I need a DNS MX record example for mailenable/windows2003

Discussion regarding the Standard version.
solucionmike
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Location: Mexico
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I need a DNS MX record example for mailenable/windows2003

Post by solucionmike »

Hi,

I have a standalone server hosting a few websites (win 2003) with a single IP address and using Host Headers to resolve the various web sites. The sites all work fine to view etc. in the browser.

It came with a fresh copy of MailEnable Standard already installed.

I set up a few new PostOffices with the domain and email accounts in each - which appeared pretty starightforward.

However I have no idea what I need to add for the DNS MX record for each website so when the email request arrives (sending or recieving) it will resolve to the approprate PostOffices I setup.

I have no idea what the email server name should be in the MX record - I was expecting during PostOffice Setup for each Domain I'm hosting that I would be asked something like - what email server name do you want (e.g. mail.HostedDomain.com etc.) and that i would point the DNS MX record to that Mail Server.

I added my DNS MX record as "mail.HostedDomain.com" - and that does not work ( I also tried mailserver.HostedDomain.com and also HostedDomain.com) - i need to know what FQDN (The fully qualified domain name) of mail server I point the DNS MX record - is there anyway to find out? -

Also when setting up the mail client - what is the name of the email servers POP3 and SMTP (i was hoping something like mail.HostedDomain.com too).

Please help

Mike
Mike May

IronMike
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 11:45 am

Post by IronMike »

i use no-ip.com. for mx record and i have associated to my dynamic IP, with a programm, an address like this: myname.no-ip.info
after registration of "yourname.no-ip.info" you set in SMPT and POP3 yourname.no-ip.info.
that's all.

cszeto
Posts: 527
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2004 8:06 am
Location: Arizona, USA

Post by cszeto »

1. The MX Record has nothing to do with your web site. It does allow others to find your email server via DNS lookups.

2. The MX Record also has nothing to do with how emails are actually "slotted" across your server. That is actually handled within the server's configuration.

The MX Record just points your domains to the server. The server itself will then need to be configured to handle the individual domains that it supports.

Hint:

1. Multiple MX Records for different domains can point to the same server(s).

2. A server can handle emails for multiple domains.
Microsoft MVP (2004 through 2008)

rpsmith
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2002 10:57 am
Location: Houston Texas

Post by rpsmith »

Mike,

1 - setup a post office with the same name as the domain you will be hosting mail for. e.g., "domain1.com".
2 - under this post office setup a domain using the same name as the post office. e.g., "domain1.com".
3 - add MX record to domain1's DNS and point it to "mail.your-primary-domain.com".
4 - add host: "mail.your-primary-domain.com" to your-primary-domain's DNS and point it to you servers IP address.
5 - have your ISP setup a reverse DNS (PTR) record pointing your server's IP address back to "mail.your-primary-domain.com".
6 - repeat step 1 through 3 for domain2.com, domain3.com, etc...

Also, setup everyones mail clients POP3 and SMTP servers to point to "mail.your-primary-domain.com". if you had a seperate IP for each domain then you would be able to use mail.domain#.com for the POP3 and SMTP server instead of "mail.your-primary-domain.com".
Roy...

solucionmike
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:37 pm
Location: Mexico
Contact:

Thanks, a now POP3 working - but SMTP not

Post by solucionmike »

Thanks, for your comments and help - I beleive my DNS are setup OK - as I can now receive external emails arriving to my server.

My problem is now SMTP:

All SMTP external messages ("to destinations out of my box") I send out are queued in the MailEnable SMTP-Queues-Outbound box. ("in box" messages are delivered - i.e. sending to emails within my server)

For each of these queued messages I get a returned message all of the same format:
========================================
"MailEnable: Message delivery has been delayed.
Message is waiting at activefx.net for delivery to XXX.com.
Reason: Mail Server for XXX.com. could not be contacted at this time. MailEnable will keep trying to deliver this message and will notify you of any progress."
====================================

I reviewed all MailEnable SMTP properties - to do with server name, DNS values (the IP #s) and email relaying (tried just about all the options),

I checked the TCP properties - but did not make any changes there coz the TCP/IP seemed OK reffered to my IP#

and now I am at a complete loss on how I can send SMTP messages - is their something I am missing in the DNS?

