Configuration of dedicated server as Email Server

[goldenboy68]

Hi,

We took a dedicated server this week and we'd like to configure the emails accounts for our clients with the PLESK administration.

The creation of these accounts is ok (after the creation of the different domains).

We tested it with a domain "example.com" which is registered by 1and1. We let the name servers by 1and1 and set the A-Record to our dedicated server. That's ok too, but what is to put into the box "MX"? Because we could create the emails account by 1and1, but we would prefer configure them in PLESK.

=> The IP address isn't a valid entry
=> The host name from the server isn't valid too
=> I'm currently trying with "mail.example.com" (I read somewhere that the propagation could take 5-6 hours, so I'm waiting for this issue...)

I read that someone created the "pop.hisdomain.com" in Sever-DNS-Template ...I added the line too and applyed the modification to my domain...nothing changed

By default, I saw that "mail.example.com" was created, is that the POP address to use ? (the POP service was started)

Someone could help me to keep my hair? I searched and read a lot of posts and ask for help for my lasts 2 problems (cf my other post about aspSmart components).

@+!

Samuel


PS: Here are the fields to fill by 2 of our registrars:

1&1: 
MX 1 / PRIO : ................     .....
MX 2 / PRIO : ................     .....

Another one:
HostName   |   Record Type   |   IP Adress
mail       |     MXE (mail)  |   ..............

or:
HostName   |   Record Type   |    Adress     |   Pref
@ (none)   |       MX        | ............. |     ...
 .......   |       MX        | ............  |     ...
 .......   |       MX        | ............. |     ...
* (other)  |       MX        | ............. |     ...

 

[kpisman]

Hi. You have to solve trouble with our registrars to use Plesk, as i understand the question.

Plesk itself is able to host dns for your domains and manage it, so you can point NS records to your box with Plesk. This will ease your future work with domain. If you want Plesk to host your zone for you, and registrar already hosts your DNS than you have to consult your registrar about this.

But there is many options, when registrar not allows this, so maybe you have to point MX record to Plesk. MX record must point to A record, that will be further resolved to ip address. This means, than you must point MX to example.com, and not it's ip address. Fewer priority is better (10 is more preferred, than 20).

Pop3, or imap services not using special record types, so you can enter any address, for which a record is resolves to your server's ip, even www.example.com. Of course you can create symbolic alias for this, to say pop.examples.com with CNAME record, pointing to example.com's A. If you have troubles with alias just use "example.com"

In your case:

1&1:
mx1: example.com, priority 10
mx2: (left blank, you have no backup server)
cname1: www example.com
cname2: pop example.com

AnotherOne:
@ A <YOUR.IP.Here>
@ MX example.com. 10
pop CNAME example.com.
www CNAME example.com.

 

[goldenboy68]

Thanks for answering.

I tested several combinations. CNAME field isn't allowed by every registrar, but the MX field was enough (this field could not be filled with the IP and nor by the "mail.example.com" value, it had to be the "example.com" value...for one registrar, perhaps not so strict for others).

But the easiest way to make it work, is to redefine simply the name server. Instead of the registrar's nameserver, I just filled with the host name of my server (ns22222.ovh.net for example).

I only fear the server fails a day and all our clients emails will be lost! Is there a solution to keep them anywhere?

@+! Samuel

 

[kpisman]

Samuel, most probably either your web server and mail server will be down if your namesrver fails, so it's not so big trouble in this particular case.

 

[goldenboy68]

Of course...I didn't saw it from this point of view!

But in this case, I will probably prefer to let the registrar's nameserver (because they may be faster than me to resolve a problem). And perhaps take a second dedicated server in the future to have a rechange email server.

I hope the server will not be down too much!

@+! Samuel