Table of Contents

Setting up Email Domain

Moises Morales Updated by Moises Morales

Setting up Outbound email domain

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

  1. Go to Settings, Communication and Click 'Create'
  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 it's default domain isp-portal.net (not recommended)

Create DNS RECORDS for SPF AND DKIM

  1. Next, you will need to create DNS records for SPF and DKIM
Create an SPF record
  •  If you have an existing SPF record for your domain, you need to add include:spf.mandrillapp.com to it.

  • If you do not have an SPF record, you need to create a TXT record that includes v=spf1 include:spf.mandrillapp.com ?all.
Create 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.

Some 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 verificaiton email"
  2. Enter an email with your domain to verfiy 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.

What is DKIM?

DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail. This is an email authentication method designed to detect forged sender addresses in emails (email spoofing), a technique often used in phishing and email spam. ... It achieves this by affixing a digital signature, linked to a domain name, to each outgoing email message.

What is SPF?

SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework. SPF is a type of Domain Name Service (DNS) TXT record that identifies which mail servers are permitted to send email on behalf of your domain. The purpose of an SPF record is to detect and prevent spammers from sending messages with forged From addresses on your domain.

Add SPF record in GoDaddy

  1. Go to the DNS Management page.
  2. On the DNS Management page, at the bottom of the Records section, click "Add" and select TXT from the menu.

Complete the following fields:

  • Host - Enter the hostname for the TXT record. For example, type @ to map the record directly to your domain name, or enter the subdomain of your hostnames (labeled Host), such as www or FTP.

  • TXT Value - Enter the value you want to assign to the record.
 Note: For a TXT SPF record, enter the SPF rule in the TXT Value field. For example, enter v=spf1 mx -all to indicate that all email is sent from this server and no other mail servers are authorized.
  • Select how long the server should cache the information. This is called TTL (Time to Live).
  • Click Save.

Add DKIM 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
  2. Choose TXT from the record options drop-down menu
  3. Enter the values for the following fields:
    1. Host: Enter the hostname for the TXT record. For example, type www to put the record on www.coolexample.com
    2. TXT Value: The value you are setting as the destination of the Host.
    3. TTL: Determine how long the server should cache information
  4. Select Save to complete your updates
Please allow up to 48 hours for all changes to take full effect.

Add SPF 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. 

  1. Click + Add Record in the TXT (Text) section.
  1. Click the Host Name field and enter the host name.
Note: Leave this field blank if instructed to add an @ sign.
  1. Click the Value field and enter the TXT value.
  2. Click Save.

Add DKIM record in Wix

  1. Go to the Domains page in your Wix account.
  2. Click the Show More icon next to the relevant domain and select Manage DNS Records. 
  3. Scroll to the TXT (Text) section and click + Add Record.
  4.  Enter the DKIM selector at the beginning of your domain name in the Host Name field. 
  5. Enter the DKIM signature in the Value field.
  6. 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:
    • Name/Host/Alias—Enter @ or leave blank.
      Other DNS records for your domain might indicate the correct entry.
    • Time to Live (TTL)—Enter 3600 or leave the default.
    • Value/Answer/Destination—Enter v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
  7. 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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