Defining MX record to send/receive email - Please help!

[josel]

Howdy!

I have MX record like so:

(same as parent folder)   MX   mail.ifmsystem.com

and an A record like so:

mail    A    67.35.69.77

I tried using dnsreport.com to check on mail connectivity but keep on failing. The DNS report also fails telling me that it cannot connect to my mail server.

I have played with my IP addressed and changed it to point to my local server IP (190.168.0.190) and found that this is not valid ...

I have ADSL and my port 25 is opened on my router pointing to my DNS server. What else must I do? Could it be that my ISP provider is the problem?

Thank you all in advance!


Jose Lerebours



KNOWLEDGE: Something you can give away endlessly and gain more of it in the process! - Jose Lerebours

 

[ChrisAC]

Jose,

Your MX record is just fine. Your problem is that there is no SMTP connectivity to your server. This may be down to local configuration, your firewall or maybe your ISP blocks smtp. Is SMTP running on your server?

Chris.

**********************
Chris Andrew, CCNA, CCSA
chris@iproute.co.uk
**********************

 

[criticalUpdate]

locally try to do a

telnet 190.168.0.190 25

and if you see the smtp header then you know it's turned on, then you work backwards check your firewall- if your using windows you could use something like grc.com to test the open ports like smtp.



Jeff

 

[Serbtastic]

C:\>telnet mail.ifmsystem.com 25
Connecting To mail.ifmsystem.com...Could not open connection to the host, on port 25: Connect failed

Still can't connect to it. Are you sure you forwarded port 25 to your mail server?

 

[josel]

I definitely have port 25 opened and pointing to my server.

I just tried telneting to it myself and cannot just like you guys failed as well.

I installed "Active Directory" and the domain name I use for AD was ifmsystem.com, same domain name as DNS.

Is this a problem?
Should I remove AD? If I remove AD, would it mess up (or remove) my DNS records?

FYIW, I am using Mercury 32 as SMTP server and Pegasus Mail as my mail client.

I am on the road and cannot try telneting to my server but from the outside. When I get home, I will try locally and see what happens.

Regards;


Jose Lerebours





KNOWLEDGE: Something you can give away endlessly and gain more of it in the process! - Jose Lerebours

 

[josel]

OK - If I telnet to my server by doing

telnet 192.168.0.190 25

from one of my local PCs, I get

220 robinson.ifmsystem.com Microsoft ESMTP Mail Service, Version: 5.0.2195.6713 ready at Wed, 7 Jul 2004 ....

I tried telneting from a remote server and was not able to connect. I don't get it! If the port is opened, why can I not get to my server?

I am still having problem getting to my mail server from dnsreport.com.

Any suggestions?

Thanks;


Jose Lerebours


KNOWLEDGE: Something you can give away endlessly and gain more of it in the process! - Jose Lerebours

 

[criticalUpdate]

Ok I'm a little confused I thought you said you were running Mercury, the above is the smtp header from MS smtp service--- But that's just a side.

As Iproute stated earlier is it possible that your ISP is blocking smtp? More likely with cable providers than just about anybody else and it looks like your using bellsoutH and you said adsl so I would hedge a guess that that's not it.

Another more likely source is your firewall or router that allows the incoming traffic, once again something that iproute suggested earlier...

but what type of firewall/router do you use? Like I said if you use windows you can validate the proper function of your firewall by using grc.com then select shieldsup and it will let you know what ports are open through your firewall.

Jeff

 

[josel]

Jeff,

I am trying to eliminate any possible problem locally before I call BellSouth about this. I too believe that they are not blocking me as friends of mine also use BellSouth and they are not having this problem.

Prior to posting my previous message I noticed the MS SMTP Service and hint me to look for possibly having to daemons fighting over the port thus causing a problem (I do not recall installing it but then again, who knows ...).

grc.com says that my port 25 is "stealth". I am going to try a different router and see what happens. If I still have the same problem, I then must conclude that my ISP is blocking port 25.

Regards;


Jose Lerebours



KNOWLEDGE: Something you can give away endlessly and gain more of it in the process! - Jose Lerebours

 

[Beboen]

Hi,

Hmm, apparently you have misconfigured your firewall. You say in your 1st post: "I have ADSL and my port 25 is opened on my router pointing to my DNS server."

You have to open port 25 and let it point to your mail server, not your DNS server.

Hope this helps,
Beboen

 

[josel]

Beboen,

Actually, that's what I meant. It turns out that my ISP is blocking port 25. My only option to use it is to promote my service to a business line which means over $100 a month.

It all comes down to being limited by big corporate. However, I do agree that it is for the better good since too many end-users leave their computers open to be use as relays thus causing all sorts of spam problems. In the other hand, it is kind of hard to take the fall for some one else.

Regards;


Jose Lerebours



KNOWLEDGE: Something you can give away endlessly and gain more of it in the process! - Jose Lerebours