To illustrate this, let me give you an example from the ZATZ world. Our primary Internet domain is ZATZ.com. Obviously, we want to get mail addressed to anyone@ZATZ.com. But we also want to allow readers to send in email at the domain names associated with our magazines, so that anyone@dominopower.com and anyone@connectedphotographer.com are also valid addresses and email is accepted by our Domino server for those addresses.

To set up virtual domains on your server, launch the Domino Administrator, navigate to the Configuration tab, expand the Messaging Group, and click on Domains, as shown in Figure A.

FIGURE A

If you dig around a bit, you'll eventually get to the Domains view. Click picture for a larger image.

I've already created our virtual domains, but if you don't already have a Global Domain, you'll need to add one by clicking the Add Domain button. This brings us to the lovely and talented Figure B.

FIGURE B

Start by creating Global Domain and naming it. Click picture for a larger image.

Edit this page (making sure you're on the Basics tab), and fill in the blanks just as I have. You'll want to set the Domain type to Global Domain, give it a name (I like "Virtual Domain Aliases" since it's a clear description), and set the other two fields as shown above.

Next, click the Restrictions tab shown in Figur C, enter your Domino domain (no, "ZATZ" will not work for you). Also, you might want to set the alias separator character to a comma, rather than an equals sign, simply to keep yourself from going batty.

FIGURE C

Enter your own Domino domain here. Click picture for a larger image.

The real meat of the action is on the Conversions tab. The first two fields, shown in Figure D, are the ones you're going to have the most fun with.

FIGURE D

List your main and virtual domains on this screen. Click picture for a larger image.

In the field "Local primary Internet domain," enter your main Internet domain. This is where your email will eventually land. For us, it's ZATZ.com.

Next, enter in, each on its own line, all your alternate domains into the field "Alternate Internet domain aliases." Don't worry, the field will expand to handle as many virtual domains as you can stick in there.

Finally, restart the Domino server and it'll start handling your new virtual domains right alongside your main domain. Pretty cool, eh?

That's it for the Domino setup part of the process. Assuming you've set up your DNS server and MX records to point to the Domino server, registered the domain names, and completed all the other non-Domino parts of the process (like giving out those email addresses to your friends, family, business partners, and the hottie at the gym), you should be good to go.

For more than 20 years, David Gewirtz, the author of Where Have All The Emails Gone? and The Flexible Enterprise, has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com.