Google Apps split delivery for domain

[Vliegtuig]

We host our own company on our WHM server and are currently switchting to Google Apps.

90% of the email addresses on this domain are to be migrated to Google Apps, but the remaining 10% are to be used by our ticketing system, for example, and don't need to be migrated.

Google Apps facilitates this by offering split delivery. I have now setup this correctly, but the problem is that WHM will not accept mail as long as I have it configured as a Remote MX Exchanger.

Changing to a Backup MX Exchanger will also not work.

Local MX will work, but when sending mail to a Google Apps account from our WHM server, the email will never leave the server.

How can I go about to solve this problem?

[cPanelTristan]

How did Backup MX Exchanger not function in this regard? You would have to ensure to have the cPanel machine as one of the MX records (the secondary priority record), then ensure the domain is both in /etc/secondarymx and /etc/remotedomains files.

The way it should then work would be that the domain will only accept messages to the cPanel machine if it cannot reach the primary MX record and hold those emails in the queue until the primary MX is available and deliver those messages at that point. This does not split the delivery precisely, it only serves as a backup mail exchanger.

[Vliegtuig]

Hi Tristan,

The problem is that we need *some* emails to deliver to our Cpanel server, and *some* to Google Apps. Google apps provides for this by forwarding the mail to the server. No additional MX-records are needed for this.

The current problem seems to exist within my WHM mailserver configuration. We receive mail perfectly fine, but when clients of ours that use our WHM mailserver try to mail us, the mail will be delivered locally and not forwarded to the mail server.

[sirdopes]

From what it sounds like, it probably won't work when sending it locally from the server. Your server should be setup to accept mail for your domain and your mx records point to google. Google forwards the email to your server which accepts it. You will probably need a custom router that forwards email to google if the email is not coming from their ip address. Another option would be to just create a forwarder and accept mail on your server for a subdomain like ticksts@tickets.domain.com.

[Vliegtuig]

Hmm this is quite problematic.

I currently have our domain configured as a local MX, with the MX actually pointing to Google Apps. Google Apps will forward the mail to my server if the account is not known. This all works just fine.

I currently experience two problems:

1. Mail sent through daemons to our @company.com domain will never leave the server
2. Mail sent by client by clients that use our WHM mail gateway directed to @company.com will never leave the server

Is there *any* way I can solve this problem?

[SoftDux]

Hi,

Did you ever get this working?

[Vliegtuig]

Hi SoftDux,

I did, as a matter of fact, albeit through a hacky solution:

* I have configured my domain (domain #1) as a 'Local Mail Exchanger'
* I have setup MX-records for my domain to point to Google
* I have added an email routing destination from my Google Apps dashboard, pointing to my server IP
* I have configured email routing in Google Apps for 'unknown accounts only'
* I have setup an additional domain (domain #2) on my server, acting as a remote MX. The MX-records point to Google as well. I have also configured this domain as a domain alias in Google apps.
* I have created local e-mail accounts for the non Google users on domain #1.
* I have created forwarders for Google Apps users on my domain #1, pointing to domain #2. (Otherwise, outbound email from my server to the domain #1 would be impossible)

How this works now:

* Non Google Apps email is sent to Google, marked as 'unknown', then forwarded to my server IP, which receives it locally.
* Google Apps email just works
* The forwarders are in place to make sure I can still send mail from my server to my primary domain.

[SoftDux]

mmmm, sounds like a lot of trouble it something goes wrong inbetween. But, at least you got it working

[rafael_josem]

Hi SoftDux,

I did, as a matter of fact, albeit through a hacky solution:

* I have configured my domain (domain #1) as a 'Local Mail Exchanger'
* I have setup MX-records for my domain to point to Google
* I have added an email routing destination from my Google Apps dashboard, pointing to my server IP
* I have configured email routing in Google Apps for 'unknown accounts only'
* I have setup an additional domain (domain #2) on my server, acting as a remote MX. The MX-records point to Google as well. I have also configured this domain as a domain alias in Google apps.
* I have created local e-mail accounts for the non Google users on domain #1.
* I have created forwarders for Google Apps users on my domain #1, pointing to domain #2. (Otherwise, outbound email from my server to the domain #1 would be impossible)

How this works now:

* Non Google Apps email is sent to Google, marked as 'unknown', then forwarded to my server IP, which receives it locally.
* Google Apps email just works
* The forwarders are in place to make sure I can still send mail from my server to my primary domain.

Oh my God, it works! You're a Genius. Thank you very much!!

My hosting company support told me it was impossible!