How To Read Purdue Email While Away From Purdue

• Taking Your Own Computer With You
  • Purchasing and taking your own computer is perhaps the easiest and most convenient way to read email remotely.  Get a laptop with a modem, configure it to connect to your favorite Internet Service Provider (hopefully there will be a local number in the place you are going), and configure Outlook to access Purdue email before you leave.  That way when you arrive @ your destination, you can plug the modem into a phone jack, dial, and start reading immediately.  Plus you will have access to the Web, word processing, and other applications you may need.  If you do not own a laptop, check with your department to see if a laptop is available for check out.

• Using Someone Else's Computer In A Remote Location
  
  • Purdue Exchange/Outlook Web Access
    • The best way to read your email from off campus is to use the Outlook Web Access.  This is a web interface to the Purdue Exchange server.  Using this site is very similar to using Outlook on your computer.  You have access to your inbox, calendar, mail folders, and deleted items.
    • The interface to log into the system are similar to using Outlook on your computer.  Your username must have "onepurdue\" in front of it.  This is already in the text field, so your username goes after it.  Your password goes in the second text field.
    • If you are using a fast internet connection, then select the Premium option below the password field.  If you are using a slower connection, choose the basic option.  This option allows you access to everything that the premium option does, but it does it with fewer graphics, making it faster.  We recommend that you leave the public computer option checked.  This will provide more security for you.
    • http://exchange.purdue.edu
    • For more information, please visit our Outlook FAQ.
      
  • Purdue Webmail
    • Easiest way to read Purdue email from someone else's computer is to use Webmail.  Webmail is a web interface to the Purdue University mailhome.  You can read and send Purdue email from any web browser as well as access your email folders stored on the mailhome.  Webmail can be found at the following address:
    • http://webmail.purdue.edu/
  • Netscape Communicator
    • If you have access to Netscape Communicator at your remote location, you may be able to configure it to access the Purdue mailhome.  Click here for more details about configuring Netscape Communicator email.
    • Take your Netscape Communicator profile with you:  If you have a Zip drive attached to your Purdue office PC and the remote PC, you can take a copy your office Netscape Communicator Profile which contains all the settings you need to access Purdue email (including your signature file, address books, bookmarks, etc.).  The Netscape Communicator profiles are locate in a folder named:  
      • c:\program files\netscape\users
      • Inside this folder are subfolders with the names of Netscape users
      • You can copy your user profile folder  to a Zip disk by dragging.
      • You can install your user profile by dragging it to the  
      • c:\program files\netscape\users folder on the remote computer.
      • On the remote machine, run the Netscape User Profile Manager and specify the path of the profile that you just copied and Netscape will give you the option to use the existing, pre-configured profile.
      • Ask the local computer support people for help with all this if needed.
  • Other software provided by remote sites
    • Check with the local computer support people to find out what kind of software is available @ their site.  For many traveling faculty, this turns out to be the best solution-- the remote site may be able to get you going with their supported email package.  They may even give you a temporary local email account.  If you are spending a significant amount of time @ a particular remote site, call the computer support people @ the remote location before you leave and ask them what resources are available to you and what preparation you should make.  The Education IT team will not have details about remote sites.

Created by
Education IT