Mailman to Google Groups Migration
Quicklink(s)
The Mailman legacy mailing list service was retired in Spring 2024. Mailman lists were migrated to Google Groups, a well-established service with a similar feature set.
Introduction
Mailman is a legacy service in OIT’s portfolio that has been used to manage mail lists on campus. Google Groups is a cloud-based service in OIT’s portfolio that has been identified to provide the same mail list functionalities and aligns with OIT’s cloud-forward strategy.
Mailman services no longer justify the need for administrative or data center resources now that Google Groups is well established within OIT’s service catalog and is managed by OIT’s Enterprise Unix Services (EUS).
Goals
- Decommission Mailman Services after migration.
- Clean up the mail lists as part of the move to Google Groups to eliminate unused lists.
- Develop migration communication and how-to documents for Help Desk and service users.
- Update ServiceNow Catalog Task to remove Mailman as a service option.
Deliverables
- Google Groups will be the only Mail Group service supported by OIT.
- Legacy Mailman Services will be decommissioned.
| Task | Estimated Completion Date |
|---|---|
| Assessment of Mailman feature uses | April – June 2023 |
| Google Groups pilot program | May – June 2023 |
| Mailman to Google Groups migrations | TBD |
As part of OIT’s efforts to migrate from Mailman services to Google Groups, we are happy to announce the Google Groups Pilot program.
What is the Google Groups Pilot?
The Google Groups pilot is a 3-month (90-day) trial program that will migrate current Mailman lists to Google Groups for real-world use to better understand how well the service performs.
Pilot Goal
This program is focused on providing real-world feedback on Google Groups as a replacement for Mailman services at UCI.
Targeted Users
Early Adopters – Current Mailman list owners who are comfortable with moving to Google Groups for mail list needs and have no concerns over advanced features that may not be available in Google Groups.
Power users – Current Mailman list owners who depend on advanced features in Mailman and are concerned if Google Groups may not fit their needs.
Timing of Pilot
Enrollment starts June 1st and will stay open for 90 days. Within that 90 days, OIT will collect feedback from pilot members to help develop the final Maillist management strategy for OIT. Participants will want to assure they have the bandwidth to test and provide feedback within that 90 days to assure as much information about features and usability is captured.
Enrollment and Participation
You will find the link to the request form below. Once you have signed up with all of the needed information, an OIT representative will duplicate your Mailman list in Google Groups. You will receive a confirmation email letting you know you can log in and familiarize yourself with the interface.
On Wednesday of each week, OIT will batch-activate that week’s pilot members to move from Mailman to Google Groups. Once your Google Groups list is active, you will receive a confirmation email letting you know that your mail list is now actively using Google Groups.
Can I move back to Mailman during the Pilot Program?
Yes. If you discover that you need to switch back, simply fill out the form below and your request will be processed to get you moved back as quickly as possible.
Enrollment and Participation Request – https://forms.gle/zDD8KJzfj5S1vc3p7
Move back to Mailman Request – https://forms.gle/WS7uYYvUqpW6HJdW6
Project Status
- Percentage Complete 100%
Project Phase
Closed
Start Date
February 2023
Completion Date
April 2024
Communities Affected
- UCI Campus
- College of Health Sciences
- UCI Mailman service users
Key Stakeholders
- Client: Current users and owners of Mailman Lists
- Sponsor: Henry Jenkins
- Project Manager: Jeff Martin
Client Support
UCI Google Groups - Quick Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
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Used to collapse all questions.
How can users request to join my group?
First, make sure that your group is set up to allow users to either ask to join or join - this is controlled by the "Who can join group" setting.
If your group is set up to allow non-members to view the group ("Who can see group" setting), you can link the home page of the group and users will be able to hit "Join group": https://groups.google.com/u/1/a/uci.edu/g/groupname
Otherwise, users can email groupname+subscribe@uci.edu and then reply to email they get from groupname+subconfirm@uci.edu to join/send a join request.
How do I prevent my list from showing up on the UCI Google Groups directory (https://groups.google.com/all-groups)?
Go to “Group settings” and change “Who can see group” to “Group members”; this will make it visible to only users already in the group.
Why are users with an @uci.edu email address showing up as external? Why am I unable to add users with a uci.edu email address?
In the context of Google Groups, an external user is someone who does not have a UCI Google account, not necessarily someone who is external to UCI. By default, Groups do not allow external users to be added. To change this, go to “Group settings” and turn “Allow external members” on.
How do I archive messages sent to my group?
Turn “Conversation history” on. If you do this, make sure to review the “Who can view conversations” setting. Conversation history does not count against your Google storage quota.
Why can’t I update the “Welcome message” field under “Group settings”?
This is a legacy field that Google no longer allows updates to. When you are adding users to the group, you have the option to include a custom welcome message. The group description is also included in the message sent to a user when they are added to your group.
How do I whitelist certain external senders without making them a member of the group in Google Groups?
Google Groups does not offer sender filters like Mailman. You can add these individuals as members of the group, change their subscription to “No email” so they don’t receive any messages from the group, and then set posting to “Allowed” for them under the Members section.
Other questions?
If you have further questions that are not answered here or in Google’s help documentation, please contact oit@uci.edu.