Message delivery to multiple forests with no unified directory

A computer program product for use at a messaging server in a messaging system network, the messaging system network including a plurality of forests corresponding to a plurality of domains, wherein each forest stores a plurality of message inboxes for a corresponding plurality of e-mail message recipients, and wherein no unified directory maps a particular forest as a forest that stores a particular message inbox corresponding to where a particular recipient receives e-mail messages, the messaging server configured to receive e-mail messages addressed within the plurality of domains and to deliver the received e-mail messages to particular forests that store particular message inboxes corresponding to the e-mail messages, the computer program product for implementing a method of delivering an e-mail message to a forest that stores a particular message inbox corresponding to where a particular recipient receives e-mail messages, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the messaging server to perform the method, including the following:

• receiving an e-mail message, the e-mail message addressed to the particular recipient at a destination address, the destination address comprising a user name portion and a domain name portion, wherein the destination address is ambiguous such that at least the domain name portion identifies the messaging server, but does not uniquely identify any particular domain corresponding to a particular forest from among the plurality of forests that stores the particular message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages;
• sending a recipient inquiry using an e-mail message protocol to a first forest from among the plurality of forests, the first forest storing a subset of the plurality of message inboxes for a corresponding subset of the plurality of message recipients, the recipient inquiry sending at least the user name portion of the destination address and inquiring whether or not the first forest is a forest that stores the particular a candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient having the user name receives e-mail messages;
• receiving a status code from the first forest using the e-mail message protocol, the status code indicating whether or not the first forest is a forest that stores the particular candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages;
• and
• based upon the status code, determining if the e-mail message should be forwarded to the first forest using the e-mail message protocol for subsequent delivery to the particular candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages, or if further recipient inquiries should be sent using the e-mail messaging protocol to other forests from among the plurality of forests, the other forests storing other different subsets of the plurality of message inboxes for corresponding other subsets of the plurality of message recipients, the further recipient inquiries inquiring whether or not the other forests are forests that store the particular other candidate message boxes corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages;
• wherein based on the status code it is determined that the e-mail message should be forwarded to the first forest for delivery to the candidate message inbox which corresponds to where the particular recipient receives messages, further comprising an act of:
• storing information identifying the first forest as a forest that stores the particular message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages;
• further comprising acts of sending a second further recipient inquiry using the e-mail messaging protocol to a second forest from among the plurality of forests, the second forest storing a second subset of the plurality of message inboxes for corresponding second subsets of the plurality of message recipients, the second further recipient inquiry sending at least the user name portion of the destination address and inquiring whether or not the second forest is also a forest that stores an other particular a second candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient having the user name receives e-mail messages;
• receiving an additional status code from the second forest using the e-mail message protocol that indicates whether or not the second forest is a forest that stores the other particular second candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages;
• and
• based on upon the additional status code, determining if the message should be forwarded to the second forest for subsequent delivery to the other particular second candidate message inbox corresponding to where the specified recipient receives e-mail messages;
• wherein based on the additional status code it is determined that the e-mail message should also be forwarded to the second forest for delivery to the second candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient also receives e-mail messages, the method further comprising an act of:
• storing additional information identifying the second forest as a forest that also stores the particular message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages.

A network messaging system, the network messaging system comprising:

• a message server;
• and a plurality of forests corresponding to a plurality of domains, wherein each forest stores a plurality of message inboxes for a corresponding plurality of message recipients;
• wherein the message server comprises:
• one or more processors;
• system memory;
• and
• one or more computer storage media having stored thereon a module for controlling the distribution, the module configured to:
• receive an e-mail message, the e-mail message addressed to the particular recipient at a destination address, the destination address comprising a user name portion and a domain name portion, wherein the destination address is ambiguous such that at least the domain name portion identifies the messaging server, but does not uniquely identify any particular domain corresponding to a particular forest from among the plurality of forests that stores the particular message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages;
• for one or more forests in the plurality of forests and until a forest where the particular recipient receives messages is identified:
• sending a recipient inquiry using an e-mail message protocol to a next forest from among the plurality of forests, the next forest storing a subset of the plurality of message inboxes for a corresponding subset of the plurality of message recipients, the recipient inquiry including the destination address, the recipient inquiry sending at least the user name portion of the destination address and inquiring whether or not, based on the destination address, the next forest is a forest that stores
• a candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient having the user name receives e-mail messages;
• receiving a status code from the next forest using the e-mail message protocol, the status code indicating whether or not the next forest is a forest that stores the particular candidate message inbox corresponding to where the specified recipient receives e-mail messages;
• and
• based upon the status code, determining if the e-mail message should be forwarded to the next forest using the e-mail message protocol for subsequent delivery to the particular candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives messages;
• and
• wherein each forest in the plurality of forests includes at least one computer system, the at least one computer system comprising:
• one or more processors;
• system memory;
• and
• one or more computer storage media having stored thereon a module for determining if a destination address corresponds to a recipient within its domain, the module configured to:
• receive a recipient inquiry using the e-mail message protocol from the messaging server, the recipient inquiry including at least the user name portion of the destination address;
• determine whether or not the forest is configured to receive store messages directed to the destination address user name in a corresponding message inbox;
• based on the determination, generate a status code indicative of whether or not the forest is configured to receive messages directed to the destination address user name;
• and
• send the status code to the message server;
• wherein based on the status code it is determined that the e-mail message should be forwarded to the first forest for delivery to the candidate message inbox which corresponds to where the particular recipient receives messages, further comprising an act of:
• storing information identifying the first forest as a forest that stores the particular message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages;
• further comprising acts of sending a second further recipient inquiry using the e-mail messaging protocol to a second forest from among the plurality of forests, the second forest storing a second subset of the plurality of message inboxes for corresponding second subsets of the plurality of message recipients, the second further recipient inquiry sending at least the user name portion of the destination address and inquiring whether or not the second forest is also a forest that stores an other particular a second candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient having the user name receives e-mail messages;
• receiving an additional status code from the second forest using the e-mail message protocol that indicates whether or not the second forest is a forest that stores the other particular second candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages;
• and
• based on upon the additional status code, determining if the message should be forwarded to the second forest for subsequent delivery to the other particular second candidate message inbox corresponding to where the specified recipient receives e-mail messages;
• wherein based on the additional status code it is determined that the e-mail message should also be forwarded to the second forest for delivery to the second candidate message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient also receives e-mail messages, the method further comprising an act of:
• storing additional information identifying the second forest as a forest that also stores the particular message inbox corresponding to where the particular recipient receives e-mail messages.