Frequently Asked Questions

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Email FAQs

The following is a collection of the most frequently asked questions about email at the CCIB. If you do not find your particular question you should contact Marc Davignon and he will answer it and add it to this page.

I have received an email informing me that I need to change my Partners Healthcare password. What does this mean and how do I change it?

Recently a new policy was put into place requiring all Partners Healthcare accounts change their password every 180 days. If you have an @ccib.mgh.harvard.edu or @partners.org email address this is the username and password you use to access your email. If you do not change your password before the date specified in the email you will not be able to access your email. Changing your Partners Healthcare account password is actually quite easy and can be done using the following link:
https://myprofile.partners.org/courion/WebSamples/AccessOptions/HTML/AccountCourier/default.asp?Workflow=ExistingRegister If for some reason you follow this procedure and now cannot access your email see the next question.

I have changed my Partners password but now I cannot get into my email. What do I do now?

This may be the result of a number of things:

Maybe you mistyped the new password when you changed it or now when you are trying to connect to your email. Make sure <Caps Lock> is not enabled.
The password change process failed and your password is still the old one.
Your email client uses a feature which is remembering the old password.
Your account is not configured properly at Partners.

If you have taken the above items into account and still cannot get into your email. The next steps should resolve the problem.

If you were not doing this already, try accessing your email directly over the web interface using the following link:
http://www.partners.org/email
Try your new password first and then your old password. If you are able to access your email with the new password then your email client is remembering your old password. If your old password still works or you still cannot access your email then continue to the next step.
If you made it to this step, either your password has not been changed or you don't know it. In either case you need to call the Partners Helpdesk and have a technician straighted your account out for you. The account owner is the only person who can call and have the password reset. Use the number below:
617-726-5085
You can also obtain more information about the Partners Helpdesk using the link below:
http://helpdesk.partners.org/

I received an email informing me that my Exchange mailbox is moving. What does this mean?

The short explanation is your mail which is stored on a particular server is being moved to another server. The reasons behind this move could be any number of things. Maybe the server is being retired, too crowded, or received too many complaints of your load music. In any case the reasons do not matter as much has what you need to do to as a result of this, which in most cases is nothing. If you are using the Outlook web client, Microsoft Outlook (the office version, not Outlook Express), or Microsoft Entourage (on a Mac) you should not have to do anything unless you are using these clients over IMAP or POP3. If you are using IMAP, POP3, or another email client not already mentioned then you need to change your incoming mail server (not outgoing which should always be phsmgout.partners.org) to the new server name specified in the email. Usually the incoming server name is in the form of PHSXMB#.partners.org replacing # with your numbered server.

Update: Another and perhaps better server name to use instead of PHSXMB#.partners.org is pop3.partners.org which should always be available regardless of your numbered mailbox server.

Catch 22: You are not always sent an email on a mailbox move. The reason for this is most Partners users with email are using a Partners build workstation. If you do not know what this is, you shouldn't since CCIB does not use Partners build workstations. We purchase computers as you would from Dell, Harvard, or a computer outlet and just add the applications you need to do your job without restriction. To get back on point, Partners build workstations are only allowed to use Microsoft Outlook and as a result mailbox moves are transparent to the user however, at CCIB we are left scratching our heads with a non-working email client. Just keep this in mind if you cannot retrieve your email one day. To determine where your Exchange mailbox lives use the following link and login with your Partners username and password:
http://helpdeskqueries.partners.org/userinfo/defblock.asp.

I received an email informing me that my Exchange mailbox is over its limit. How did this happen and what can be done about it?

If you use the Outlook web client, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Entourage (on a Mac), or an IMAP email client like Thunderbird or Outlook Express it is not uncommon to come across this issue. Partners only allows a maximum mailbox size of 50MB and in some cases it can be as low as 25MB and may further differ by server and the individual user. If you store some or all of your email on the server or just haven't cleaned out your Sent Items folder in a while you have gone over your mailbox size limit. There are several things you can do with any mail client to ensure that this does not happen again:

For users of Microsoft Outlook you can configure mail rules which will move incoming and outgoing mail to your local machine. Brian wrote a Word document describing this process. The great thing about this solution is it's automatic and you don't have to think about it however, if you still use the Outlook web client from time to time you still have to manually clean out your Sent Items folder since Microsoft Outlook rules only work when using Microsoft Outlook.

