Chapter 9. Managing Mail Aliases

The Messaging Server allows mail users to create email aliases. A mail alias name represents a group of users (or other aliases) that is translated by the Messaging Server into a list of email addresses. Mail aliases are similar to email distribution lists in that both allow you to refer to many addresses by one name. However, aliases are different from distribution lists in two significant ways:

For shared groupings of users, aliases are much more efficient and powerful than distribution lists.

Use the Preferences Manager to view and manage mail alias information. In the Aliases menu, click on:

Your Aliases 

Displays all aliases of which you are an Owner (that is, aliases which you created or manage) or a Member (that is, aliases to which you subscribe).

From this screen, you can also:

Modify 

Change the description and membership restrictions for an alias you own.

Members 

Add or remove yourself from an Open alias, or add and remove members from a Restricted alias if you are the owner.

Owners 

Add or remove owners for an alias you own.

Delete 

Delete the alias if you are an owner.

Find Alias 

Search for an alias in your mail domain. You can enter a full or partial word to be found in the Alias or Name fields.

When you click on Show All, it lists all aliases in your mail domain, sorted by Alias.

Note: If you have large numbers of users or aliases on your Messaging Server, it may take some time to load the display, and the display may occupy many screens.

To become a member of an alias that is:

Open 

Click on Add Yourself in the Alias View screen. You cannot add other members unless you are also an owner.

Restricted 

You must contact one of the alias owners.

Create Alias 

Create a new alias (required entries are marked with asterisks "*"):

*Alias 

A unique identification name for the alias, appended with the name of your mail domain under which the alias resides.

Description 

The description of the mail alias. Example: "The Company Glee Club".

*Owner 

The email address(es) of owner(s) of the alias; there must always be at least one owner. By default, when you create an alias, you are automatically listed as an owner and a member. Multiple owners are permitted, each of whom has the ability to modify alias attributes, add and remove owners, and delete the alias. Only existing owners can add or remove other owners; if an alias is restricted, only owners can add or remove members.

*Membership 

Radio buttons indicating whether the alias is Open or Restricted; the default is Open. You can add or remove yourself to or from an Open alias, but you cannot add or remove others from an Open alias unless you are also an owner. To add or remove yourself to or from Restricted aliases, you must ask the owner(s).

*Member(s) 

The email address(es) of members of the alias. At least one member must be added, in a comma-separated list. Members can be entered as:

  • User IDs (if in the current mail domain ).

  • aliases (if in the current mail domain ). A mail alias can contain the names of other aliases.

  • complete email addresses (if in a different mail domain).

In addition to manually entering individual names, you can also click on Browse to view lists of users and aliases in the current domain. To add a user or alias to the new alias, click on Add and close the Browse window when you have finished selecting new members.

Note: If you have large numbers of users or aliases on your Messaging Server, it may take some time to load the display, and the display may occupy many screens.

When you have entered all required and optional information, click on Create to enter the new alias information.