By default, mobile device users need to know the IP address or DNS hostname of the Mobility server in order to configure their email accounts on their devices. The Autodiscover Service enables you to configure DNS so that supported mobile devices are automatically redirected to the Mobility server so users only need to enter their email address. SSL must be configured for Autodiscover before you can configure Autodiscover.
The functionality of the Autodiscover Service requires SSL. The following three conditions must be met:
A valid and trusted SSL certificate must be available on the Mobility server and must be current (not expired).
Mobile devices must be able to follow the certificate chain from the certificate on the Mobility server to the root CA certificate.
The GMS servers need a wildcard cert or an SSL certificate with Subject Alternative Names (SANs) so that a single certificate is valid for all GMS servers. The SAN cert enables you to specify a list of hostnames that are protected by a single SSL certificate. For information about configuring GMS with a certificate, see Securing Communication between the Device Sync Agent and Mobile Devices.
Once the conditions have been met, continue with Configuring Autodiscover.
When a mobile device presents an email address and tries to access your Mobility system, the Autodiscover Service uses a DNS CNAME record and SRV record in order to determine the IP address of the Mobility server, so that the device can log in.
To set up the Autodiscover Service, you must add the following to your DNS:
Use the tables below to create the DNS records:
Table 2-1 CNAME record for Autodiscover
|
Variable |
Value |
Example |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
alias |
autodiscover.yourdomain |
autodiscover.acme.com |
Set the alias to autodiscover. |
|
canonical name |
your_gms_server.yourdomain Or your_external_nat/port_forward.yourdomain |
gms.acme.com Or nat.acme.com |
If your GMS server is accessible externally, enter in your GMS server host name. If you have multiple GMS servers, specify a server that becomes the master server and forwards users to the other servers. If you are using GMS servers with a NAT or port forward, specify the host name of the NAT or port forward. |
Table 2-2 SRV record for Autodiscover
|
Variable |
Value |
Example |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
service |
_autodiscover |
n/a |
Set the service to _autodiscover. |
|
protocol |
_tcp |
n/a |
Set the protocol to _tcp. |
|
port |
443 |
n/a |
Set the port to 443. |
|
target |
your_gms_server.yourdomain Or your_external_nat/port_forward.yourdomain |
gms.acme.com Or nat.acme.com |
If your GMS server is accessible externally, enter in your GMS server host name. If you have multiple GMS servers, specify a server that becomes the master server and forwards users to the other servers. If you are using GMS servers with a NAT or port forward, specify the host name of the NAT or port forward. |
The SRV record for Autodiscover should appear as follows when completed:
_autodiscover._tcp.acme.com
Table 2-3 SRV record for each internal GMS server
|
Variable |
Value |
Example |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
service |
_ngms |
n/a |
Set the service to _ngms. |
|
protocol |
_tcp |
n/a |
Set the protocol to _tcp. |
|
port |
443 |
n/a |
Set the port to 443. |
|
target |
your_gms_server.yourdomain |
gms.acme.com |
Set the target to your GMS server. |
The SRV records should appear as follows when completed:
_ngms._tcp.gms.acme.com
IMPORTANT:Make sure you create a SRV record for each of your internal GMS servers. If you don’t, Autodiscover cannot find the GMS servers.
Once Autodiscover has been configured, users can then enter their username@yourdomain.com to be redirected to the proper GMS box automatically.