[wplug] Email Server?

[David J. Pryke]

Patrick Wagstrom wrote:
> DK wrote:
>> Hello All,
>>
>> My company is working to move our email in-house.
>>
>> To prove everything is working, I want to set a test server using our
>> domain while still allowing "normal" email to be handled by our ISP.
>>
>> For example, I would have two email address:
>>
>> dkraus at isquaredt.com - messages to this address are handled by our ISP
>> dkraus at w2.isquaredt.com - messages to this address are delivered to
>> our in-house test server
>>
>> Is this possible?  How is the DNS configured?  Is there a better
>> method to accomplish this test?
> 
> Yes, it is possible.  You'll just need to set up a new server with a new 
> MX record in your dns.
> 
> Alternatively, you can create a machine and call it w2.isquaredt.com, 
> but an MX is a better method.
> 
> --Patrick

An example of the DNS config (based on BIND/named, but should be generic 
enough to understand for any DNS setup) with just the essential parts (no 
serial numbers, TTLs, etc. indicated):

##########################################################################
www.isquaredt.com.	IN	CNAME	www.mywebhost.com.
isquaredt.com.		IN	CNAME	www.mywebhost.com.

isquaredt.com.		IN	MX	10 mx1.ispemailhost.com.
isquaredt.com.		IN	MX	20 mx2.ispemailhost.com.

w2.isquaredt.com.	IN	MX	10 myinternalserver.isquaredt.com.

myinternalserver.isquaredt.com.	IN	A	127.0.0.1
#(USE A REAL IP HERE, *NOT* 127.0.0.1!)
##########################################################################

Now, since MX and A records are completely separate, you can setup an A 
record for w2.isquaredt.com that points to your internal server's IP, and 
then your MX line for that would just be:
w2.isquaredt.com.	IN	MX	10 w2.isquaredt.com.

I just wanted to show that you don't *need* to use "w2.isquaredt.com." on 
the right-hand side of the MX record to accept e-mail as myname at w2.isquaredt.com

Let me know if you have any issues, and feel free to contact me off-list if 
you have any hangups that you don't want to post to the list.

-- 
Thanks,

David J. Pryke