In this summer, the Computing Services Centre has been working on upgrading the PolyLink e-mail to a new Web-based e-mail system. The e-mail system is built upon the Sun Internet Mail Server (SIMS) system and the Mailspinner Web-based e-mail user interface running on the powerful Sun UltraSparc Enterprise servers. Besides having a better user interface and system performance, this new system also supports all open standard features, including the binary attachment feature, which is missing in our current PolyLink e-mail system. As it is of a Web-based interface, users can access e-mail from anywhere by just using any Web browser.

The phase 1 implementation of PolyLink II e-mail has been completed and the service is provided to new students (admitted after 1 July 1999). Subsequently, all students and staff will be scheduled to migrate to this new system gradually. If everything goes smoothly, the migration of all students to the new system will be completed before Semester B.

At present, only new students can access the PolyLink e-mail via the “PolyLink II (Phase 1 for new students)” option from the CityU Network Menu. All staff and other students should use the old PolyLink system by selecting the “PolyLink” option from the Network Menu as before.

Please note that no matter whether students are using the new (PolyLink II) or old PolyLink system, their e-mail address remains the same and is:

<student-id>@plink.cityu.edu.hk or

<e-mail-alias>@plink.cityu.edu.hk

For example, if the Student ID of your student is 50123456, no matter whether he/she is a new/old student, his/her e-mail address is still 50123456@plink.cityu.edu.hk .

Other PolyLink services such as Bulletin Board or Staff Channel will also migrate to Web-based system later when the entire upgrade of the PolyLink system is complete. In the meantime, they can still be accessible in text-based mode as before. We shall keep you informed on the progress of the PolyLink upgrade by e-mail or by Network Message. For further queries, please contact our Help Desk at ext. 7658 or e-mail to cc@plink.cityu.edu.hk.