Bboard Frequently Asked Questions

I want to read an Internet mailing list, but I don't want to receive the messages in my INBOX. Can Computing Services create a bboard for these messages?
Mailing lists distributed across the Internet can be subscribed to Cyrus bulletin boards. Typically mailing lists are subscribed to bboards in the internet.* tree.

Computing Services encourages you to subscribe mailing lists to bboards instead of subscribing directly to the lists. This eases the load on our mail servers and on you. (The mail servers only receive one copy of the mailing list messages rather than copies to multiple users; and, you have access to read the messages without cluttering your Inbox. )

Please email your request to including the information outlined in the How to Request a Bboard section.

How do I request a private club bboard?
Computing Services does not provide private (read or posting restricted) bboards for student organizations. However, organizations can set up their own private bboards in the club's email space on Cyrus.

How do I set up a Private Cyrus bboard?
Any club that has been recognized by Student Senate may request a club account and a Cyrus mailbox. To do this, send mail to including the information outlined in the How to Request a Bboard section.

Clubs that already have an account, but do not have a Cyrus mailbox may request a mailbox the same way. The club account administrators will have full access to this mailbox, and may grant access to others to read, post, and delete messages. The account administrators may also create new folders inside the organization's Cyrus mailbox. This is the recommended way to set up a private bboard for a club.

How do I create a new graffiti or assocs bboard?
If you want to create a new cyrus bboard, you must use either Webmail, Outlook, Entourage or cyradm, a mail system admininstration program that runs on UNIX and Linux. Pine will only allow you to create personal Mailboxes.

To create a bboard using Webmail:

1. Launch Webmail.
2. Subscribe to the graffiti or assocs bboard. For more information, see the Bboards section of the Webmail: Using document.
3. Click the Folders link.
4. Under Create a Folder type the name of the bboard you want to create.
5. From the as a subfolder of drop-down, choose graffiti or assocs.
6. Click Create.

To create a bboard using Outlook:

1. Start Outlook and connect to Cyrus.
2. If a graffiti or assocs folder is not displayed:
   • Right click your INBOX and choose IMAP Folders.
   • Select the All tab.
   • Type graffiti or assocs in the Display folders whose name contains field and click Query.
   • Select graffiti or assocs from the list and click Subscribe.
3. Right click the graffiti folder and choose New Folder.
4. Title the folder to describe the bboard you want to create.

To create a bboard using Entourage:

1. Start Entourage and click the Cyrus Mail server. A list of folders will appear on the right.
2. Locate the graffiti or assocs folder.
3. CTRL click the graffit or assocs folder.
4. From the pop-up menu choose New Subfolder.
5. Title the folder to describe the bboard you want to create.

Using cyradm to create a new bboard:

1. Launch a telnet session and open a connection to unix.andrew.cmu.edu or linux.andrew.cmu.edu
2. At the system prompt, type cyradm mail1.
3. At the mail1.andrew.cmu.edu> prompt, type:
   create graffiti.bboardname
   or
   create assocs.bboardname
   where bboard name is the name of the new bboard you want to create.
4. Type quit to quit cyradm.