Table of Contents

Setting up an Outbound Email Domain

Mitchell Paul-Soumis Updated by Mitchell Paul-Soumis

Setting up Outbound email domain

To enable the Sonar instance to send emails using the customer's domain follow the steps within the communication module:

  1. Go to Settings -> Communication -> Email Domains and click the "Create Email Domain" button.
  2. Enter the domain you will use to send emails (i.e. example.com) and click "Create"

If you choose not to set up an outbound domain, Sonar will use its default domain isp-portal.net. We recommend setting up a custom domain.

Create DNS RECORDS for SPF AND DKIM

The next step is to create two new DNS records - an SPF record, and a DKIM record. These allow Sonar to verify your domain and your control over said domain.

Creating an SPF record
  1. If you have an existing SPF record for your domain, you need to append include:spf.mandrillapp.com to it. For example v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.mandrillapp.com ?all
  2. If you do not have an SPF record, you will need to create a new TXT record that includes v=spf1 include:spf.mandrillapp.com ?all.
Creating a DKIM record

You will also need to create a DKIM record for your domain by creating a TXT record with the name "mandrill._domainkey.yourdomain.com", replacing yourdomain.com with your domain. Most DNS providers will append the domain name automatically - if that is the case, then you would just create the record as "mandrill._domainkey". This record should contain the following data:

v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCrLHiExVd55zd/IQ/J/mRwSRMAocV/hMB3jXwaHH36d9NaVynQFYV8NaWi69c1veUtRzGt7yAioXqLj7Z4TeEUoOLgrKsn8YnckGs9i3B3tVFB+Ch/4mPhXWiNfNdynHWBcPcbJ8kjEQ2U8y78dHZj1YeRXXVvWob2OaKynO8/lQIDAQAB;
Depending on your DNS provider, you may need to enter this string with the semicolons escaped; if so, use the following:
v=DKIM1\; k=rsa\; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCrLHiExVd55zd/IQ/J/mRwSRMAocV/hMB3jXwaHH36d9NaVynQFYV8NaWi69c1veUtRzGt7yAioXqLj7Z4TeEUoOLgrKsn8YnckGs9i3B3tVFB+Ch/4mPhXWiNfNdynHWBcPcbJ8kjEQ2U8y78dHZj1YeRXXVvWob2OaKynO8/lQIDAQAB\;

If you need help creating these records, please contact support@sonar.software - we'd be glad to help!

Ownership Verification

The final step is to confirm ownership of your domain.

  1. Click the "Verify" button and select "send verification email"
  2. Enter an email with your domain to verify ownership
  3. After submitting, you will receive an email within a few minutes at the email address you entered. Once you receive this email, forward it to verify@sonar.software and we will review it and complete the verification process.

Final Step

Once you have performed these two steps, click on the 'Verify' button to ensure the SPF AND DKIM records are verified. You can now use this domain for outbound email.

Open Tracking

Sonar also offers you the ability to track whenever a recipient opens an email. You will be able to view the number of times an email was opened, and when it was opened. In order to do this, you must configure an email tracking domain that matches your outbound domain.

To do this, create a CNAME record for your domain name that points to mandrillapp.com. Once this is done, click the menu next to the outbound domain in Sonar and choose Edit Open Tracking. Input the tracking domain you configured (e.g. track.sonar.software) and then submit. Once the record has been verified, the table will update to show open tracking is enabled for this domain, and all email sent will now be tracked for opens. When an email is opened, the status is not updated immediately - it can take a few hours before the data reflects in Sonar.

Vendor Specific Guides

How to add a TXT record in GoDaddy

  1. Log in to your GoDaddy Domain Control Center
  2. Select your domain from the list.
  3. Scroll down to Additional Settings and select Manage DNS
  1. Select ADD below the table of your existing DNS records

Add SPF Record
  1. Choose TXT from the record options drop-down menu
  2. Enter the values for the following fields:
    1. Host - Enter the hostname for the TXT record. For an SPF record with Sonar, the Host will be "@"
    2. TXT Value - Enter the value you want to assign to the record. For Sonar, enter v=spf1 include:spf.mandrillapp.com ?all
    3. Select how long the server should cache the information. This is called TTL (Time to Live). This is typically fine to leave as the default value
  3. Click Save to complete your updates.
Add DKIM record
  1. Choose TXT from the record options drop-down menu
  2. Enter the values for the following fields:
    1. Host: Enter the hostname for the TXT record. For Sonar, the host will be "mandrill._domainkey".
    2. TXT Value: The value you are setting as the destination of the Host. For Sonar, you can use the following value:
      v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCrLHiExVd55zd/IQ/J/mRwSRMAocV/hMB3jXwaHH36d9NaVynQFYV8NaWi69c1veUtRzGt7yAioXqLj7Z4TeEUoOLgrKsn8YnckGs9i3B3tVFB+Ch/4mPhXWiNfNdynHWBcPcbJ8kjEQ2U8y78dHZj1YeRXXVvWob2OaKynO8/lQIDAQAB;
    3. TTL: Determine how long the server should cache information. The default value can be used
  3. Select Save to complete your updates
Please allow up to 48 hours for all changes to take full effect.

Add a new DNS record in Wix

To add or update an SPF record:

  1. Go to the Domains page. 
  2. Click the Show More icon next to the relevant domain and select Manage DNS Records. 

Add an SPF Record
  1. Click + Add Record in the TXT (Text) section.
  1. Click the Host Name field and enter the host name.
For Wix, the Host field is left blank for the Root domain.
  1. Click the Value field and enter the TXT value. For Sonar, enter v=spf1 include:spf.mandrillapp.com ?all
  2. Click Save.
Add DKIM record
  1. Choose TXT from the record options drop-down menu
  2.  Enter the DKIM selector at the beginning of your domain name in the Host Name field. 
  3. Enter the DKIM signature in the Value field.
    v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCrLHiExVd55zd/IQ/J/mRwSRMAocV/hMB3jXwaHH36d9NaVynQFYV8NaWi69c1veUtRzGt7yAioXqLj7Z4TeEUoOLgrKsn8YnckGs9i3B3tVFB+Ch/4mPhXWiNfNdynHWBcPcbJ8kjEQ2U8y78dHZj1YeRXXVvWob2OaKynO8/lQIDAQAB;
  4. Click Save. 

Adding SPF record to your G Suite Account

If you bought your domain from a Google partner (GoDaddy.com, eNom.com, and DomainDiscount24.com) when you signed up for G Suite, you might not need to do this.
  1. Sign in to your domain account at your domain host (not your Google Admin console).
  2. Go to the page for updating your domain's DNS records.This page might be called something like DNS management, name server management, or advanced settings.
  3. Find your TXT records and check if your domain has an existing SPF record. The SPF record starts with "v=spf1".
  4. If your domain already has an SPF record, remove it. If not, skip to step 5.
  5. Create a TXT record with these values:
    1. Name/Host/Alias—Enter @ or leave blank. Other DNS records for your domain might indicate the correct entry.
    2. Time to Live (TTL)—Enter 3600 or leave the default.
    3. Value/Answer/Destination—Enter v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
  6. Save the record.
Your new SPF record takes effect within 48 hours.Your new SPF record takes effect within 48 hours.

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