Aliases Tab
This tab, which appears on the Mailbox Properties dialog, is used to configure mailbox aliases in Mailtraq.
Aliases for this mailbox
To add an alias, enter the alias at the end of the existing list. To edit an existing alias select it and overtype with the necessary amendments. To delete an entry, select the relevant entry and press the delete key.
Note
If a user name only is entered, for example 'bob' (without the quotes), Mailtraq assumes that the user is local - that is, that the address value of LOCALHOST should be appended when evaluating mailbox alias entries during the Mail Routing process. Wherever possible, however, fully qualified addresses should be used, for example 'bob@example.com' instead of 'bob' to avoid ambiguity.
Using Mailbox Aliases
A mailbox alias is simply an alternative name for a mailbox. For example, if a mailbox has an address of 'mybox@example.com' and a mailbox alias of 'sales' then messages addressed to both 'mybox@example.com' and 'sales@example.com' are delivered to that mailbox. Mailslot names, and therefore mailslot addresses, must be unique in Mailtraq however an alias can appear in multiple mailslots and each mailslot can have an unlimited number of mailbox aliases. Mailbox aliases are case insensitive, thus 'mybox', 'MyBox' and 'MYbox' are identical for mail routing purposes in Mailtraq.
Note: the alias names used here are all quoted, 'alias' for example, to distinguish them from surrounding text. Mailbox aliases must not be quoted in this manner when they are entered into an Aliases tab.
Mailbox aliases can be configured in the Aliases tab of the Mailbox Properties dialog, on the Aliases tab of the Mailing List Properties dialog and on the Aliases tab of the Archive Properties dialog and behave identically in all three mailslot types.
Creating Mailbox Aliases
Mailbox aliases are often exactly the same as an existing mailbox name (but can also be created uniquely) and mail addressed to them is delivered to the mailslot in which they appear. Mail addressed to 'foo@example.com', where 'example.com' is the Domain Name, can be received in any mailslot in the console by adding 'foo' to the appropriate Aliases Tab.
Tip: Use 'secondary mailboxes'
Your Mailtraq license controls how many Primary mailboxes you have available, but you can create an unlimited number of 'Secondary Mailboxes' owned by a User. You can create sophisticated sorting regimes using a combination of Secondary Mailboxes, Aliases, Filters and Forwarding.
Mailslot Naming
Examples
The flexibility of mailbox aliases can be exploited in many ways, One example is the construction of simple mailing lists. If ten mailboxes in Mailtraq all have a mailbox alias of 'sales' and the Domain Name is 'example.com', each of those mailboxes will receive a copy of any mail addressed to 'sales@example.com'. A similar simple grouping system could also be constructed for all managers using a 'managers' alias and multiple alias entries can be employed where functions coincide. The sales manager, for example, could have aliases of 'sales' and 'managers'.
Aliases can also help to ensure that the adverse affects of simple addressing errors are reduced, particularly in internal mail systems. Consider the example of Bob Smith whose correct address is 'bob_smith@example.com'. Adding aliases to that mailbox of 'robert_smith' and 'smith_robert' provide a simple and effective means of helping to ensure that even poorly addressed mail reaches an appropriate destination.
Some users employ multiple personalities for their messaging activities. Internally, for example, they might be addressed as 'sales_manager@example.com' but externally as 'robert_smith@example.com'. Many users on the Internet adopt identities which reflect the informal nature of that network, 'bob@example.com', for example. Employing aliases of 'robert_smith' and 'bob' in the 'sales_manager' mailbox enables all mail for that person to be collected to a single point and reduces the administrative load on the mail server by requiring less mailboxes and by eliminating unnecessary routing between mailboxes.
Mailbox Aliases and Mail Routing
Whenever possible, mailbox aliases should be used for routing mail copies to local addresses in preference to mailbox forwarding because aliases make more efficient use of the Mail Routing process in Mailtraq. For example, if the mailbox 'sally@example.com' forwards copies of received mail to 'bob@example.com', Mailtraq must route the same message twice. If, however, an alias of 'sally' is added to the 'bob@example.com' mailbox, Mailtraq can perform all the necessary routing in one pass when handling the incoming message.
Configuration Tip
Aliases File
Mailtraq also offers advanced alias configuration via the Aliases File which provides powerful and flexible address forwarding which alters RCPT routing fields during mail routing in a manner similar to the Address Re-writing facility. The aliases file (with no extension) must be implemented as a plain ASCII file and stored in the \database\configuration folder. There is no user interface for the aliases file in the console. Read more here ...
