Introduction
The MailDoor multi-domain mail clerk works with the Apple Internet Mail Server (AIMS) to sort incoming mail by domain name and to forward that mail to the appropriate accounts for each domain. MailDoor enables e-mail addresses within different domains to have the same name, allowing your server to have, for instance, one "Webmaster" address and one "Info" address for each domain. MailDoor is a standalone application which works by sorting mail received by AIMS and then passing that mail back to AIMS for forwarding.
Dividing up your AIMS accounts
Before configuring MailDoor, you need to divide your current AIMS accounts into two categories. The first category, which we will call MailDoor accounts, is those accounts which you want MailDoor to act as a clerk for. Accounts in this category will generally be functional names like "Webmaster" and "Info" which you want to be forwarded differently for different domains. Other possible accounts in this category include common account names like "John" that might occur in multiple domains.
The second category of AIMS accounts is those accounts which are not to be handled by MailDoor (non-MailDoor accounts). Such accounts include accounts which users will need to log in to directly, "mailing list" accounts, and accounts forwarded elsewhere directly by AIMS. Non-MailDoor accounts should be accounts which are only to be used under one domain name.
Configuring AIMS for MailDoor accounts
Once you have determined which accounts you wish MailDoor to handle, you must configure AIMS to pass MailDoor all e-mail sent to those accounts. AIMS passes e-mail to MailDoor by placing that mail in a special folder which MailDoor checks periodically. This folder, the MailDoor input folder, must be on the boot volume of your Macintosh. It can be named anything you would like.
For each MailDoor account, you must configure AIMS to save mail for that account to the MailDoor input folder. You do so by configuring these accounts using the AIMS "Save as files..." forwarding option for each account, as shown below, and specifying the MailDoor input folder as the place to save the files.
As shown above, generally you will wish to disable login for each MailDoor account, since mail to such accounts is forwarded and not read directly using the account name. Since login to the account is disabled, you do not need to specify other parameters like password. If a user was previously reading e-mail using a MailDoor account, you will need to give that user a new account name at which to read e-mail, and then use MailDoor to forward e-mail as appropriate to that new account name.
Configuring AIMS for multiple domains
If you have not already done so, you must configure AIMS to accept mail for multiple domains. You must tell AIMS the name of each domain for which it should accept mail through the "Preferences" item of the Server menu. Simply enter each domain name into the "Server names" box as shown and hit the "Add" button. You must quit and restart AIMS after entering new domain names.
Configuring your DNS for multiple domains
For mail to a particular domain to be passed over the Internet to AIMS and then on to MailDoor, your domain name server (DNS) must be set up correctly for that domain. Specifically there must be an MX record for the domain, listing the AIMS' machine's IP address as the mail server for that domain. If you have not already set up such a record, see Appendix 2 for some suggestions on how to do so, or consult your network administrator.
Running and configuring MailDoor
Once you have set up MailDoor accounts in AIMS, and configured AIMS and your DNS for multiple domains, double-click the MailDoor application to start it up. When first run, MailDoor will display a dialog asking you to select a folder to act as its input folder. This is the folder that MailDoor checks periodically for mail from AIMS. It must be on the boot volume.
After you have selected the input folder, MailDoor displays a blank list of the domains that it will be handling mail for. Use the "New" button underneath this domain name list to enter a new domain name. Once a domain name is entered, MailDoor puts that name into the domain name list and activates the forwarding list to the right of the domain name list. This forwarding list is used to tell MailDoor how to forward mail sent to the associated domain. Use the "New" button under the forwarding list to enter specific account names which MailDoor should forward mail for. Hitting this "New" button brings up a dialog which allows you to enter the account name (such as "Webmaster") and the associated e-mail address to forward mail to.
Go through each domain name for which you want MailDoor to process mail, and enter forwarding information for all accounts which you want forwarded within that domain. When you are finished, your domain name list should generally match the list entered into the "Server names" box in the AIMS Preferences dialog.
The forwarding list for each domain should include a subset of all the MailDoor accounts you configured into AIMS previously.
MailDoor in operation
Once you run MailDoor and tell it the path to its input folder, MailDoor will periodically monitor the input folder for mail being passed to it by AIMS. When it detects a piece of mail, it looks at the mail's destination address. Assuming the address indicates a domain name and an e-mail address within that domain for which it has been configured, MailDoor forwards the message to the indicated account. MailDoor forwards a message simply by removing that message from the MailDoor input folder and passing the message back to AIMS for forwarding to the new address.
If MailDoor encounters an e-mail message destined for a domain name or an account name for which it has not been configured, MailDoor can take a variety of actions, as indicated in the Reference section. MailDoor's default behavior, however, will be to leave that message in its input folder, periodically reprocessing the message in case you have configured it with new forwarding information which allows the message to be forwarded.
You can change MailDoor's configuration at any time, simply by entering new information as indicated in the Reference section. Changes to MailDoor's configuration take effect immediately. Quitting MailDoor terminates all forwarding operations until MailDoor is run again.
Setting MailDoor to run at start up time
You probably want to set MailDoor so that it runs automatically every time your server is restarted. To do so, simply put an alias to the MailDoor application in the startup items folder within your system folder.