Thanks

Mike
Mike May

rpsmith
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2002 10:57 am
Location: Houston Texas

Post by rpsmith »

your ISP might be blocking port 25 to anything other than their own mail servers. try a telnet test from a command prompt on your mail server.

examle: telnet gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com 25

you should get a connect message back something like "220 mx.gmail.com ESMTP ..."

if not, your ISP may be blocking port 25 or sending it to a black hole in another galaxy. :)

Also, it doesn't look like you have a PTR record for mail server's IP. This will cause many mail servers to reject your mail.

BTW, It appears you are hosting you own DNS and that you have a problem. For many reason, I don't recommend hosting you own DNS unless you are a large company. ZoneEdit, DynDns and No-IP are the ones I use and recommend to other people.
Roy...

solucionmike
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:37 pm
Location: Mexico
Contact:

i can access google by telnet

Post by solucionmike »

Hi,

i can access google thru telnet, at the command prompt and got the response - you mentioned - maybe that just leaves the PTR record to do - there was nothing set up in the DNS for the PTR record.

I configured the pointer record with the sites IP# and the sites name Mydomain.net (the same name thats in the SMTP properties (no www.))

The record created just shows a reverse hierarchy of the IP#´s - I guess that is OK. should the domain name be www. or the root?.

I restared the server and the queued emails were not sent, I just got the email advsies:
====================
MailEnable: Message delivery has been delayed.

Message is waiting at activefx.net for delivery to gmail.com.

Reason: Mail Server for gmail.com could not be contacted at this time. MailEnable will keep trying to deliver this message and will notify you of any progress
======================
Also the SMTP DEbug Log:
======================
12/15/05 03:53:49 ME-E0124: Error (1460): Could not resolve MX list for domain [gmail.com]
12/15/05 03:53:49 ME-I0026: [312280413BF5412E84D08988263DB1.MAI] Sending message
12/15/05 03:53:49 ME-E0042: [312280413BF5412E84D08988263DB1.MAI] - SMTP Connection DNS Server could not resolve domain name (gmail.com) in a timely fashion. Check DNS Server settings.
12/15/05 03:53:49 ME-E0059: [312280413BF5412E84D08988263DB1.MAI] Message Delivery Failure. Attempt (4): Could not find mail server for domain (gmail.com). The remote mail server could not be contacted at this time. Message has been requeued.
===========================

Ideas?

Thanks
Mike May

cszeto
Posts: 527
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2004 8:06 am
Location: Arizona, USA

Post by cszeto »

Hmm... You realize cross posting is very poor form??? It can make things confusing... http://forum.mailenable.com/viewtopic.php?t=9107

It looks like you are now facing local DNS issues on the server itself for outbound DNS lookups. I think there was one reply posting, that might have been edited out, which suggested breaking out the manual for basic setup information...
Microsoft MVP (2004 through 2008)

rpsmith
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2002 10:57 am
Location: Houston Texas

Post by rpsmith »

I got to feeling bad about that and decided to removed that paragraph. :)
Roy...

solucionmike
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:37 pm
Location: Mexico
Contact:

Outbound DNS lookups?

Post by solucionmike »

Thanks for all your help I do appreciate all your efforts.

I think the comment about "problems with outbound DNS Lookups" is a good one - as all other items appear OK, also when doing an "inbound lookup" for example at http://www.dnsreport.com/tools/dnsrepor ... tivefx.net - it also shows a severe problem is accessing the DNS data.

I guess the next question is - what can cause DNS lookup problems?

Ideas?

Thanks again

Mike
Mike May

solucionmike
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:37 pm
Location: Mexico
Contact:

Local DNS issues.. you are right

Post by solucionmike »

Hi,

i checked the DNS logs (I wish I had done this earlier - i guess it's just the leaning curve!)

