Can anyone help with DNS?

[MWalkden]

I'm running a sendmail mail server and a Win2k DNS server behind a Netopia 7100 DSL router and for some reason I cant get mail. I believe it is DNS and I've struggled through a couple days trying to configure it without sucess. I've got VPN, telnet access into the network as well as VNC if anyone is willing to take a look.

Please help!

 

[Scarpozzi]

I worked to setup a mailserver through my DSL account and still haven't been able to yet. I was able to send internally to my server's IP address, but I think the problem is because I have no internal DNS server to name my computer (by its ip). So if you can setup your DNS server to reflect your computer's internal ip address rather than your router's external address. You do have a router, right?

 

[MWalkden]

Maybe this will help:

usa-pass.com forward lookup zone:

Name Type Data
(same as parent folder) SOA [66], ns1.usa-pass.net., administrator.usa-pass.net.
(same as parent folder) NS ns1.usa-pass.net.
(same as parent folder) A 208.199.169.69
(same as parent folder) MX [10] jupiter.usa-pass.net.
mail CNAME jupiter.usa-pass.net.
ns1 CNAME mercury.usa-pass.net.
www A 208.199.169.69

usa-pass.net forward lookup zone:

Name Type Data
(same as parent folder) SOA [64], ns1.usa-pass.net., administrator.usa-pass.net.
(same as parent folder) NS ns1.usa-pass.net.
(same as parent folder) A 208.199.169.69
(same as parent folder) MX [10] jupiter.usa-pass.net.
jupiter A 192.168.252.200
mail CNAME jupiter.usa-pass.net.
mercury A 192.168.252.202
ns1 CNAME mercury.usa-pass.net.
www A 208.199.169.69

192.168.252-in-addr-arpa reverse lookup zone:

Name Type Data
(same as parent folder) SOA [47], ns1.usa-pass.net., administrator.usa-pass.net.
(same as parent folder) NS ns1.usa-pass.net.
200 PTR jupiter.usa-pass.net.
202 PTR mercury.usa-pass.net.

Other information:
DNS server computername - mercury
suffix - usa-pass.net
mail server name - jupiter
suffix - usa-pass.net

I downloaded a program called DNS Expert Pro. It says in the zone usa-pass.net there are no pointer files for mercury.usa-pass.net and jupiter.usa-pass.net. I obviously have host records for them in the forward zone and in the reverse lookup. Why am I getting this error message?

 

[goldboyd]

the computer that your mx record is pointing to (jupiter.usa-pass.net) is resolving to an internal ip, you need to point it to a real ip

 

[MWalkden]

Even though it is behind a NAT pointing the external IP to the internal IP on SMPT and POP3?

 

[spidey07]

MWalkden,

YES, your MX record need to be a publically addressable IP. That way other mail servers can communicate with you. You're on the right track by forwarding the SMTP and POP3 port to the server.

Fix the MX record and it should work. I'm guessing it should be 208.199.169.69, because that seems to be your only address.

 

[Damaged]

Yes, because you're MX record is:

usa-pass.net mail is handled (pri=10) by jupiter.usa-pass.net

and,

nslookup jupiter.usa-pass.net
Server: asteroid.execpc.com
Address: 169.207.1.3

Non-authoritative answer:
Name: jupiter.usa-pass.net
Address: 192.168.252.200

You need to make that a real IP not an internal IP.

spidey beat my by a mouse hair it seems.

 

[MWalkden]

OK, one last question here, do I want to change the host record for jupiter or do I want an MX record that has the external IP listed as the host?

 

[spidey07]

change the A record for jupiter. Your CNAMEs and MX records will work properly

 

[MWalkden]

I made that change in usa-pass.net and I got one of my old test emails through. I called a friend and had him send me one at .net and one to .com, those seem to be held up somewhere.

Thanks for your help folks, just to round this out I have 2 other domains pointed to me too and run mail for them as well. Am I needing a host record for jupiter in any of the other zones?

In my 2nd message I explained the error I was getting using DNS Expert, it also gave me the same error for mercury (the DNS server itself) saying it can't find a pointer record for it, am I having the same problem with this host record?