Mailbox Names

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Mailbox Names

Choose mailbox names that are easy to identify. You may also want to consider coordinating mailbox naming conventions with the naming scheme used for Windows NT user accounts or for previous e-mail systems. If you are concerned about the sort order of display names for mailboxes in the Address Book, choose naming conventions accordingly. If you have several users with the same name, establish naming conventions that distinguish the users. For example, if two users in your organization have the same name, specify the users' department names in their display names to minimize confusion.

When you configure a mailbox, you must specify names for different fields.

Field Guideline Restrictions

First Name User's first name. Up to 16 characters;
can be changed.

Last Name User's last name. Up to 40 characters;
can be changed.

Alias Name Because some foreign e-mail systems restrict their e-mail addresses to less than 64 characters, use a short name to identify the user. The alias name should be easily recognizable and have some relationship to the user's name. For example, Maria Black's alias name might be mariabl. The Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program generates the directory name by using the first alias name specified for the mailbox. Up to 64 characters;
can be changed.

Display Name Use the mailbox name as you want it displayed in the Administrator window and in the Address Book. For example, you can use First Name, Last Name (Bill Lee), Last Name, First Name, Initial (Lee, Bill D.), or First Initial, Last Name (BLee). Be consistent so that all mailboxes are displayed in the same way. Up to 256 characters;
can be changed.

Directory Name By default, this name is generated by using the first alias name specified, but you can determine your own scheme for directory names. Up to 64 characters;
must be unique;
cannot be changed.

Field	Guideline	Restrictions
First Name	User's first name.	Up to 16 characters; can be changed.
Last Name	User's last name.	Up to 40 characters; can be changed.
Alias Name	Because some foreign e-mail systems restrict their e-mail addresses to less than 64 characters, use a short name to identify the user. The alias name should be easily recognizable and have some relationship to the user's name. For example, Maria Black's alias name might be mariabl. The Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program generates the directory name by using the first alias name specified for the mailbox.	Up to 64 characters; can be changed.
Display Name	Use the mailbox name as you want it displayed in the Administrator window and in the Address Book. For example, you can use First Name, Last Name (Bill Lee), Last Name, First Name, Initial (Lee, Bill D.), or First Initial, Last Name (BLee). Be consistent so that all mailboxes are displayed in the same way.	Up to 256 characters; can be changed.
Directory Name	By default, this name is generated by using the first alias name specified, but you can determine your own scheme for directory names.	Up to 64 characters; must be unique; cannot be changed.

You can create mailboxes for company resources, such as conference rooms. If you do this, keep in mind that the naming scheme you use determines how these resources are displayed and sorted in the Address Book. For example, the naming scheme for conference room mailboxes may be: conference room, building, (size of room). This will be displayed in the Address Book as: Tahoe conference room, 2A, (20).