Setting Up A Split Domain

What is a split domain?

A split domain is when your domain is shared between two mail servers; with some users at your domain on one mail server and other users at your domain on a different mail server.

When a domain has been split between two servers, email sent to users of the same domain, yet outside of the hosted Exchange environment, will bounce. The Exchange server will only look within the Exchange server environment to determine where to deliver mail. Not recognizing the email address, it rejects it.

Below is typical error code associated with a split domain problem:

Your message did not reach some or all of the intended recipients. Subject: RE: reports for ABCXYX Sent: 04/18/2005 9:20AM The following recipient (s) could not be reached: JohnQUser@YourDomain.com on 04/18/2005 9:21 AM The e-mail account does not exist at the organization this message was sent to. Check the e-mail address, or contact the recipient directly to find out the correct address. <MAIL007.mail.lan #5.1.1>

Once you have changed your MX records to point to our Exchange server you will not be able to email anyone at your domain that is not on our server.

When is it useful to have a split domain?
It is useful to have a split domain when:

1. You are planning on migrating your users to our hosted Exchange environment over a long period of time - also known as a 'slow migration'.
   
   
2. Only a partial number of your users require the need for a hosted Exchange environment, while others at your company do not.

What options do you have?

1. The easiest and most seamless option is for Exchange Support to reconfigure your domain so that the Exchange server redirects all unresolved email addresses at your domain to your current mail server. There is a one-time setup fee of $20.00 for the manual setup. Send an email to support with the following information:
   • Company name
   • Domain name
   • Name of second email server
   
   
   NOTE: Your MX records will need to direct to your current mail server.
   
   
2. If each user on your current mail server has an alternate email alias that is not part of your domain, you can set up a forward from our system to the user. (Similar to the forwarding you can setup from the current mail server to us using the company.user@123together.com email aliases).

 

Questions? Call us at (800) 967-3924 or send an email to our support team.