SFU Groups - FAQs

OVERVIEW

This article lists the frequently asked questions for SFU Groups.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL
I'm new to SFU. Where should I start with Group Management?
We recommend reading the Introduction to Group Management and Comparison Chart for a better understanding on how groups are used at SFU. If you wish to explore options for emailing services at SFU, visit Email Distribution Lists.
What are the different group types?
In SFU Groups, groups are used to organize users who have similar roles or responsibilities. Think of a group as a team or a club: when you add users to a group, you can manage their access to resources and privileges all at once, instead of doing it individually for each user. There are two types SFU Groups:
 
Exchange Distribution Group:
Exchange Distribution Groups (EDGs, or distribution groups) is a feature of Microsoft Exchange (SFU's email system) that allows a user to send messages to a list of SFU email addresses, or to members of other SFU Groups, all at once. For more details, visit Requst a Group (Exchange Distribution).
 
Security Group:
Security groups (or reference groups) are used for security or access control to services or resources. Security groups contain a list of SFU members and can be synced to multiple services or resources to provide access, assign privileges or provision licensing. For more information, visit Request a Security Group (Reference Group).
What is Direct and Indirect membership type?
While viewing groups in SFU Groups, you may see that members are listed as direct or indirect members.
 
Direct Member:
If you add an individual or another group as a member to your group, the individual/group is classified as a direct member to your group.
 
Indirect Member:
Adding another group (a "nested" or "child" group) to your group will automatically populate all the individuals from the "nested/child" group. These individuals will appear on your group membership and are classified as indirect members to your group.

 

EXCHANGE DISTRIBUTION GROUPS

What is an exchange distribution group?
Exchange Distribution Groups (EDGs, or distribution groups) is a feature of Microsoft Exchange (SFU's email system) that allows a user to send messages to a list of SFU email addresses, or to members of other SFU Groups, all at once. For more details, visit Requst a Group (Exchange Distribution).
How do I add or remove managers on Exchange Distribution groups?
If you are a manager of a group, you can add or remove other managers by adding or removing members on the 'group managers' privilege tab.
Can I set a Manager to not receive email?
Yes. As long as a group manager is also not a group member, they will not receive emails on the distribution group.
Can I set my Exchange Distribution Group to receive email outside of SFU?
Yes. You can adjust this under Edit Distribution Group Settings and set it to be a Public group
 
Note: Know that this also increases the likelihood to receive spam emails.
Can I add a security group (Reference Group) as a member of my Exchange Distribution Group?
Yes. This is ideal for very large or complicated distribution groups. Such groups may benefit from having automated memberships or auto-populated groups.
Can I use an Exchange Distribution Group with SimpleList?
Technically, yes, as long as you have enabled the group to be public. You can adjust this under Edit Distribution Group Settings and set it to be a Public group
 
Note: Know that there isn’t no self-unsubscribe for Exchange Distribution Groups.
Can I use an Exchange Distribution Group with Campaigner?
Technically, yes, as long as you have enabled the group to be public. You can adjust this under Edit Distribution Group Settings and set it to be a Public group.
 
Note: Know that if someone from the distribution group clicks "unsubscribe" on the Campaigner email, the entire distribution group will be unsubscribed.
How do I rename my Exchange Distribution Group?
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to rename Exchange Distribution Groups once it has been created. We recommend simply requesting a new Exchange Distribution Group with the corrected name.
 
In rare cases where you need to have an existing Exchange Distribution Group renamed, request a support ticket using Group Management - Submit Question or Inquiry.
How do I delete my Exchange Distribution Group?
Any deletion requests for Exchange Distribution Groups will need to be done by our Identity team. Request a support ticket using Group Management - Submit Question or Inquiry.

 

SECURITY GROUPS

What is a security group?
Security groups (or reference groups) are used for security or access control to services or resources. Security groups contain a list of SFU members and can be synced to multiple services or resources to provide access, assign privileges or provision licensing. For more information, visit Request a Security Group (Reference Group).
How do I add or remove managers on Security groups?
Only Grouper IT admins can add or remove managers on security groups. 
 
Contact your department's IT staff (or the individual who has originally created the group on your behalf) to make the adjustments. If you are unsure, request a support ticket using Group Management - Submit Question or Inquiry.
What are Group Reviews and why am I getting emails?
A group review (or attestation) refers to the periodic review to certify that their membership is accurate and up-to-date, and that the group is still required or in-use on SFU Groups.
 
To ensure that security groups don't become stale, group reviews happen every 100 days to follow a semester (once per term/semester) and email notifications are sent to group managers to review and certify their groups are accurate and are still in-use.
 
If you happen to manage many groups, you may receive multiple "group review" emails throughout the week.
 
If you are no longer supposed to be a manager of the group, or the group is no longer needed, contact your department's IT staff (or the individual who has originally created the group on your behalf) to make any modifications your security group. If you are unsure, request a support ticket using Group Management - Submit Question or Inquiry.
How do I rename my Security Group?
Unfortunately, renaming security groups after it has been created can sever its connection with other SFU systems and cause additional problems. We recommend against renaming security groups unless there's a clear reason to do so.
 
In rare cases where you need to have a security group renamed, contact your department's IT staff (or the individual who has originally created the group on your behalf) to rename your security group. If you are unsure, request a support ticket using Group Management - Submit Question or Inquiry.
How do I delete my Security Group?
Contact your department's IT staff (or the individual who has originally created the group on your behalf) to delete your security group. If you are unsure, request a support ticket using Group Management - Submit Question or Inquiry.

 

TROUBLESHOOTING

Why am I not receiving emails from an Exchange Distribution Group?

The two common reasons for not receiving emails from an Exchange Distribution Group:

  • Double-check that you are a member of the group. Group Managers wanting to receive email need to also be included as a member.
  • You sent your email too quickly before membership changes have been synced. If you recently made changes to your group membership, you will need to wait an additional 30 minutes for the changes to fully sync to Microsoft servers.
Why do I see "Entity not found" in the membership of my group?
This is because someone (usually another manager) has added another group as a member to your group. Because you don't have view permissions to the added group, it appears as "entity not found" on your side.
Why aren't changes applied to my security group or distribution group?
If you are making changes to Exchange Distribution Groups or security groups linked to a Microsoft service (e.g., Teams, SharePoint), you will need to wait an additional 30 minutes for your changes to fully sync to Microsoft servers.

 

NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT?

For additional assistance, request a support ticket using Group Management - Submit Question or Inquiry.

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