| Autodiscover is a protocol that enables e-mail clients to configure themselves automatically. The user only needs to enter their e-mail address and password; the client then figures out the rest independently. With Autodiscover, the client queries your server and receives an XML or JSON document containing all the necessary information, so setup is fully automatic. Here's a comprehensive overview of the existing autodiscover mechanisms: HTTP POST to well-known URLs Clients collect one or more Autodiscover URLs and send HTTP POST requests to these endpoints.
The client attempts each URL in turn, stopping at the first successful response.
https://YourDomain.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml
https://autodiscover.YourDomain.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml SMTPBeamer listens for the /autodiscover/autodiscover.xml file and sends back an XML file containing the name of the ActiveSync server (e.g., the hostname of SMTPBeamer). If SMTPBeamer cannot determine its own hostname, you can overwrite it in smtpbeam.ini using AutoDiscoverHost=YourHost.YourDomain.com DNS SRV Record (_autodiscover._tcp) A DNS SRV record, such as _autodiscover._tcp, that points to port 443 on your Autodiscover host, tells clients where to send the Autodiscover HTTP POST.
DNS CNAME (autodiscover.YourDomain.com) The most common approach is to create a CNAME record for autodiscover.YourDomain.com that points to your mail server's Autodiscover endpoint. Autodiscover V2 (JSON-based) Autodiscover V2 is not an improved version; it's an additional layer. Server location still occurs via DNS. The response is a JSON document containing a single URL for the requested service. |