cPanel mail forwarders not behaving as expected

[Lydia]

When adding "forwarders" with cPanel, only the most recently added email address added ever gets a copy of the sent email. I expected this feature to behave as an alias file; however, if it is meant to function as such, it certainly seems broken.

If this is a bug, is there a patch?

If it is my expectations that are flawed, and what I described is really how the forwarders work, PLEASE PLEASE let me know of an alternate way to forward incoming emails to two (or more) addresses with cpanel.

Thank you very much

[AndrewT]

How exactly are you trying to add multiple addresses? Are you adding one then adding another (ie: submitting the form twice for the same alias)?

[Lydia]

Yes. Is there a different method I should use?

[AndrewT]

That will replace the forward to e-mail address each time you do that. You should be able to add them all at once separated with commas.

[Lydia]

Thank you Andrew, that seems to work fine.

[james]

I have a quick question regarding forwarders.

In the past, I have set them up as multiple forwarders, and it seems to work fine (ie not comma separated, but separate forwarders). Which is the correct way to do this?

Also, for the default email account (eg username@mydomain.com), if I set up an email forwarder for username@mydomain.com also, what is meant to happen? Will the email be delivered to the mailbox, as well as the forwarder destination address?

Thanks.

[AndrewT]

If you try to add a forwarder that already exists that will replace the forward to e-mail address each time you do that. You should add them all at once separated with commas.

The default domain user does not function as an e-mail account. It will only receive e-mail if the default address for the domain is set to the domain's user via cPanel.

[james]

Thanks Andrew.

It also seems to collect bounced emails for emails sent using PHP's mail() function. I guess I'd manually have to override the from address in the PHP scripts.

So if the accounts username is program, and the default address is :fail:, and someone sends an email to program@domain.com, then the email should bounce? If I then set up a forwarder for program@domain.com, from then on be forwarded to the specified address?

[AndrewT]

You are mostly correct. With the default address set to ":fail:" the server will not send a bounce message, it will reject the message immediatley based on the TO address.

You can send a message with ":fail: some message" but we do not recommend this at all as these can be abused and generally just create unnecessary e-mail traffic.

[james]

Thanks.

Another quick question.

If I have the program@domain.com forwarder set up, when PHP's mail() function sends an email to an invalid address, will the bounced email go to the forwarded address as well as the program account?

[AndrewT]

The bounce would only be sent to the domain user.

[james]

Ok then. I would have to get my client to modify their perl script so that the FROM address is changed I guess then?

Unless there is some way to redirect all bounces for a domain to a given email address?

[AndrewT]

Your best bet would be to use an actual FROM address.