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So, here at university of awesome, we have a program where incoming freshmen have a chance to come onto campus, get registered early for classes, meet people, get info, and spend the night on campus.
After a bit of begging from Admissions, we started creating the email addresses for these incoming freshmeatmen for this event.
We recently moved our student accounts to Live@EDU (hotmail..., basically). So, the process to create accounts for students is rather involved. First I have to create the Live accounts, then I have to create the active directory contacts so those of us on the Exchange server can email them, then I have to create network accounts so they can still use our wireless, computers and NAC.
Creating these enmass require several spreadsheets and about 3 csv files.
Before anything with the confusion of the email server, I find out that I had somehow messed up my spreadsheet and moved around 35 of the 122 middle names. Our naming convention uses middle initals. :crying:
So, back to the confusion of the email server.
I use an excel spreadsheet template to create the csv file needed to mass create the AD contacts. This spreadsheet was made before we moved the storage location of the contacts. Easy fix. I went in, and changed the location of the contacts, and batta bing, all done. I was in a hurry to get this done, and move onto my woefully ignored work orders, so I didn't think to spot check the CSV file before running the DOS command on the server. I ran everything, account were created, life was good.
The next morning, we had a power outage, and our generator didn't kick on. It was enough to knock off our servers. :crying: It took the network guys most of the morning to get everything back up. So, we we started getting messages about problems sending email, the server admin and I thought it was related.
The server admin and I look into the problem (two recipients are configured with the same email address) for a few hours. We then hand it over to the network admin, who looks in it for a few hours. Finally the helpdesk manager starts getting into it, since she ran across the same issue while emailing a student. SHE works on it for a few hours. Using our intern's account as a template, since she was affected by it also, we start tearing into everything related to email and this student. Finally, while doing something, the HD manager stumbled across the intern's email address in the contact record of another student...............
This means that her email address was listed under two contacts. Thus, getting the bounceback when someone tried emailing her.. comprehension was made.
NOW... how in the world did it happen? While spot checking some other accounts, the manager got some names of other students who had a different email address in their contacts. One name sounded familiar, so I grabbed my list of incoming freshmen. Yep, she was on it. Oh, and he was too. And her, and her. OH CRAP!
So I quickly pulled up my CSV file, and sure enough on ALL 122 ACCOUNTS, the proxy email address line was wrong. When I made the changes to the template, the proxy email line lost its formula and went static, keeping the name of the last student it was run for.
So, I had 122 accounts with a mismatched email address in it. I printed out the full list of student accounts. 3 pages. The server admin and network admin came over to get a full understand of what the crap happened. They both took a page. We all sat down and started changing email addresses.
After that, I got to start deleting and recreating mailboxes to change the incorrect initials. THAT was my Friday afternoon.
This morning, I get to go back and change the AD contacts for the incorrect initals.
I LOVE MY JOB!
After a bit of begging from Admissions, we started creating the email addresses for these incoming fresh
We recently moved our student accounts to Live@EDU (hotmail..., basically). So, the process to create accounts for students is rather involved. First I have to create the Live accounts, then I have to create the active directory contacts so those of us on the Exchange server can email them, then I have to create network accounts so they can still use our wireless, computers and NAC.
Creating these enmass require several spreadsheets and about 3 csv files.
Before anything with the confusion of the email server, I find out that I had somehow messed up my spreadsheet and moved around 35 of the 122 middle names. Our naming convention uses middle initals. :crying:
So, back to the confusion of the email server.
I use an excel spreadsheet template to create the csv file needed to mass create the AD contacts. This spreadsheet was made before we moved the storage location of the contacts. Easy fix. I went in, and changed the location of the contacts, and batta bing, all done. I was in a hurry to get this done, and move onto my woefully ignored work orders, so I didn't think to spot check the CSV file before running the DOS command on the server. I ran everything, account were created, life was good.
The next morning, we had a power outage, and our generator didn't kick on. It was enough to knock off our servers. :crying: It took the network guys most of the morning to get everything back up. So, we we started getting messages about problems sending email, the server admin and I thought it was related.
The server admin and I look into the problem (two recipients are configured with the same email address) for a few hours. We then hand it over to the network admin, who looks in it for a few hours. Finally the helpdesk manager starts getting into it, since she ran across the same issue while emailing a student. SHE works on it for a few hours. Using our intern's account as a template, since she was affected by it also, we start tearing into everything related to email and this student. Finally, while doing something, the HD manager stumbled across the intern's email address in the contact record of another student...............
This means that her email address was listed under two contacts. Thus, getting the bounceback when someone tried emailing her.. comprehension was made.
NOW... how in the world did it happen? While spot checking some other accounts, the manager got some names of other students who had a different email address in their contacts. One name sounded familiar, so I grabbed my list of incoming freshmen. Yep, she was on it. Oh, and he was too. And her, and her. OH CRAP!
So I quickly pulled up my CSV file, and sure enough on ALL 122 ACCOUNTS, the proxy email address line was wrong. When I made the changes to the template, the proxy email line lost its formula and went static, keeping the name of the last student it was run for.
So, I had 122 accounts with a mismatched email address in it. I printed out the full list of student accounts. 3 pages. The server admin and network admin came over to get a full understand of what the crap happened. They both took a page. We all sat down and started changing email addresses.
After that, I got to start deleting and recreating mailboxes to change the incorrect initials. THAT was my Friday afternoon.
This morning, I get to go back and change the AD contacts for the incorrect initals.
I LOVE MY JOB!
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