Zimbra on a reseller or shared hosting account

[gigapros_admin]

Hello,

We read the document and found the architecture of Multi-Server Configuration setup for Zimbra.
However, for setting up MTA, it is mentioned the MTA must be configured in DNS with both an A record and an MX Record. Could you please confirm this MX record is just for the main server on which we are configuring the multi-server environment and not for individual customer domains on that shared environment who will be using it for managing their emails through Zimbra.

Thanks.

[gigapros_admin]

Hello,

Can we have an update on this, please?

Thanks.

[L. Mark Stone]

The Zimbra server need not be the MX for the default domain you configure during installation. So long as the nameservers in /etc/resolv.conf can find an MX for the default domain, Zimbra will be OK.

All Zimbra servers do need to be able to resolve their actual IP address via an A record and ideally a matching PTR record (as well as having a static entry in /etc/hosts). If the Zimbra server is NAT'd, you'll need to set up a BIND9 instance that resolves the RFC1918 private IP of the Zimbra server(s), so you won't be able to use Zimbra's bundled dnsmasq. ZImbra calls this "Split DNS" and there's a wiki article on setting this up.

Hope that helps,
Mark

[gigapros_admin]

Hello,

As per the below-quoted reply, please let us know what will be the DNS settings that we will have to use for a fresh Zimbra installation without any domain. Also how this can be accomplished.

And after that what will be the DNS settings for every domain we will be adding, so that one customer's email in domainA.com is totally separate from another customer's email in domainB.com.

Thanks.

====================

Hello,

Zimbra has always been multi-tenant; that's how Zimbra BSPs (Business Service Providers) like us domicile multiple customers' domains on a single Zimbra hosting farm with one LDAP realm -- securely, so that one customer's email in domainA.com is totally separate from another customer's email in domainB.com.

Further, Zimbra is very sensitive to DNS being configured accurately.

Hope that helps,
Mark

=====================

[L. Mark Stone]

Hello,

As per the below-quoted reply, please let us know what will be the DNS settings that we will have to use for a fresh Zimbra installation without any domain. Also how this can be accomplished.

And after that what will be the DNS settings for every domain we will be adding, so that one customer's email in domainA.com is totally separate from another customer's email in domainB.com.

Thanks.

====================

Hello,

Zimbra has always been multi-tenant; that's how Zimbra BSPs (Business Service Providers) like us domicile multiple customers' domains on a single Zimbra hosting farm with one LDAP realm -- securely, so that one customer's email in domainA.com is totally separate from another customer's email in domainB.com.

Further, Zimbra is very sensitive to DNS being configured accurately.

Hope that helps,
Mark

=====================

You cannot install Zimbra without a default domain.

As stated before, Zimbra keeps additional domains you configure separate, natively.

So let's say you want to install the Zimbra server as zmail.gigapros-mail.com. And let's say the Zimbra server is behind a NAT firewall with an IP address of 10.7.57.88. You'll need a DNS server listed in /etc/resolv.conf on the Zimbra server that resolves zmail.gigapros-mail.com to 10.7.57.88. You can do this by installing BIND9 on the Zimbra server itself if you wish. Be sure to configure in BIND9 an MX record for the gigapros-mail.com domain pointing to the Zimbra server. You'll also need to configure public DNS with an A record for zmail.gigapros-mail.com to whatever public IP address you've assigned to the Zimbra server. You can search for Zimbra "Split DNS" articles if you need more detail.

With that DNS configuration above, you'll be able to install Zimbra itself and log in to the end user and Admin Console interfaces over the public IP address of the server.

Next step is to add the domain customerA.com to Zimbra. Add the domain and the mailboxes and configure the MX record for customerA.com in public DNS to point to zmail.gigapros-mail.com. You're done.

Next customer: customerB.com. Same process as for Customer A: Add the customerB.com domain and the mailboxes to Zimbra and configure the MX record for customerB.com in public DNS to point to zmail.gigapros-mail.com. You're done.

Hope that helps,
Mark