Gmail Apps example for domains hosted at Pair.com

Updated April 2, 2012

These instructions are no longer relevent to the new Google Apps setup.  Google Apps is now much easier to set up than it used to be.

I would like to show you how easy it can be to migrate your customer's email service to Google Apps (Gmail).

Please read and understand these caveats:

A. This is a summary of the steps that I use to move a customer's email service. This is not an exhaustive list of instructions. These might not be the best steps for you.

B. This is an example of the simplest possible scenario for migrating a customer's email service. This example customer has one email account for his domain name.  Email sent to this account is forwarded to the customer's personal email address (Hotmail, for example). For customers with multiple accounts and POP or IMAP requirements, things are still easy but will be more complicated.

C. This document is a work in progress. It was originally posted at http://www.allbrevard.com/pair/gmail.instructions.html

* You will need to save some important security information that should never be lost. This information is indicated below with an asterisk.

Instructions:

1. Sign up for Google Apps Standard Edition:
http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new
Select the "Administrator" option. Click "Get Started"

2. Enter your Customer's Name. Enter YOUR valid business email address. Enter other Customer data as needed. Click "Continue".

3. Enter an unused email address for the Customer's domain. You may make up any address* but remember it. Enter a long complex password*. I always use a long combination of letters and numerals. Click "I accept Continue with set up"

4. Follow the simple directions for verifying ownership of your domain. You have now created your main Administrator account. You will receive an email*  from Google and you should keep it.

5. Click "Dashboard". Click "Activate Email". Bookmark this page or make a note of the MX Server address settings, you will need these later. Click "I have completed this step". It is OK to do this now. We'll change the MX records later.

6. Click "Domain Settings". Type some simple instructions in the "User support" box. I usually just type something like "Need help? Please call Warren". Check the box: "Enable SSL". Click "Save Changes"

7. Click "Organizations & Users", Click "Create a new user", enter Customer's name and the domain's public email address. Create a password for your Customer. Do not use the same password as the Administrator account. Click "Create new user"

8. Click the new user's name, Add one or more "Nicknames" (alises) if needed. Your customer will receive mail addressed to the aliases (info@example.com, info2@example.com). Do not allow your customer to have Administrative privileges at this time. You have now created your main Customer account.

9. Click "Inbox" in the upper right and sign in to the Administrator account that you have just created. Click "Settings". Click "Labels". Enter a unique Label name* in the input box. Click "Create". This step can help you verify your ownership if you ever lose control of the account.

10. Click the label that indicates "POP/IMAP". Select button: "Disable POP". Click "Save Changes"

11. Click "Sign Out". Sign in the new Customer account that you created. Click "Settings". Click "Filters". Click "Create a new filter".

12. Click "Forwarding AND POP/IMAP". Enter your Customer's personal email address. Your customer will be sent a verification email and he must respond to it. Click "Disable POP". Click "Save Changes" You are now finished with your Google Apps setup.

13. In the Pair ACC, click "Domain Name Management". Click Customer's domain. Click "Custom DNS Records". Click "Add New Custom DNS Records".

14. Using the settings from Step 5, create an MX record for each setting. Note that the some of the recommended Priority numbers from google don't match up with Pair's Preference options. This is not a problem, simply use "25" instead of "20" and use "50" instead of "30".

Your customer's new Google Apps service should be active within a hour or so. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes. You can verify the MX settings for your new Customer email address here:
http://www.webmaster-toolkit.com/mx-record-lookup.shtml

You can also look up the MX information from the command line: dig example.com mx +noall +answer

I believe that the instructions in this example offer you a secure way to migrate your Customer's email service to Google Apps. You've saved some information (the information indicated with the asterisk) that will help you to regain control of the new Administrative account in case the account is hijacked.

I've done so many of these that I can usually complete this entire process in less than 10 minutes. Remember that this example is for a very simple scenario; one Customer, with one domain and email Forwarding enabled.

If you would like to suggest some changes to this example, please let me know. Good luck and enjoy your independence from email management at Pair.com. That's all for now...

Warren Dodd

All Brevard Web Sites