HEX Mail Aliases, Forwarding and Distribution Groups

Note: This help article applies only to Hosted Exchange. If you are not sure which email service you use, you can find more information in the following article.

https://www.green.ch/en/which-email-service-do-i-use

In Hosted Exchange, you can manage mail aliases, forwarding, contacts and distribution groups. The individual functions serve different purposes and are configured in different areas of EdgePilot.

You need a user with administrator permissions to manage them.

You can find more information about Hosted Exchange at:

https://www.green.ch/en/all-about-hosted-exchange

Difference Between a Mail Alias, Forwarding, Contact and Distribution Group

Mail alias: An additional email address for an existing mailbox.
Forwarding: Automatically forwards incoming emails to another email address.
Contact: A directory object for an external email address. Contacts are used, for example, as the destination of forwarding.
Distribution group: Distributes incoming messages to multiple recipients.

Mail Alias

A mail alias is an additional email address for an existing mailbox. An alias does not create a separate mailbox and has neither its own password nor its own sign-in.

Example:

Primary address: info@beispiel.ch
Alias: kontakt@beispiel.ch

Messages sent to either address are delivered to the same mailbox.

You can find more information about mail aliases at:

https://www.green.ch/en/mail-alias

Create a Mail Alias

Sign in to EdgePilot as an administrator.
Open Users and then User Management.
Select the required user.
Open Exchange Settings.
Select Forwarding, Aliases & Policies.
Click Add Email Address.
Enter the required alias address.
Save the change.

The alias is assigned to the selected mailbox.

You can find more information at:

https://www.green.ch/en/hosted-exchange-create-mail-alias-in-edgepilot

Note: A mail alias is not a separate mailbox. If an address requires its own sign-in, password or storage space, a separate mailbox must be created.

Forwarding

Forwarding automatically sends incoming emails to another email address.

The destination address can be within the same Hosted Exchange organisation or with an external provider.

Forwarding is not a separate mailbox.

You can find more information about forwarding at:

https://www.green.ch/en/where-to-find-email-forwarding

Set Up Forwarding for a Mailbox

Sign in to EdgePilot as an administrator.
Open Users and then User Management.
Select the required user.
Open Exchange Settings.
Select Forwarding, Aliases & Policies.
Enter or select the required destination address.
Specify whether a copy of the message should remain in the original mailbox, if this option is available.
Save the change.

Forwarding to an External Email Address

For external forwarding, the destination address may first need to be created as a contact.

Sign in to EdgePilot as an administrator.
Open Exchange and then Contacts.
Create a new contact.
Enter a meaningful contact name.
Enter the external destination address.
Save the contact.
Then open the required mailbox.
Go to Exchange Settings and Forwarding, Aliases & Policies.
Select the previously created contact as the forwarding destination.
Save the change.

You can find more information at:

https://www.green.ch/en/hosted-exchange-create-contact-in-edgepilot

Note: When creating a contact, the contact address may be suggested automatically based on the contact name. The stored external destination address is decisive for forwarding.

Distribution Groups

A distribution group automatically distributes incoming messages to multiple members. Instead of sending the same message separately to several people, it can be sent to a shared group address.

A distribution group does not have its own user mailbox. It is used exclusively to distribute messages to the specified members.

Example:

Distribution group: verkauf@beispiel.ch
Members: max@beispiel.ch, anna@beispiel.ch and peter@beispiel.ch

A message sent to the distribution group is automatically delivered to all members.

Create a Distribution Group

Sign in to EdgePilot as an administrator.
Open Exchange.
Select Groups.
Click Add Group.
Enter the required group details.
Select the required members.
Click Save New Group.

The distribution group is created and distributes incoming messages to the selected members.

You can find more information at:

https://www.green.ch/en/hosted-exchange-create-a-distribution-group-in-edgepilot

Note: A distribution group is not a shared mailbox. Messages are distributed to the members’ mailboxes. A distribution group does not replace a shared mailbox.

Which Function Should Be Used?

Use a mail alias if an existing mailbox should be reachable through an additional email address.
Use forwarding if incoming messages should be forwarded automatically to another internal or external email address.
Create a contact if an external email address is required in the Hosted Exchange directory, for example as a forwarding destination.
Use a distribution group if messages should be distributed to multiple recipients at the same time.

Change and Check Existing Settings

Mail aliases and forwarding are managed for the respective user under Users, User Management, Exchange Settings and Forwarding, Aliases & Policies.

Contacts can be found under Exchange and Contacts. Distribution groups are managed under Exchange and Groups.

After making a change, check the following points in particular:

Is the mail alias assigned to the correct mailbox?
Does the forwarding point to the correct destination address?
Was the correct contact selected for external forwarding?
Are the required users members of the distribution group?
Are messages delivered as intended?

You can find more information about administrator permissions at:

https://www.green.ch/en/how-do-i-assign-admin-permissions-to-a-user

Note: If mail aliases, forwarding, contacts or distribution groups cannot be created, changed or saved, first check whether the user being used has administrator permissions.