mail server differing from main

[Kevin Darcy]

David wrote:

> I currently have my mail server and domain on different machines, which
> is working just find, my question is, can I have them pointing to
> different machines with the same name.
>
> The relevant part goes something like this:
> ---------------------------------------
> @       IN  A   1.2.3.4 ; Host IP
> @       IN  NS  ns1.nsserver.com.
> @       IN  NS  ns2.nsserver.com.
> @       IN  MX  10  mail.mydomain.com. ; Mail server
>
> ; Domain
> www             IN  A   1.2.3.4
> mail            IN  A   4.3.2.1
> ---------------------------------------
>
> So currently mail sent to soandso at mydomain.com works, but in order to
> check it, I have to use the mail server mail.mydomain.com.  Is there a
> way to set it up so that using the mail server mydomain.com will access
> the mail server not the web server?
>
> If I changed this:
> @       IN  MX  10  mail.mydomain.com. ; Mail server
>
> To this:
> @       IN  MX  10  mydomain.com. ; Mail server
>
> Then the mail server thinks its supposed to be the same machine as the
> web server.

No, MX records are only used to *route* mail, not to *retrieve* mail.

Unless and until mail clients use indirect methods like SRV records to
find their mail (POP/IMAP) servers, you're stuck specifying the actual
name of the server in your mail client software.


- Kevin