MX Records and Two mailservers

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Guest

Hello,

Joe here, I just spent about 2 hours confusing the heck out of myself
here.Maybe another brain can bail me out?

I have two mail servers and one is also a webserver So one has IIS and Mail.
The other is strictly a mail server and the main mail server.
This main mail server has an MX of 10 and the backup 20 and are identical on
the DNS

MX:maydomain1.com
MX:mydomain2.com

The problem I am having is if I send mail out of the second mail server
(first mailserver is fine) that has the MX priority of 20 not 10 I cannot
send mail to any of my domains at the primary mailserver. BUT I can send to
Hotmail and other domains.

What am i Missing here?

Thanks very much
Joe
 
In
Joe said:
Hello,

Joe here, I just spent about 2 hours confusing the heck out of myself
here.Maybe another brain can bail me out?

I have two mail servers and one is also a webserver So one has IIS
and Mail. The other is strictly a mail server and the main mail
server.
This main mail server has an MX of 10 and the backup 20 and are
identical on the DNS

MX:maydomain1.com
MX:mydomain2.com

The problem I am having is if I send mail out of the second mail
server (first mailserver is fine) that has the MX priority of 20 not
10 I cannot send mail to any of my domains at the primary mailserver.
BUT I can send to Hotmail and other domains.

What am i Missing here?

Thanks very much
Joe
Click to expand...

I'm assuming you are not using Exchange, because you implied that the
"other" mail server doesn't have IIS installed, which Exchange 2000 & 2003
requires.

I'm also assuming that the two mail servers don't host the same domains and
they are not in the same "organization", as it's called in Exchange.

If this were Exchange, I would suggest to create an smtp connector to the
"other" server with those specific address spaces for those domains the
'other; is handling.

Another possibility is to use only your internal DNS, which assumingly your
mail server is resolving the MX records using an outside DNS. I would then
force a specific domain's MX to the specific server hosting it, instead of
the way it's setup for the public.

Maybe someone else can come up with something else.

--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies ONLY to the Microsoft public newsgroups
so all can benefit.

This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties or guarantees
and confers no rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2003 & 2000, MCSA 2003 & 2000, MCSE+I, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Windows Server - Directory Services
Infinite Diversities in Infinite Combinations.
=================================
 
Hello Ace,

Well You are correct.The mail servers are not Exchange.
Yes they have the same domains on them. So if the main server is down the
other can pick up the mail. Both servers are internally networked so there is
a connection. actually the IIS server sends out of the main server. So... in
the interim I may have thought something up.

It appeares to be redunduncy.
Example:
MainMail server:
MX Mydomain1.com
MXMydomain2.com
would have two MX records
Back up only one MX which is the main servers IP

Now the MX on the backup would have only one MX
MXMydomain1.com

so when i send out it would use the first mailserver and if that server were
down then it would be sorted to the backup.
Sound right? or just jibberish he He
Thanks for all your help lets see what happens
Joe
 
In
Joe said:
Hello Ace,

Well You are correct.The mail servers are not Exchange.
Yes they have the same domains on them. So if the main server is down
the other can pick up the mail. Both servers are internally networked
so there is a connection. actually the IIS server sends out of the
main server. So... in the interim I may have thought something up.

It appeares to be redunduncy.
Example:
MainMail server:
MX Mydomain1.com
MXMydomain2.com
would have two MX records
Back up only one MX which is the main servers IP

Now the MX on the backup would have only one MX
MXMydomain1.com

so when i send out it would use the first mailserver and if that
server were down then it would be sorted to the backup.
Sound right? or just jibberish he He
Thanks for all your help lets see what happens
Joe
Click to expand...

Sounds so complicated! LOL. I'm not sure how your mail server works.
Exchange would know where the mailbox exists in the organization and just
routes mail internally to each other.

You can try that solution. Let me know if it works. I guess there's no way
to make the MX records equal priority?

Ace
 
Hey i agree LOL!

The mail really is simple it is me who is making it complicated.

yup cant make MX records equal out> I will let you know

Thanks Ace
Joe
 
In
Joe said:
Hey i agree LOL!

The mail really is simple it is me who is making it complicated.

yup cant make MX records equal out> I will let you know

Thanks Ace
Joe
Click to expand...

You are welcome. I'll be looking forward to hear how you make out.

Ace
 
Hey Ace I got it! LOL what an idioit I am ha Ha

The mailservers if they have the domain on themselves they deliver internally.

So the mailserver that had IIS was not reading the MX for itself but it had
to for hotmail and aol etc...

In the interface there is a selection to deliver mail externally. And whala!

Ha not complicated just me

Thanks for your time
Joe
 
In
Joe said:
Hey Ace I got it! LOL what an idioit I am ha Ha

The mailservers if they have the domain on themselves they deliver
internally.

So the mailserver that had IIS was not reading the MX for itself but
it had to for hotmail and aol etc...

In the interface there is a selection to deliver mail externally. And
whala!

Ha not complicated just me

Thanks for your time
Joe
Click to expand...

LOL!

I thought the thing would know not to send outside when it's looking for an
internal recipient in it's org, whether on the server or on another server.

Glad you figured it out!

Ace
 
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