Using the Global domain document to define the local Internet domain
The Global domain document defines the relationship between the current Domino® domain and the organization's internal Internet domains. You can have a simple network configuration consisting of a single Domino® domain in which a single Global domain document defines a single primary Internet domain and no secondary Internet domains. Or you can have a single Domino® domain that represents multiple Internet domains; multiple Domino® domains within a single Internet domain, or multiple Internet domains spread across multiple Domino® domains.
The Internet domains that you specify as internal effect both inbound and outbound mail.
To configure a single Domino® Domain to host multiple Internet Domains, create additional Global domain documents or add multiple alternate Internet domain aliases to an existing Global domain document.
Example: Setting up a Global domain to enable a Domino® domain to receive Internet mail for multiple other Domino® domains
When Directory Assistance is configured, a Domino® domain can act as a 'gateway' to multiple other Domino® domains. In this case, a server that accepts inbound mail for the Internet domains in its Global domain document can be used to receive mail for other Domino® domains and the Internet domains they represent. Using this central 'gateway', you could mix and match Domino® domains and Internet domains.
For example, the Acme corporation uses the server AcmeSMTP in the ACME domain to receive Internet mail. The Domino® directory in the ACME domain includes a Global domain document that lists acme.com as the primary Internet domain and acme.acme.com, acme.co.uk, acme.co.jp, partners.acme.com as alternate Internet domain aliases.
Each of these Domino® domains hosts users who belong to other Internet Domains that are served by other 'gateway; domains (AcmeNotes hosts iris.com users, and ibm.com® users).
Essentially, the Global domain document in the ACME domain tells the AcmeSMTP Router which Internet domains to lookup in the Domino® Directory (whatever that encompasses). Everything else just gets routed.
Use a single Global Domain document to group multiple Domino® domains, within a single "global" Internet domain. For example the internal Domino® domains Sales1, Sales2, and Marketing, can be grouped to form a single Internet domain -- for example, acme.com.. This ensures that the Internet address format is consistent among of all users when sending outbound Internet mail, regardless of which Domino® domain they belong to. All outbound SMTP mail, whether it originates from the Sales1 or Marketing domains, will have a return address defined by the Internet domain suffix -- that is, acme.com. When communicating externally over a global communications network such as the Internet, most organizations wish to be treated as a single Internet domain.
If an organization with multiple divisions -- for example one in the United States and the United Kingdom -- wants to treat each division as a separate Internet domain, with different domain suffixes -- for example, acme.com (for the US) and pubs.uk (for the UK) -- it would need two Global Domain documents. Each global domain may contain a unique or overlapping set of Notes® domains.
When an SMTP server receives mail, the Router checks the Global domain document to determine which addresses are local, that is, which Internet domains contain matches in the Domino® Directory. Add a domain to the Global Domain document to instruct the Router to look in the Domino® Directory for users with that domain as part of their address. The Router transfers all mail addressed to domains other than those specified in the Global domain document.