Migrating web hosting email to gmail using Google apps

Submitted by eangkasa on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 21:02

Honestly, i'm a fan of google mail (gmail). I'm more comfortable and accustomed using it rather than any email hosting, or even web hosting email. Additionally, to use a web hosting email, you have to first login to your web hosting account, then access the email application.

It's a 2 or 3 clicks compared to gmail account, plus you are opened up a possibility of exposing your web hosting account (username and/or password), if you are accessing it in public computer (internet cafe). How about if you can access your email conveniently, only 1 click away and URL friendly such as http://mail.yourdomainname.com ? Marvelous, ain't it.

1.

First of all, you have to setup your Google aps standard edition using your domain name (for ex: eangkasa.com) by going here http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new

2.
Follow the instructions and after successfully being registered, you can access your google apps through http://google.com/a/yourdomainname (for ex: google.com/a/eangkasa.com)
3. 

Setup your gmail account through Google apps and configure the MX records in your web hosting by following the instruction from google help http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=33915

4. 
Now, you would have your email as in http://mail.google.com/a/yourdomainname (for ex: mail.google.com/a/eangkasa.com), to make a more URL name friendly, you have to follow these 2 easy steps:

In google apps, go to Service Settings tab, choose on email, and click on Change URL on web address. Afterwards, rename it to http://mail.yourdomainname (for ex: mail.eangkasa.com).

In your web hosting account, do a redirection, from http://mail.google.com/a/yourdomainname to http://mail.yourdomainname (you could optionally configure this step with CName instead of Redirects if you choose to, Redirects method is faster for me and it would do pretty much the same thing, as CNAME i would have to contact my webhosting support).

 

There you go, now you should have your own mail account (gmail hosted, but all contents are from your web hosting email, URL friendly and less exposing your username & password) accessible through http://mail.yourdomainname.