If a DNS entry fails to resolve the server won't boot, I think this should probably happen lazily when the binding is actually used:

Listening for transport dt_socket at address: 5005
14:46:52,696 INFO [org.jboss.modules] JBoss Modules version 1.1.0.CR3
14:46:52,898 INFO [org.jboss.msc] JBoss MSC version 1.0.1.GA
14:46:52,935 INFO [org.jboss.as] JBoss AS 7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT "Ahoy!" starting
14:46:53,638 WARN [org.jboss.as.domain.management] No users defined to access management interfaces, add a user to '/Users/stuartdouglas/workspace/jboss-as/build/target/jboss-as-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT/standalone/configuration/mgmt-users.properties'
14:46:53,640 INFO [org.xnio] XNIO Version 3.0.0.CR3
14:46:53,641 INFO [org.jboss.as] Creating http management service using socket-binding (management-http)
14:46:53,660 INFO [org.xnio.nio] XNIO NIO Implementation Version 3.0.0.CR3
14:46:53,667 INFO [org.jboss.remoting] JBoss Remoting version 3.2.0.CR2
14:46:53,705 INFO [org.jboss.as.remoting] Listening on /127.0.0.1:9999
14:46:53,922 ERROR [org.jboss.as.controller] JBAS014612: Operation ("add") failed - address: ([
("socket-binding-group" => "standard-sockets"),
("remote-destination-outbound-socket-binding" => "mail-imap")
]): java.lang.RuntimeException: java.net.UnknownHostException: mail.corp.redhat.coms
at org.jboss.as.server.services.net.RemoteDestinationOutboundSocketBindingAddHandler.performRuntime(RemoteDestinationOutboundSocketBindingAddHandler.java:111)
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractAddStepHandler$1.execute(AbstractAddStepHandler.java:50) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.executeStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:327) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.doCompleteStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:221) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.completeStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:157) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.controller.ParallelBootOperationStepHandler.execute(ParallelBootOperationStepHandler.java:160) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.executeStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:327) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.doCompleteStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:221) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.completeStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:157) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.controller.ModelControllerImpl.boot(ModelControllerImpl.java:157) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractControllerService.boot(AbstractControllerService.java:220) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.server.ServerService.boot(ServerService.java:246)
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractControllerService.boot(AbstractControllerService.java:215) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at org.jboss.as.server.ServerService.boot(ServerService.java:235)
at org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractControllerService$1.run(AbstractControllerService.java:183) [jboss-as-controller-7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT.jar:7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT]
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:680) [:1.6.0_29]
Caused by: java.net.UnknownHostException: mail.corp.redhat.coms
at java.net.Inet6AddressImpl.lookupAllHostAddr(Native Method) [:1.6.0_29]
at java.net.InetAddress$1.lookupAllHostAddr(InetAddress.java:849) [:1.6.0_29]
at java.net.InetAddress.getAddressFromNameService(InetAddress.java:1202) [:1.6.0_29]
at java.net.InetAddress.getAllByName0(InetAddress.java:1153) [:1.6.0_29]
at java.net.InetAddress.getAllByName(InetAddress.java:1083) [:1.6.0_29]
at java.net.InetAddress.getAllByName(InetAddress.java:1019) [:1.6.0_29]
at java.net.InetAddress.getByName(InetAddress.java:969) [:1.6.0_29]
at org.jboss.as.server.services.net.RemoteDestinationOutboundSocketBindingAddHandler.installOutboundSocketBindingService(RemoteDestinationOutboundSocketBindingAddHandler.java:122)
at org.jboss.as.server.services.net.RemoteDestinationOutboundSocketBindingAddHandler.performRuntime(RemoteDestinationOutboundSocketBindingAddHandler.java:109)
... 15 more

14:46:53,942 INFO [org.jboss.as] JBoss AS 7.1.0.Alpha2-SNAPSHOT "Ahoy!" started in 1458ms - Started 25 of 47 services (22 services are passive or on-demand)