Users of Microsoft Outlook can also create Personal Folders, a .pst file which Exchange will deliver mail directly to. Personal Folders are stored locally not on the server. This is very similar to a POP3 email client described in the next solution. All outgoing email is stored in Sent Items within the Personal Folders. Again, this solution is automatic and fairly easy to set up.

If you use an email client over IMAP which just manages your mail on the remote server consider switching to POP3. POP3 by default pulls down and stores your incoming mail on your local machine and removes it from the server. Like the prior solutions, this solution is automatic and easy to configure.

If you use the Outlook web client or another email client but have to be able to access your email from a number of different machines. There are a few not so automated solutions available:
1. You can be diligent about cleaning up your mailbox and delete each mail message after receiving and sending it. This may not be practical since you may have some email which needs to be saved. Most email without attachments are small, 4K on average, which should allow you to store hundreds of emails on the server however, email with attachments can be a problem on average being several MB in size. For these emails I suggest saving/downloading the attachments separately on a designated machine and deleting original the email.
2. Use the above automated methods on one designated machine but only use that machine at the end of the day. In practice, you look at your mail just as you have in the past but, at the end of the day you run a POP3 client or use Microsoft Outlook rules on a designated machine to move your email off the server.

If you've read the above and are still unsure of which solution is best for you, contact Marc Davignon and he will assist you in solving the problem.

I cannot see the Endnote toolbar in Microsoft Word

First determine which versions of Endnote and Microsoft Word you are running by opening each application and clicking the menu items Help->About.
Once you know both versions use the following link: http://www.endnote.com/support/faqs/CWYW/faq1.asp.

Ebuy FAQs

Who should I choose for my buyer?

For normal lab purchases, you can choose any buyer denoted as a Research Buyer. For service contracts, oligo synthesis, gene synthesis and other contract services, you need to choose a buyer denoted as a Commodities buyer. For Equipment over $5000, you need to choose a buyer denoted as a Capital Buyer.

I placed a requisition but I haven’t received the purchase order email back. What should I do?

Call Materials Management at 6-2142 and give them your requisition number. Your requisition could be waiting for an approval or the buyer may have not processed your order yet.

When is an approval needed?

Approvals are needed for any purchase over $1000. The initial approver is usually your PI or lab manager. For purchases over $5000, additional approvers from within Research Management may be added.

I received the purchase order email from the buyer but have not received my shipment. What do I do?

Call Materials Management at 6-2142 and give them your purchase order number. They will call the vendor for you while you are on the line and give you an immediate update.

My order was cancelled and the buyer told me to buy my item through Fisher, why?

Certain manufacturers are sold exclusively through Fisher Scientific. This includes such popular manufacturers as Promega and Millipore. To find your item on Fisher, search using the manufacturer’s catalog number.

Are other manufacturers sold through Fisher and VWR?

Yes, and sometimes for different prices, so you should always compare the two distributors. To find your item, search using the manufacturer’s catalog number on both sites through the punch-out system. Remember that shipping is free from Fisher and VWR.

Where do I find the price for an item?

A lot of prices are already stored in the Ebuy catalog. You can search by description or catalog number (Vendor item ID). If the catalog search asks you to do a special request, you can email ebuy@partners.org and ask them to find you a price. If you still do not have a price, have your lab manager contact the local vendor rep.

If I don’t know the Partners price for an item, can I just put the list price from the manufacturer’s website?

Yes, but not without consequences. Your order will be placed and your shipment will be received. However, when you put in the list price for an item, the purchase order is made for that dollar amount that you input. Should the vendor invoice for a discounted price and the monetary difference is greater than $100, that difference stays encumbered in Purchasing for six years or until we ask for that particular purchase order number to be closed.

What about Invitrogen?

Although Invitrogen is a Partners-Approved Vendor, they do not participate in our Ebuy system and orders are placed directly from their website. Please see your lab manager for orders from this vendor as your lab may have special parameters set in place to monitor these purchases.

If you are cleared to order from Invitrogen, you must set your billing address as follows:

Partners Healthcare System
Accounts Payable
PO Box 9127
Charlestown, MA 02129-9127
Account: 105346

Computer FAQs

Click here for the CCIB nformation Systems Frequently Asked Questions page.

Click here for the CCIB IS home page.