Configure Trade E-Mail Server Reverse DNS and MX Data Appropriately

If DNS is setup incorrectly, over time your mail server IP shall be added to blacklists. These days most E-Mail servers have some form of spam safety service which in flip implies that all of your inbound mail shall be blocked if you happen to do occur to be listed on a spam blacklist.

On this article I'll describe find out how to accurately configure your MX and reverse DNS data on your mail server. This text is predicated on an Trade 2003/2007 server however each different messaging server will observe the identical precept.

Assigning an IP handle

Ranging from the underside up the very first thing that you must do is assign a static exterior IP handle to the interior non-public handle of your mail server. You'll need to use these guidelines in your firewall to port ahead SMTP (port 25) and NAT an exterior IP handle to the interior handle of the server.

One thing that a variety of directors overlook to do or test is to set the outgoing NAT rule to make use of the identical exterior IP handle created for the inbound rule to the mail server. If this isn't set, Reverse DNS is not going to match and in flip your mail server shall be listed on blacklists. In case your firewall guidelines are arrange accurately the IP handle listed on this web page needs to be the identical IP handle you mapped to the interior non-public IP handle of the mail server.

Create the MX data on your mail server

For the aim of this instance, listed beneath are all the small print of my mail server that will help you perceive what that you must do.

Exterior IP: 87.22.1.22

E-Mail Area: area.com

You'll need to be an administrative contact on your Exterior DNS supplier on your area to make these adjustments. Usually this may be achieved by a web-based management panel by your DNS supplier. Failing that on the telephone or by way of E-Mail.

1. The very first thing we have to do is create an A file to level to the exterior IP handle mapped in your firewall to the mail server. The host A file could be referred to as any factor however is often referred to as "mail". In our instance we'll create "mail.area.com" to level to IP handle "87.22.1.22"

2. Subsequent we'll create an MX file to level to the newly created A file of our mail server.

Inside your DNS management panel choose "add MX file". Make it possible for the host handle is the foundation area identify in our case "area.com"

Set the FQDN because the A file we simply created which in our case is "mail.area.com".

The bottom property is essentially the most most popular however in our instance we'll set the precedence as 10.

Use NSlookup to test DNS and MX data are utilized

It may well take as much as 48 hours for DNS to propagate however typically 12-24 hours. To test our DNS entries are utilized and proper we are able to use nslookup.

1. Open a CMD immediate and sort nslookup

2. Kind set kind = mx

three. Kind the area identify which in our case is area.com .

In our instance the output ought to learn as follows if accurately setup:

> area.com

Non-authoritative reply:

area.com MX desire = 10, mail exchanger = mail.area.com

mail.area.com web handle = 87.22.1.22

Configure Reverse DNS

Reverse DNS is used to confirm that the mail server is who it says it's. The recipients mail server will do a reverse lookup to make it possible for the IP handle of the mail A or host file in DNS is similar because the IP handle it's speaking with. Only one RDNS entry could be current per IP handle.

To do that you have to to contact your ISP to make this entry. You will be unable to do that in your DNS management panel with out your ISP additionally host your DNS and provide the performance so as to add your individual RDNS data.

In our case we'd contact our ISP and advise that we want to create an RDNS entry for our IP handle 87.22.1.22 which might resolve too mail.area.com .

Confirm Reverse DNS

Once more it might probably take as much as 48 hours for DNS to propagate however typically 12-24 hours. To confirm that the RDNS entries have been added and are right do the next:

1. Open a CMD immediate.

2. Kind Ping -a 87.22.1.22 (That is the exterior IP handle on your mail server. In our case we use our exterior IP handle above)

If RDNS is configured accurately the next output shall be proven:

C: UsersUser> ping -a 87.22.1.22

Pinging mail.area.com [87.22.1.22] with 32 bytes of information:

SMTP Banner

Each time a mail server establishes a connection along with your mail server it reveals its SMTP banner. This banner have to be resolvable on the web and finest follow is to have it as your mail host / A file.

Configure SMTP banner Trade 2003

1. Open Trade system supervisor .

2. Increase your administrative group ("First administrative group" by default).

three. Increase Servers .

four. Increase YourServerName .

5. Increase Protocals container.

6. Choose SMTP container.

7. On the best window, proper click on the Default SMTP digital Server (and Or the identify you set your SMTP Server) and

choose Properties .

eight. Choose the Supply Tab.

9. Click on the Superior button.

10. Beneath the Absolutely-qualified area identify kind mail.area.com (The A / Host file you created in DNS on your mail server)

11. Click on OK and OK once more to simply accept the adjustments

Configure SMTP banner Trade 2007/2010

1. Open the Trade administration console .

2. Choose the Group Configuration container.

three. Choose Hub Transport container.

four. On the best choose the Ship Connectors tab.

5. Proper click on your ship connector and choose properties .

6. On the Basic tab below the Set the FQDN this connector will ... kind the A file area identify you created. Which in our case is mail.area.com . Click on OK .

7. Beneath the Server Configuration container click on the Hub Transport container.

eight. Within the Proper window Choose the properties of the Obtain Connector below Obtain Connectors tab.

9. On the Basic tab below the Set the FQDN this connector will ... kind the A file area identify you created. Which in our case is mail.area.com . Click on OK

To confirm these adjustments we are able to use telnet to view the output upon establishing a connection on port 25 to our mail server. Use the next steps to do that:

1. Open a CMD immediate

2. Kind Telnet mail.area.com 25 .

The output you see ought to look one thing like this and include your A file of your mail server:

220 mail.area.com Microsoft ESMTP MAIL Service prepared at Solar, 28 Feb 2

zero10 17:51:20 +0000

If you happen to use an edge server or a SPAM filter equipment like a Barracuda the SMTP banner should be set on this system / server.

Verify to see in case your mail server is on spam lists and / or an an open relay

A terrific web site to make use of to test your MX data, RDNS, test in case your mail server is an open relay and test to see in case you are listed on spam lists is www.mxtoolbox.com . It is a nice web site and one to maintain in your favorites.

Following these information traces will efficiently and accurately configure mail routing to and out of your mail server. The subsequent step is just too safe and guarantee your mail server is just not an open relay. I shall be writing a separate article devoted to this within the close to future.


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