Adding a New Domain

• Table of Contents
• Scope of Support
• Scope of this Document
• Sender Header
• From Address
• Bounce Address (Return-Path)
  • Configuring GreenArrow Studio to use the new Bounce Address
  • Configuring SimpleMH to use the new Bounce Address
  • Configuring Raw Injection to use the new Bounce Address
• Click and Open Tracking (URL Domains)
  • Configuring GreenArrow Studio to use the new Click and Open Tracking (URL) Domain
  • Configuring SimpleMH to use the new Click and Open Tracking Domain
• Reverse DNS

Scope of Support

Included in GreenArrow software support is support on configuring and using the software itself.

Properly adding a domain name requires:

1. Configuring the GreenArrow software to know about the new domain
2. Configuring DNS
3. Configuring email authentication
4. Registering for or updating feedback loops

Items 2 through 4 are outside of the scope of software support. If you would like us to completely manage adding a new domain name, please contact us for a quote.

Scope of this Document

There are a number areas where a new domain can be added in to GreenArrow Engine or Studio’s configuration. Each of these areas is listed below, along with the steps to follow.

The example DNS records that are included in this document use the syntax of DNS zone files. This style of formatting is used by the BIND DNS server, and some web based DNS management interfaces. Most managed DNS providers will understand zone file formatting. Feel free to contact GreenArrow technical support if you have any questions.

Sender Header

1. Decide whether to use a Sender header. If you’re able to post the DNS changes listed in the From address section below, then more likely than not, there won’t be a reason to use a Sender header. The most common reason for using a Sender header that it’s either impossible, or impractical to post the DNS records that are needed for DKIM authentication to take place based on the From address.
2. If you decide to use the Sender header, then complete the steps listed in the From address section below (or see the detailed setup steps here) for the domain that is to be used in the Sender header . Once this is done, you can skip the DKIM setup for the From address domain.

From Address

When selecting a From address, we recommend using a valid address that your subscribers will be able to easily associate back with where they signed up to receive mail from you. We recommend monitoring this address for replies.

You can use the steps below as a ‘high level’ guide if you’re already familiar with how to set these up, or you can see our detailed walkthrough here.

1. Configure DKIM, if applicable.
   1. DKIM signing usually takes place based on the domain used in the Sender header, if present. Otherwise, DKIM authentication usually takes place based on the domain used in the From address.
   2. The default signing behavior can be overwritten, if desired by following the instructions on the DKIM Signing for Other Domains and Selectors page.
   3. Update your DKIM based feedback loop registrations to include the new DKIM key, if applicable.

Bounce Address (Return-Path)

The Bounce Address, or Return-Path is the address that bounce messages are delivered to. Subscribers will usually not see this address, but setting it correctly is important, both because a valid value is required for bounce processing to work correctly, and because SPF authentication and other deliverability factors come into play.

1. Select a bounce address domain. If the selected domain is already receiving email at another server, email will no longer be delivered to the current mail server after changing the MX record to point to your GreenArrow Server. If this is an issue, then we recommend using a sub-domain instead. For example, if your email address is [email protected], you could use [email protected] as a bounce address. In this example, the bounce address domain is newsletter.example.com.
2. Configure the domain that was selected as either an Incoming Email Domain, or Aliased Incoming Email Domain.
3. Create a Bounce Mailbox for this domain name. We recommend using the name return for the bounce mailbox.

4. Create an MX record in DNS for the selected domain, which points to your GreenArrow Engine installation. This should be the only MX record for the domain. For example, if the bounce address domain is newsletter.example.com, and your GreenArrow Engine installation’s hostname is mailer.example.com, then the MX record would look like the following in a zone file:

   newsletter.example.com. MX 10 mailer.example.com.
   

5. Configure SPF authentication for the new bounce address domain. This should be the only SPF record for the domain.

Configuring GreenArrow Studio to use the new Bounce Address

Any bounce address that’s configured within Engine automatically becomes an option within GreenArrow Studio’s Bounce Email menu.

1. Assign the new Bounce Address to a test mailing list in GreenArrow Studio, add an invalid email address, such as [email protected] to the list, and send a campaign to the list.
2. Wait a few minutes for a bounce to be recorded in GreenArrow Studio’s stats for the test campaign that was sent out. If the bounce doesn’t show up, contact GreenArrow technical support for assistance.

Configuring SimpleMH to use the new Bounce Address

If you’re using SimpleMH, edit the Override default bounce address field in the Mail Class where you want to use the new domain.

If this option is not present in the Mail Class configuration in your version of GreenArrow Engine, please contact GreenArrow technical support to find out about getting upgraded.

Configuring Raw Injection to use the new Bounce Address

If you’re using Raw Injection, instructions for how to correctly use the new bounce address can be found on the Bounce Processing Engine page.

Click and Open Tracking (URL Domains)

1. Select a domain to use for click and open tracking. If the selected domain is already used by another server, using it may disrupt that server’s services. In this case, we recommend using a sub-domain instead. For example, if your company’s website is example.com, you could use mailer.example.com as the click and open tracking domain.

2. Create an A record in DNS which points the click and open tracking domain to your GreenArrow Engine installation. For example, if the new click and open tracking domain is mailer.example.com, and your GreenArrow Server’s IP address is 1.2.3.4, then you’d create the following DNS record:

   newsletter.example.com. A 1.2.3.4
   

Configuring GreenArrow Studio to use the new Click and Open Tracking (URL) Domain

If you’re using GreenArrow Studio, follow the instructions on the URL (Click and Open Tracking) Domains page.

Configuring SimpleMH to use the new Click and Open Tracking Domain

If you’re using SimpleMH, edit the URL Domain field in the Mail Class where you want to use the new domain.

If this option is not present in the Mail Class configuration in your version of GreenArrow Engine, please contact GreenArrow technical support to find out about getting upgraded.

Reverse DNS

Reverse DNS is discussed in the Adding a New IP Address document.