Zentyal

This article is retired or no longer in effect.

Current Version:	4.1 (4.2 most current)
Documentation

Google now maintains all EUS emails.

Zentyal was the open-source mail client used for the @mcgilleus.ca email server Zubat. Zentyal also provided additional services such as an address book as well as a calendar applet.

Portal

The Zentyal web client can be accessed at webmail.mcgilleus.ca, offering full email, calendar, and address book capabilities.

Calendar

A little known feature of Zentyal is the comprehensive calendar app, which can be accessed at the dropdown menu next to the EUS logo when logged in. The Zentyal calendar has an immense amount of features, sporting multiple exportable calendars, reminder features, inviting contacts and more.

Address Book

Zentyal includes an address book feature which supports contact importing and exporting. By default the only emails in the address book are those on the @mcgilleus.ca domain. You can create lists of contacts to quickly send emails to common groups, but beyond that the address book is pretty vanilla.

Forwarding

Forwarding can be controlled through the email portal with little hassle. Follow the steps below to forward your @mcgilleus emails to your personal email address(es).

External Email Clients

Zentyal allows alternate email clients to access their emails through the SMTP protocol. Instructions can be found here.

Future Plans

While Zentyal works well for our current needs, there are alternative options that could be better. Currently the EUS IT team is looking into new solutions such as migrating to Google or Office365. Both offer more documentation and support than Zentyal, however they are relatively limited in adaptability. Since Zentyal is Linux based the range of possibilities is more open than a refined flagship like gmail or outlook. One of the larger and more nuanced concerns which could result in a large impact is the involvement in IT. Zentyal and linux based servers in general provides an opportunity for growth in terms of IT for anyone involved. Having a reliable team for IT can be hugely beneficial, and dumbing down the portfolio to a catchall email client is another step towards a less independent team.

Google

Google offers one of the easier migrations. Most students are already using gmail as a client, and the interface is navigatable and well established. Since the EUS is a nonforprofit organization, the migration would be essentially free. Unfortunately google is largely a what you see is what you get kind of deal, while it offers a powerful email client there's not much room for growth or input. For example, migration to google would cut off the recursive user accounts on the Infosys network and everything thereafter (e.g. the Repository).

Office365

There's a better platform for development with Office365, as Microsoft also offers Windows Servers and more for integration. This differs from Gmail in that it offers the possibility for user integration into the Infosys Network, at a price. The EUS is limited to how many accounts it can purchase at a reduced cost, and unfortunately purchasing anymore could result in a huge pricetag. We're currently exploring alternative options to purchase more user accounts for less, as Office365 is a viable service that doesn't sacrifice IT involvement.

Other

Zentyal isn't currently updated to the latest version, as there are currently some bandaids over the client that could be ripped off if upgraded. There are other email clients out there, in fact there are alternative open source email clients.