AOL My eAddress Configuration
From DreamHost
You can use AOL to host your domain email instead of DreamHost mail. The benefit of doing this is that you get secure IMAP for free without all the error messages that you get when you try to use the secure IMAP service provided by dreamhost with most email clients. Setup of email clients is much easier and more straightforward.
Instructions
- Go to http://domains.aol.com and follow the initial process using the Bring Your Own Domain tab.
- When you're done with the first stage of the process, the AOL web page will instruct you to change your domain host mx records and come back to test them when you're done.
- Look at the instructions in the AOL My eAddress FAQ on how to modify the MX records for your domain host. These instructions are not exactly correct for dreamhost, but you'll need the instructions for the exact server names. The following entries are current at the time of this writing.
- Go to the dreamhost panel. Under the Mail category, choose the Custom MX sub-category.
- Choose the Edit link next to the domain you're having AOL host email for.
- In the first MX Record text box enter mailin-01.mx.aol.com
- In the second MX Record text box enter mailin-02.mx.aol.com
- In the third MX Record text box enter mailin-03.mx.aol.com
- In the fourth MX Record text box enter mailin-04.mx.aol.com
- Go back to the AOL web page and click to test the mx record setting occaisionally to see if they have propagated.
- One they have propagated the AOL web site will instruct you on how to create email accounts.
Notes
- At one time, just using a single mx record entry of aspmx.domains.aol.com would work fine. But this appears to have stopped working.
- Help from AOL is hard to get, so you should have somewhat advanced computer skills if you try this. In theory it's simple, but when something goes wrong (like aspmx.domains.aol.com stops working mysteriously, for instance) you could be on your own to figure out how to fix it.
