Using Google Apps As Your Lotus Domino Email Spam Filter

Spam is always the biggest headache for system administrators, and the situation is getting worse for us. We have been using DNS Blacklist and Symantec Mail Security as our Domino servers(6, 7 and 8) anti-spam solution, however, the junk mails are still overloading everybody's inbox!

I have been a GMail user since Google released it, I am so impressed by its anti-spam engine which is based on the Postini technology. I want to use this filter so bad and the great news is - if you do not want to pay the $12/user/year, you still can get it for free - Google Apps Standard Edition!

Here is how -

1. prepare two domain names, first one is your current email domain name (like yourcompanyname.com) which email will be hosted by Google and the second one is for the Notes server (like yourcompanyname.net)
   
2. sign up with Google Apps
3. verify your first domain name (yourcompanyname.com) ownership by creating a CNAME record on your DNS server
4. update your MX records per Google instructions
   
5. create the administrator account under Google Apps, and then create users one by one make sure they have the same id(short name) and password as Notes
   
6. log in to activate indivual user email, enable email forwarding to notes email which using the second domain name, for example userid@yourcompanyname.net
7. on the Domino server Global Domain document adds the second domain (yourcompany.net ) under "Local primary Internet domain" field
   
8. on the Domino server configuration document, the section "Inbound Connection Control" needs to enable "verify connecting hostname in DNS" and add "google.com" at "Allow connections only from ..." field
9. on the Domino Person document adds the userid@yourcompany.net at Short name field and the internet address field still keep the same userid@yourcompany.com