Many find setting up email and voice mail absence notifications a convenient way to manage your messages. It helps inform anyone trying to contact you that you're on vacation.

To set up an email notification message for your UC Davis account, a tool is available on the Web. To use it, you will need the following:

• A UCD LoginID (i.e., the name you use to access the campus network).
  To verify your LoginID, go to http://mothra.ucdavis.edu/cgi-bin/services/index.cgi and click on "Check the Status of Your LoginID."

• A Kerberos password.
  To create a Kerberos password, go to http://mothra.ucdavis.edu/passwords/. If you need to create a Kerberos password, allow 24 hours for it to take effect. To verify or change your password, select the appropriate menu item on the Web page above.

• Your campus email server name (blue, green, scarlet, purple, yellow, magenta, or mailbox).
  To check which server you have been assigned, go to http://email.ucdavis.edu/forms/mailid.html and enter your MailID (i.e., the set of characters before the @ucdavis.edu in your email address). The name of one of the email servers will appear after the @ symbol on the line which reads "Mailbox (POP Account)".

When you're ready to set up the notification message (and to disable it upon your return), go to http://email.ucdavis.edu/forms/vacation_setup.html. You will be prompted to enter your UCD LoginID and your Kerberos password. If you have any questions about the email notification tool, contact the UC Davis Postmaster at postmaster@ucdavis.edu. Other possible options include setting up another email program at your vacation destination or using Web-based email. UC Davis is investigating a possible Web-based email solution. In the meantime, you could use Geckomail to check UC Davis email. To learn more about how to check your email away from home, see the UC Davis email Web site at http://email.ucdavis.edu/vacation.html.

If you subscribe to a UC Davis voice mail plan, follow these steps to create an extended absence greeting:

1. Dial your mailbox at 2-8629 from campus or (530) 752-8629 from off-campus and enter your password.
2. Select option 4, Personal Options, from the Main Menu.
3. Select option 3, Record Greetings, from the Personal Options menu.
4. Select option 2, Create an Extended Absence Greeting, from the Record Greetings menu.
5. Record your greeting.

From then on, whenever you check messages, the voice mail system will give you the option to retain or delete the extended absence greeting.

Depending on whether you have the basic voice mailbox or the advanced feature pack, the maximum number of days that new messages will be stored is 14 with basic or 21 with the advanced pack, respectively. The maximum number of messages that a voice mailbox can hold is 30 or 50, respectively.

For more information on voice mail and its capabilities, refer to your VoiceMail User Guide or contact the Communications Resources Network Services Center at (530) 752-4603.