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.