculty & staff. More info about the two types of tokens available at the illinois.edu webstore.

The new 2FA requirements can be applied to your account now, if you'd prefer to have the changes take effect during the summer. Opt in at: http://go.illinois.edu/2FA-optin. The new 2FA requirements may take a few days to take effect.

Configuration Changes for Common Apps

Webmail

You will need to access Webmail using the address https://outlook.office.com. The appearance will be slightly different than the previous version.

By default, you will have a "Focused" inbox enabled, which attempts to show only messages addressed directly to you in one group and all other messages (like mailing list messages) in another. You can disable this option by going to the Filter menu and unchecking the "Show Focused Inbox" checkbox.

Windows – Outlook 2016

You will be asked to provide your username and password when you first log in after the migration. To avoid being asked for your password each time you open Outlook, check the "Stay connected" box. You should not have to re-authenticate unless your password changes.

Versions of Outlook before 2016 will not automatically switch to the new Exchange server. If you are using Outook, we recommended installing Outlook 2016 before migrating your account.

Mac – Outlook 2016

You will be asked to allow the server "autodiscover-s.outlook.com" to get new settings for your account. Check the "Always use my response for this server" checkbox, and then click Allow.

We have found that sometimes this process fails. You can also manually reconfigure Outlook to complete the migration by following the steps below:

  1. From the Outlook menu in the top bar, select Preferences
  2. Click on the Accounts option (under Personal Settings)
  3. If you have multiple accounts, select your account in the left-hand menu. Then, click Advanced…
  4. Under "Microsoft Exchange", change the "Server" to https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx
  5. Under "Directory service", delete the listed server, leaving the field blank.
  6. Click OK, and then close the Accounts window.

Mac – Apple's Mail and Calendar applications (Mail.app and Calendar.app)

In our testing, Mail and Calendar did not automatically recognize that the account had been migrated. Try:

  1. Open Mail.app.
  2. Select Mail (from the menu bar) -> Preferences
  3. Select Exchange from the list on the left.
  4. Select "Server Settings" from the tabs along the top.
  5. Uncheck "Automatically manage connection settings"
  6. In the "Internal URL" and "External URL" fields that appear enter:
    https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx
If the issue is not resolved, you can delete and re-create the account via System Preferences -> Internet Accounts.

Thunderbird (Mac or Windows)

To continue using Thunderbird after migrating to Exchange Online, you will need to update Thunderbird's settings.

In Thunderbird, from the Tools (Mac) or Options (Windows) menu, select Account Settings. Select Server Settings in the left-hand menu and make the following changes:

  1. Change "Server Name" to outlook.office365.com
  2. Change "User Name" to your_netid@illinois.edu
  3. Continue with the steps below before clicking the OK button.

Now, from the left-hand menu, select Outgoing Server (SMTP). Click Edit…, select smtp.illinois.edu entry, and make the following changes:

  1. Change the "Server Name" to smtp.office365.com
  2. Change the "User Name" to your_netid@illinois.edu
  3. Click OK to save these settings and return to the Account Settings menu

Finally, click OK to save all changes.

If you're adding the account for the first time, the settings look like this: 

Incoming: IMAP    outlook.office365.com    993    SSL/TLS    Autodetect
Outgoing: SMTP    smtp.office365.com       587    STARTTLS   Autodetect
Username: netid@illinois.edu (for incoming & outgoing fields)

Mobile Devices – Android and iPhones (iOS)

In our testing, email apps on mobile devices automatically updated their settings after the migration. If you run into any issues with a mobile app, please contact us and we will assist in reconfiguring the app.

If you are adding a new account on Android, you may have to use the following settings after entering your email and selecting "Exchange account":

  • "User/domain": your_netid@illinois.edu
  • "Exchange server": outlook.office365.com

More information

If you are currently using a life.illinois.edu email address, you will also need to migrate from your Life account to Exchange Online. More info at: UIUC & Life Email Changes 2018.

It is currently expected that all migrations need to be completed by the end of October 2018.

Return to Frequently Asked Questions
help@life.illinois.edu