Creating a Configuration Settings document

Use the Configuration Settings document to set up LDAP, mail, mail routing, and MIME on an IBM® Domino® server. You can also use this document to edit settings in the NOTES.INI file. A Configuration Settings document can define settings for all of your Domino® servers in one IBM® Notes® domain, for the servers in one specific group, or for one individual server.

About this task

The Configuration Settings document includes settings that affect both Notes® routing and SMTP routing. Each setting you designate in a Configuration Settings document applies to every server specified in that document.

You can designate a Configuration Settings document to serve as the default for all servers in the Domino® domain by enabling the Use these settings as the default settings for all servers option or by entering a wildcard (*) in the Group or Server field. Using a default Configuration Settings document simplifies administration and saves time because you can change the settings for the entire Domino® domain by editing a single document.

Each setting applies to every server included in the Configuration Settings document. Therefore, you need multiple Configuration documents if you need different settings for specific servers. For example, if your Domino® domain includes three geographic locations, you may want a Configuration Settings document for each location. You can create groups that include all the servers in the specific location and use the location as the group name.

To specify additional restrictions for a server that is included in a group, create a separate Configuration Settings document for the specific server. For example, assume you have a Configuration Settings document for a group of servers or for all servers. The executives in your organization have their own mail server and require different settings. You will need to create a Configuration Settings document for the specific server. The document that is most specific (in terms of which servers it applies to) will take precedence.

Each server checks the Configuration Settings documents in the following order -- a document specific to the server, then a group document for any group the server is in, and then for the default document. If there are multiple Configuration documents for groups containing the same server, the results are undefined. For example, if ServerA has a Configuration Settings document and is also listed in a Group Configuration document or an All Servers Configuration document, the only settings that the server will use are those listed in the Configuration Settings document specific to ServerA.

Note: Use fully qualified host names in fields on the Configuration Settings document instead of IP addresses. While IP addresses will work and are fully supported, using host names ensures that you won't need to change a server entry in the event that a subnet change requires a change to the server's IP address. You can change the server's record once in the Domain Name Service (DNS) rather than having to search through the Domino® Directory to find every instance where the server is referenced.

The Configurations view displays the Configuration Settings documents currently available in the selected IBM® Lotus® Domino® Directory in alphabetical order by name. By default the document for the current server appears at the beginning of the list. If the directory contains a default Configuration Settings document, Domino® assigns this document the name * - [All Servers].

From this view, you can add, edit, or delete a Configuration Settings document. To view the Configuration Settings documents in the Domino® Directory on a different server, you can select the server name in the Use Directory on field. A Parameters column displays the list of parameters entered on the NOTES.INI tab of each document. The Administrators column lists the name of the administrator who most recently updated the list of parameters.

Procedure

  1. From the Domino® Administrator, click the Configuration tab and then expand the Messaging section.
  2. Choose Configurations.
  3. Click Add Configuration to create a new Configuration Settings document.
  4. Click the Basics tab.
  5. Complete one of the following fields and then click Save & Close.
    • Use these settings as the default settings for all servers – Select Yes for this document serve as the default Configuration Settings document for all Domino® servers in the Domino® domain. If you create additional Configuration Settings documents in the Domino® Directory for specific servers or groups of servers, settings in those documents override equivalent settings in the default document.
    • Group or server name – Enter the name of the individual server or server group to which this Configuration Settings document applies.

What to do next

Most of the tabs in the Configuration Settings document focus on specific administrative tasks, but some allow you to perform multiple tasks. The tabs that comprise multiple tasks are covered in the "roadmap" references in the related topics.