Matejunkie

Besides the popular gmail.com and googlemail.com adresses, Google also offers Google Mail as an E-Mail solution within the Google Aps package for companies, organizations and other private people who are able to configure their own DNS server. That means, you’re able to use Google Mail for yourname@yourdomain.tld.

The advantages are obvious:

• You don’t have to care about setting up and maintaining your own mail infrastructure
  • that includes proper spam protection
• No need of a backup solution to archive E-Mails
• Access to a bunch of other features like Google Calender or Docs
• Easy setup for using E-Mail and other Google Aps on your mobile
• Reachable almost anytime, few downtimes
• Accessing E-Mails via Web-Interface, IMAP, POP3
• Sending E-Mails from anywhere via SMTP

But where’s light, there’s also shadow (the disadvantages):

• Less privacy due to the fact that E-Mails are getting parsed to provide ads that fit to the content
• You’re bound to the service provider
• Terms might get changed in the future to your disadvantage what might cause a migration for you
• Your data is stored externally
• If your domain is down, you won’t be able to receive E-Mails anymore (especially annoying when using low TTLs or really annoying when you configure bullshit with high TTLs as well)

Anyway, the important privacy part: As we all know, Google has access to a bunch of datasets from almost any of us. So if you’re in need of exchanging really important information, don’t do it the Google way!
For all other cases, e.g. using E-Mail to get informed when new comments have been made in your blog, trying out new web 2.0 services or reading several newsgroups, I’m fine with the fact, that Google parses every E-Mail to provide proper ads that fit to the content. This is done automatically as described in the privacy statement, but if you’re unsure whether it really fits your opinion of privacy, better take a look by yourself (and use other methods of communication to exchange really important information).

In general there’re two options available: A freely available standard and a charged premium one. The standard package includes all available Google applications like Mail, Calender, Sites or Doc, provides 7,3 GB of space for mail and another 10 GB of space for Google Sites storage. The premium package comes with 25 GB of space for mail, a guaranteed uptime of 99,9% per month, more support options, optional archiving and security solutions by Postini and API support for 50 US$ per year and user. Both packages are able to be used via SSL.
For my purposes the standard package was just fine. I don’t have tons of old E-Mails, don’t need archiving or additional spam utilities, but I’m really in need of solutions for mobile use via Blackberry or iPhone without spending evenings to maintain my own E-Mail infrastructure. That’s just not worth the time.

The sign up process and the initial configuration within the Google environment is pretty straight-forward. Be aware of the fact, that you must have the ability to alter your own DNS configuration. During the sign up you have to add a custom CNAME which is checked by Google to authorize the whole process. To be able to get E-Mails you also have to add Google’s 7 MX records to your zone file. If you’re unsure how to to that, I’d strongly suggest you to stick to a free webmailer …

To send E-Mails via your Google Mail account directly from your server, you’re in need of a MTA like SSMTP which is included in almost any Linux distribution today. Its configuration is pretty easy as you can see below:

user@host:~$ sudo cat /etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf
root=postmaster
mailhub=smtp.googlemail.com
hostname=hostname.domain.tld
 
FromLineOverride=YES
 
UseSTARTTLS=YES
AuthUser=name@domain.tld
AuthPass=password

user@host:~$ sudo cat /etc/ssmtp/revaliases
root:name@domain.tld:smtp.googlemail.com:587
user:name@domain.tld:smtp.googlemail.com:587