Ip Split Mail versus site host

[jmercier]

Hi I'm slowly learnign my way around this but I still have a few questions. I have a customer in which we are the mail and site host. They now wish to host their own mail exchange server but let us control their web site.

I think I have it but need to be sure.
I go into DNS admin select the customur and it opens to a page in which aI may add or delete

ftp A **.**.***.***
localhost A **.**.***.***
mail A **.**.***.***
pop A **.**.***.***
www A **.**.***.***
clothesthatwork.org. NS ***.yourservername.com
clothesthatwork.org. NS ***.yourservername.com
mail MX 10
clothesthatwork.org. TXT "v=spf1 a mx ip4:**.**.***.*** ?all"

If I want to change the ip for their email I would add a new entry for mail and pop correct? it is the last line that confuses me. It seems to me that the last line which contains our server address is telling it to direct everything sent at the server to go to our IP and not theirs.

If I just change the mail and pop IP's will their mail be redirected to their new mail server?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Jon

 

[nobaloney]

First make the changes to the mail and pop A records.

Then, if it's not already, make DNS visible for the user.

Then login as the user and look at the MX Records screen. You don't have to change the MX record because you've already changed the mail A record. But you do have to uncheck the Local Mail Server box, and save the results.

No change is necessary to the TXT SPF record; it will pick up the right IP# from the mx designation. It doesn't direct mail anywhere; it just tells certain servers what IP#s are allowed to say they send mail for the domain. Since your machine will continue to send mail for the domain (for example, if they set up a form on your site, or if they ever use webmail or squirrelmail to send an email), it's fine the way it is.

After you've done you may want to remove user access to DNS.

Before you post DNS questions again you might want to read this.

Jeff

 

[jmercier]

Thanks!

Sorry about the obscurring bit. I new to this so I am a bit paranoind plus my boss owns another comapny and is constantly having me protect information via changing passwords or shredding documents. I will make the changes in the morning

If you dont mind, are there some good links I should look into for more information in regards to dealing with direct admin? the help links have been pretty useful but is there more I should check out.

Thank so much again,
Jon Mercier

 

[jmercier]

one more question. How long does it take for the switch to take full effect? the cutomer wishes for me to wait until the weekend to make the change because they were told that it would take 24-72 hours for the change to take hold? is this true? shouldn't I just be able to make the change and boom mail will head to their exchange server?

Thanks
Jon Mercier

**NM I got it**

 

[nikdahl]

This will be an immediate change for any networks that have never sent email to your domain. The issue, however, is that some networks that have previously sent email to your domain will have the old dns result cached. They are suppose to let that response die within the TTL for that particular MX record, however, some larger networks don't pay a whole lot of attention to TTLs (comcast comes to mind). When I make MX changes like this, I typically do it over the weekend for that reason.