Email server question - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

TheProf · 12-23-2008, 10:35 AM

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well.

I have a situation that I think can work but I wanted your input.

I have www.mydomain.com registered with an ISP and hosted by them. Not a very big site but enough for my organization.

I also have at my organization a Linux webserver that has a static IP.

Can I use that local server to be in charge of emails coming and going from @mydomain.com or, because that domain is registered and hosted elsewhere, that can't be done? I was hoping to use it as a mail server for anyone @mydomain.com.

Thank you.

Vigilante · 12-23-2008, 11:29 AM

Point your MX records to the static IP and you'll have no problems.

vanblah · 12-23-2008, 12:36 PM

What luciferase75 said IF you have access to DNS for your domain. Most hosting companies have a FAQ on just this sort of thing if you don't know how already.

AdamJacobMuller · 12-23-2008, 04:23 PM

Partially correct.
What you want is to create an A record to point label.domain.com to that static ip then an MX to label.domain.com (label can be anything -- you might want to call it mail.domain.com)

Pointing an MX directly to an IP address is invalid (RFC 974, RFC 1123 et al)

Vigilante · 12-25-2008, 12:04 AM

What he said ^^

I wasn't thinking it through at the time, but you get the idea.

TheProf · 01-01-2009, 08:16 AM

Hello everyone. Happy New Year to you all.

So to make sure I understand correctly -- I have www.mydomain.org that is hosted out there on the ISP. I also have a static IP here. So I create an A record to point email.mydomain.org to my static IP here and then create an MX record that points to email.mydomain.org?

Vigilante · 01-01-2009, 12:07 PM

Martian · 01-01-2009, 09:05 PM

Actually, semantic detail. The person or organization in charge of your domain needs to create the A record. That person can create the MX record, or you can set up a server at the associated IP. There's a slight difference depending on how you do it and who's handling what, but if you talk to the DNS administrator at your ISP, he should be able to help you get it sorted.

The convention is mail.domain.tdl but if you want to use email or post or any other such thing, you can go right ahead.

And then, of course, you need to set up the mail handler on your local server, but that's a whole 'nother topic. Let's keep it restricted to DNS for now.

TheProf · 02-05-2009, 11:50 AM

So just to update -- I called my ISP who we have 5 static IPs with. Explained to them what was going on. They said they would set up a reverseDNS (she said it's also known as PTR) for the hostname mail.mydomain.org to point to one of the specific statis IPs we have. At my end here I've programmed the firewall to forward and send out messages coming in on that specific IP to go to the mail server I built. It will take some time to propagate of course, but is that the same thing as what you were referring to above as the MX record or is that another step?

Thank you

TheProf · 03-05-2009, 10:06 AM

Hello again,

I want to thank everyone for all their help getting me this far -- the mail server system is almost completely functional. I talked with the ISP (technically I have to talk to someone who talks to them) and got them to register the MX record for mail.domain.com to be associated with the static IP of the mail server.

I noticed that I can send emails from the mail server from webmaster@domain.com and they'll show up in my gmail account as such, but the mail server can only receive an email if it is sent to webmaster@mail.domain.com, not webmaster@domain.com. I am not sure if this relates to the MX record being set up for mail.domain.com or the server hostname being mail.domain.com or something else entirely.

The email address the message shows up from when I check in gmail is webmaster@domain.com but if you reply to it nothing happens. If you change it to include the mail part, it works fine.

I appreciate your feedback. Thank you.

12-23-2008, 10:35 AM	#1 (permalink)
TheProf Crazy	Email server question Hello, I hope everyone is doing well. I have a situation that I think can work but I wanted your input. I have www.mydomain.com registered with an ISP and hosted by them. Not a very big site but enough for my organization. I also have at my organization a Linux webserver that has a static IP. Can I use that local server to be in charge of emails coming and going from @mydomain.com or, because that domain is registered and hosted elsewhere, that can't be done? I was hoping to use it as a mail server for anyone @mydomain.com. Thank you.

12-23-2008, 11:29 AM	#2 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	Point your MX records to the static IP and you'll have no problems. __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

12-25-2008, 12:04 AM	#5 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	What he said ^^ I wasn't thinking it through at the time, but you get the idea. __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

01-01-2009, 12:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	Yes __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

01-01-2009, 09:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	Actually, semantic detail. The person or organization in charge of your domain needs to create the A record. That person can create the MX record, or you can set up a server at the associated IP. There's a slight difference depending on how you do it and who's handling what, but if you talk to the DNS administrator at your ISP, he should be able to help you get it sorted. The convention is mail.domain.tdl but if you want to use email or post or any other such thing, you can go right ahead. And then, of course, you need to set up the mail handler on your local server, but that's a whole 'nother topic. Let's keep it restricted to DNS for now. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

12-23-2008, 12:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
vanblah Junkie	What luciferase75 said IF you have access to DNS for your domain. Most hosting companies have a FAQ on just this sort of thing if you don't know how already.

12-23-2008, 04:23 PM	#4 (permalink)
AdamJacobMuller Upright	Partially correct. What you want is to create an A record to point label.domain.com to that static ip then an MX to label.domain.com (label can be anything -- you might want to call it mail.domain.com) Pointing an MX directly to an IP address is invalid (RFC 974, RFC 1123 et al)

01-01-2009, 08:16 AM	#6 (permalink)
TheProf Crazy	Hello everyone. Happy New Year to you all. So to make sure I understand correctly -- I have www.mydomain.org that is hosted out there on the ISP. I also have a static IP here. So I create an A record to point email.mydomain.org to my static IP here and then create an MX record that points to email.mydomain.org?

02-05-2009, 11:50 AM	#9 (permalink)
TheProf Crazy	So just to update -- I called my ISP who we have 5 static IPs with. Explained to them what was going on. They said they would set up a reverseDNS (she said it's also known as PTR) for the hostname mail.mydomain.org to point to one of the specific statis IPs we have. At my end here I've programmed the firewall to forward and send out messages coming in on that specific IP to go to the mail server I built. It will take some time to propagate of course, but is that the same thing as what you were referring to above as the MX record or is that another step? Thank you

03-05-2009, 10:06 AM	#10 (permalink)
TheProf Crazy	Almost got it -- just one more question Hello again, I want to thank everyone for all their help getting me this far -- the mail server system is almost completely functional. I talked with the ISP (technically I have to talk to someone who talks to them) and got them to register the MX record for mail.domain.com to be associated with the static IP of the mail server. I noticed that I can send emails from the mail server from webmaster@domain.com and they'll show up in my gmail account as such, but the mail server can only receive an email if it is sent to webmaster@mail.domain.com, not webmaster@domain.com. I am not sure if this relates to the MX record being set up for mail.domain.com or the server hostname being mail.domain.com or something else entirely. The email address the message shows up from when I check in gmail is webmaster@domain.com but if you reply to it nothing happens. If you change it to include the mail part, it works fine. I appreciate your feedback. Thank you.