It showed this:
"The DNS server machine currently has no DNS domain name.
Its DNS name is a single label hostname with no domain (example: "host" rather than "host.microsoft.com").
You might have forgotten to configure a primary DNS domain for the server computer."

When the server was set up for me - maybe the name was incorrectly entered in the DNS Server. (or somewhere else)


In Control Panel -> System - >Computer Name, I tried to join my computer (host) name (activefx) to my domain name activefx.net (to try and get a complete domain name) but got an error that "a domain controller to activefx.net could not be contacted" i guess it's a "catch 22".

What should my DNS domain name be? I think now something like activefx.activefx.net - and should I remove DNS server and start again with a new DNS server setup - also i set up the names of my DNS servers with my Domain Register to be NS1.activeFX.net and NS2.. - I am now wondering wether my host name needs to be NS1 or just another A record for NS1 pointing to activeFX.activefx.net. etc.

I do apologise - that some of these questions are really basic - but all my reading and searching has not made this clear (or maybe I'm on the wrong track)

Thanks

Mike
Mike May

rpsmith
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2002 10:57 am
Location: Houston Texas

Post by rpsmith »

Mike,

I hope you don't take this the wrong way but you are in way over your head. I'm not ever sure where to start with trying to help you. One thing I know for sure is you need to forget about running your own DNS server (see my comments above).
Roy...

solucionmike
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:37 pm
Location: Mexico
Contact:

not taken wrong way

Post by solucionmike »

Yes Roy, you are right - i am in over my head - but learnt alot with all your help. I think I am close to get Mailenable SMTP sending - and If I can't get it going in afew days - will take up your advise. Thanks. Mike
Mike May

rpsmith
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2002 10:57 am
Location: Houston Texas

Post by rpsmith »

Good luck Mike.
Roy...

solucionmike
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:37 pm
Location: Mexico
Contact:

OK, here is an example DNS setup that I now have..

Post by solucionmike »

This DNS configuration passes the test at http://www.dnsreport.com/tools/dnsrepor ... tivefx.net aprt from the reverse lookup (still waiting on my ISP to setup on their DNS).

Mailenable stlll not sending...(see debug log below)

DNS Setup
========
(same as parent folder) Start of Authority (SOA) [16], activefx.net., hostmaster.
(same as parent folder) Name Server (NS) ns1.activefx.net.
(same as parent folder) Name Server (NS) ns2.activefx.net.
(same as parent folder) Host (A) 66.155.114.111
(same as parent folder) Mail Exchanger (MX) [10] mail.activefx.net.
mail Host (A) 66.155.114.111
ns1 Host (A) 66.155.114.111
ns2 Host (A) 66.155.114.111
www Host (A) 66.155.114.111


Debug
====
====
MailEnable Debug Log:
=====================================

12/16/05 15:33:06 ME-E0124: Error (1460): Could not resolve MX list for
domain [gmail.com]
12/16/05 15:33:06 ME-I0026: [CDAB1265B73041AB93917FEB2FB420.MAI] Sending
message
12/16/05 15:33:06 ME-E0042: [CDAB1265B73041AB93917FEB2FB420.MAI] - SMTP
Connection DNS Server could not resolve domain name (gmail.com) in a timely
fashion. Check DNS Server settings.
12/16/05 15:33:06 ME-E0059: [CDAB1265B73041AB93917FEB2FB420.MAI] Message
Delivery Failure. Attempt (8): Could not find mail server for domain
(gmail.com). The remote mail server could not be contacted at this time.
Message has been requeued.
12/16/05 15:33:06 ME-I0119: Domain [activefx.net] has used local loopback
address [127.0.0.1] because it is hosted locally and could not be resolved
using DNS settings.


Email messages are returned as follows
=======================
MailEnable: Message delivery has been delayed.

Message is waiting at activefx.net for delivery to gmail.com.

Reason: Mail Server for gmail.com could not be contacted at this time.
MailEnable will keep trying to deliver this message and will notify you of
any progress

DNS Log
=======
No warnings in the DNS log

Thanks

Mike
Mike May

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