Google Apps

Google Apps gives everyone at your organization a custom email address, tools for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, a shared calendaring system and access to a flexible extranet system. Standalone security and compliance services are also available.

DreamHost now offers an easy method for integrating Google Apps with your domain. You can choose to have your E-mail, Calendar, Documents, Sites and a Start page all hosted by Google. Or, you can choose to have your entire domain hosted with Google! Of course, this was something you could always do with Google Apps.

When you enable either Google Apps and/or Gmail for your domain we automatically handle setting up the DNS records for that domain to make these services work.

However, everything else regarding those services must be managed in Google's control panel. Once you've made the changes in our control panel log into Google's control panel at this link (http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new) to sign-up with them to manage things on their side.

Once you have Registered with Google Apps for your Domain and the DNS changes for this domain propagate, you will be able to access the different sub-domains that have been created, for calendar.example.com and docs.example.com!

Register at Google Apps for your Domain
Google has a sign-up process you must go through before using your domain with Google Apps.
 * 1) Sign up for Google Apps
 * 2) Verify your domain is yours
 * 3) Add users
 * 4) Set up payments to Google - there is no longer a free option when setting up a new domain with Google Apps

I lost the Google Apps Registration link!
No problem! Just go to http://www.google.com/a and click the 'Get Started' button.

However, you can sneak around that. The first step is simply to make sure that you are, in fact, set up with a half-account. Go to (replace domainname.com with your domain). If you get a login page, you're in luck - otherwise, you don't have an account after all. The trick is to use this 'cpanel' link, whose "Can't access your account" is actually helpful. Click it, then click the "reset admin password" link. You should be presented with a captcha, and a note along the lines of "you don't even have an administrator account yet". You can then click a link to re-send your account signup link, where you can create an admin account, which you can use to delete the Apps account or do whatever else you need to do. Whew!

If you were in Vietnam, You can get support from the Viet Nis Reseller of Google Apps. They will free solve your problem for free.

I lost the password for my Google Apps administrator account!
Google has multiple ways to help. DreamHost has no access to your Google Apps account and cannot help with this, it can only be done directly through Google.

GMail for your domain
It's best to perform these steps during a convenient downtime window, since email delivery may be disrupted and your users may need to change their mail client settings. Sign up for Google Apps and setup all your existing mailboxes there before doing these steps will greatly reduce the chances that your user mail will bounce.

This process will change your domain's MX records and the A-record for your 'mail' sub-domain. So, once you enable this integration, regular access to your DreamHost email will not work!


 * Log in to your Web Panel and visit the Mail -> Custom MX page
 * Click on the "Edit" button next to the domain you wish to use with this service
 * Use the Google Apps for Business link if you have not yet Registered with Google Apps for your Domain
 * In the Google Apps section, click the "I'm ready to use Google Apps now!" button

A small suggestion. Before proceeding to register with Google mail, make a note of all your current DreamHost mailbox accounts' settings. (Mail Server Address, Username, Password, etc), and once you have logged into your new google account, you can add your old DreamHost mail account into your new account (In gmail: Settings / Accounts / Add Account). Allowing you to retrieve all of your currently dreamhost stored email. Once the email has been transferred to google via POP3, it would be advisable to delete the dreamhost mailboxes (since they will no longer be accepting your email), and removing the account from your google account settings.

How do I access my mail with my regular email client now?
GMail for your domain will still allow you to use your favorite email client!

First adjust your Gmail account settings to enable POP3 or IMAP, then enter Gmail's POP3 or IMAP settings into your email program.

Google Apps for your Domain

 * Log in to your Web Panel and visit the Domains -> Manage Domains page
 * Click on the "Edit" button under "Web Hosting" for the domain you wish to use with this service
 * In the "Fully Hosted" section, click on the checkbox next to the Google Apps logo that says "Use Google Apps for Business for your email at this domain."

Or, while setting up Gmail for your domain in the panel's Custom MX page, click on the checkbox labeled "Also set up calendar.your_domain.com and docs.your_domain.com".

Once you have registered with Google Apps for your Domain and the DNS changes for this domain propagate, you will be able to access the different sub-domains that have been created, for calendar.example.com, docs.example.com, sites.example.com, and start.example.com!

If your Google Apps setup uses a custom URL, you may need to add a custom DNS record.

What happened to all my e-mail messages?!
Your old DreamHost mail accounts are not turned off, and can be accessed via the DreamHost.com domain (not your domain anymore, that points to Google now). Details are in the Custom MX wiki page, the section on Checking your DreamHost email after switching to custom MX or Google Apps for mail service.

You can backup emails to your computer then upload them to your new Gmail accounts using IMAP.

Google has many tools and options that can be used to import old emails (from backups or mail programs on your computer or directly from old DreamHost mail accounts, including Gmail's Mail Fetcher, Google Apps Migration for Microsoft Outlook, and Google Email Uploader for Mac.

Check with Google support's list of current email migration options for all the details and links for more information and support from Google.

My Custom URL stopped working
My custom URL (ie. mail.mydomain.com) worked before, I haven't changed any DNS settings for my domain, but now my custom URL just displays a 404 error.

First make sure you setup your custom URL correctly http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=53340

Then make sure your CNAME record if setup correctly http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=93595

If everything looks like it should be working, follow the instructions below.
 * Go to your google apps admin area >
 * click on the "service settings" drop down >
 * choose the service for which your custom URL is no longer working >
 * in the "web address" section, click on "Change URL" >
 * choose the default option (https://mail.google.com/a/mydomain.com) >
 * click "save changes" >
 * go back to the same custom URL area, set the URL to the custom URL that worked before, and save the changes

I have no idea why this works -- Dreamhost support and google support were of no help.