Trial Zimbra server setup advice

[adepaolis]

I am trying to get the zimbra server installed to run alongside our exchange server for a select few trial users. So that the zimbra server is synched to the users exchange account.

Here are the details:

I have installed ubuntu 8.04 with zimbra 5 network trial which has a 60 day trial.

The zimbra server has this config:

hostname: zmail.xyz.local
ip: 192.168.1.2
dns: 192.168.1.25

Our exchange 2000 server has this config:

hostname: exch.xyz.local
ip: 192.168.1.3
dns: 192.168.1.25

I don't have a split dns configuration, just 1 zone xyz.local. The reason is because we don't host our internet domain xyz.com, our web provider is setup to do so and the mx record is setup on their dns server and points to our routers external interface.

I have created the user account user1@zmail.xyz.local and logged in as the user. I was able to send email. Emails originating from the zimbra server have the domain zmail.xyz.local. I am able to send email to any domain, including my companies exchange users xyz.com. I have setup the users exchange account as an external account using imap to download email from our companies exchange server.

I would like the reply-to address on emails originating from the zimbra server to be my companies domain xyz.com instead of zmail.xyz.local. I tried to add the domain xyz.com in the zimbra admin console, and then proceeded to edit the domain on the email account user1@zmail.xyz.local to user1@xyz.com. The problem with this is, emails originating from the zimbra server to xyz.com dont go to the exchange server anymore as the zimbra server thinks its the primary domain for xyz.com. I still want emails originating from the zimbra server to go to our exchange users as only a select few users will be trying the zimbra server at this time. I guess I am just looking to edit the reply-to address.

Any help appreciated. Or suggestions on better setting this up a more correct way. Thanks

[ewilen]

Instead of creating the xyz domain in zimbra, have each user go into Preferences:Accounts and alter the From and Reply-to in their Primary Account settings. (Note: currently I don't think Zimbra Desktop handles this properly, only the web client.)

Now when they send to user@xyz.com, zimbra will know the mail isn't intended for a local domain and will send to the xyz.com mx, i.e., your exchange server.

You may also want to make it as transparent as possible to send email from your exchange users to your zimbra users. IMO, treating Exchange as an external account may or may not be the way to go. You might instead want to have Exchange auto-redirect mail from their Exchange accounts to their zimbra addresses.

[adepaolis]

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestions.

I went to Preferences | Accounts but it doesn't look as though zimbra will let me set the email address in the from field to user1@xyz.com. It is a drop down box and only allows me to select the email address user1@zmail.xyz.local. So emails originating from the Zimbra server have the from field now that looks like this:

From: user1@xyz.com [user1@zmail.xyz.local]

Zimbra did let me change the email address in the reply-to field to user1@xyz.com. So now if I were to reply to my zimbra mail from outlook, it defaults to user1@xyz.com.

I guess this is the closet thing I can do.

Now I need to setup the GAL to read the active directory and pull our company email addresses. Any insight on doing this part?

Thanks

[ewilen]

The From field looks like a drop down, but you can manually enter a value in the accompanying field, at least with Firefox 3. Reply-to may be 'good enough' though.

Sorry, I don't have any suggestions for getting the GAL to pull addresses from AD. You might have a look at this, though: https://zimbra.mprinc.com:7071/zimbr...list_(gal).htm

[dwmtractor]

I don't know if this will totally help you--the bit about mirroring the account I'm not so sure-- but this wiki article is specifically for setting up a Zimbra server in the same domain as another server (exchange or otherwise) and doing a stepwise migration:

Split Domain - Zimbra :: Wiki