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External DNS Records
Applies to: Office 365 Deployment Guide for Enterprises
Topic Last Modified: 2013-04-04
To use your domain with Office 365 services, you have to configure external (Internet-facing) DNS records with your DNS hosting provider. We provide step-by-step instructions for creating these records at many popular domain registrars. For details, see Create DNS records for Office 365.
The following table provides a summary of the external DNS records you’ll create for Office 365. Create DNS records for Office 365 provides instructions for getting the specific values you’ll use for each DNS record.
| DNS record | Purpose | Value to use | ||
| CNAME (Suite) | Used by Office 365 to direct authentication to the correct identity platform | Alias: msoid Target: clientconfig.microsoftonline-p.net | ||
| TXT (Domain verification) | Used by Office 365 to verify only that you own your domain. It doesn’t affect anything else. | Host: @ (or, for some DNS hosting providers, your domain name) TXT Value: A text string provided by Office 365 The Office 365 Add a domain wizard provides the values that you use to create this record. | ||
| CNAME (Exchange Online) | Helps Outlook clients to easily connect to the Exchange Online service by using the Autodiscover service. Autodiscover automatically finds the correct Exchange Server host and configures Outlook for users. | Alias: Autodiscover Target: autodiscover.outlook.com | ||
| MX (Exchange Online) | Sends incoming mail for your domain to the Exchange Online service in Office 365. | Domain: For example, contoso.com Target email server: <MX token>.mail.protection.outlook.com Preference: 0 | ||
| SPF (TXT) (Exchange Online) | Helps to prevent other people from using your domain to send spam or other malicious email. Sender policy framework (SPF) records work by identifying the servers that are authorized to send email from your domain. | TXT Name @ Values: v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com - all Existing Forefront Online Protection for Exchange customers must also add the following: include: spf.messaging.microsoft.com
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| SRV (Lync Online) | Allows your Office 365 domain to share instant messaging (IM) features with clients other than Skype by enabling SIP federation. | Service: _sipfederationtls Protocol: _TCP Priority: 100 Weight: 1 Port: 5061 Target: Sipfed.online.lync.com
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| SRV (Lync Online) | Used by Lync Online to coordinate the flow of information between Lync clients. | Service: _sip Protocol: _TLS Priority: 100 Weight: 1 Port: 443 Target: sipdir.online.lync.com | ||
| CNAME (Lync Online) | Used by the Lync client to help find the Lync Online service and sign in. | Alias: sip Target: sipdir.online.lync.com For more information, see Ensuring Your Network Works With Lync Online. | ||
| CNAME (Lync Online) | Used by the Lync mobile client to help find the Lync Online service and sign in. | Alias: lyncdiscover Target: webdir.online.lync.com | ||
| Host (A) | Used for single sign-on (SSO). It provides the endpoint for your off-premises users (and on-premises users, if you like) to connect to your Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) federation server proxies or load-balanced virtual IP (VIP). | Target: For example, sts.contoso.com | ||
| TXT (Exchange federation) | Used for Exchange federation for hybrid deployment. | TXT record 1: For example, contoso.com and associated custom-generated, domain-proof hash text (for example, Y96nu89138789315669824) TXT record 2: For example, exchangedelegation.contoso.com and associated custom-generated, domain-proof hash text (for example, Y3259071352452626169) | ||
| MX (Exchange federation) | Used for Exchange federation: Office 365 service record for mail delivery. | Domain: For example, service.contoso.com Target email server: <MX token> .mail.eo.outlook.com Preference: 10 | ||
| CNAME (Exchange federation) | Helps Outlook clients to easily connect to the Exchange Online service by using the Autodiscover service when your company is using Exchange federation. Autodiscover automatically finds the correct Exchange Server host and configures Outlook for your users. | Alias: For example, Autodiscover.service.contoso.com Target: autodiscover.outlook.com |
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