I need a little help from an SMTP expert. We currently are getting our email from an outside provider via POP. So my MX record is pointing to that server for 'mydomain.com'. I now have my in-house server set up and would like to begin migrating users to it. However, I am having a little trouble with my testing. I currently have my (as a test) mail set to be forwarded to the in-house server from the outside server. That much is working. I use 'myrealaddress@in-house.mydomian.com'. However, when I send mail to myself using 'myalias@in-house.mydomain.com' it is bounced because "in-house.mydomain.com' loops back to myself." Can someone tell me what is going on with aliases here and is it because the MX record is point somewhere else or do I have a problem that needs to be resolved before I migrate users? TIA.
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email aliases conundrum
- Thread starter awingnut
- Start date
Sounds like you really need to get control over those MX records and point them to your new server's IP instead of the other IP.
When I set all of this up, I took out a new domain and set this up to be my mail server's FQDN. Then, I took another domain and pointed the mail for that domain to my mail server's FQDN. When I was sure everything was working smooth with the test domains, I pointed the live domains to my server and mail started coming just like it should. I didn't really care that the mail server's FQDN was some off-color domain name.... it doesn't really matter. Very few people ever see this domain, so it doesn't matter what the name is.
Also, you should really check your mail server by going to dnsreport.com and be sure everything looks OK. Some of that stuff is not too important, but be careful with the mail server section and the DNS section. Those need to be pretty clean or some ISPs will block your IP address... that's what happened to me, anyway.
When I set all of this up, I took out a new domain and set this up to be my mail server's FQDN. Then, I took another domain and pointed the mail for that domain to my mail server's FQDN. When I was sure everything was working smooth with the test domains, I pointed the live domains to my server and mail started coming just like it should. I didn't really care that the mail server's FQDN was some off-color domain name.... it doesn't really matter. Very few people ever see this domain, so it doesn't matter what the name is.
Also, you should really check your mail server by going to dnsreport.com and be sure everything looks OK. Some of that stuff is not too important, but be careful with the mail server section and the DNS section. Those need to be pretty clean or some ISPs will block your IP address... that's what happened to me, anyway.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks for the reply. I think you answered my basic question in that what I'm seeing in test mode is because of the MX record pointing to the production mail server.
Unfortunately, I don't have enough servers to implement your suggestion. I wish I could test this a little better but I hope the aliases start working correctly when I make the switch. My main worry is having mail start bouncing as soon as I make the switch.
Unfortunately, I don't have enough servers to implement your suggestion. I wish I could test this a little better but I hope the aliases start working correctly when I make the switch. My main worry is having mail start bouncing as soon as I make the switch.
ericbrunson
Technical User
Set the TTL on your MX records to be very low before you make the switch, then there will be very little propagation time if you have to switch back.
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- #5
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