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I have this "new" problem, i just rebuilt the configuration of our domain+server+hosting to new office standards.

Here is the setup

We have a myexample.com domain with a well known registrar. A "web hosting" company, with it's own, that let's us configure everything (except dynamic ip updates) A "dns hosting" that supports dynamic ip updates. An office server on a dynamic ip connection. E-mail

Problem

On the .com registrar side i have the "dns hosting" name servers hooked up.

From this "dns hosting" i redirect @.myexample.com and www.myexample.com traffic to the "web hosting" server an ip like 89.46.35.224 with some CNAME and A records. Traffic to server.myexample.com goes to the dynamic address.

All is well... ping works fine... services work fine... dns propagation is all done by now.

The problem is mail. When i send a mail to my domain i get instant reply from the DNS: mx.mydynamicdnshost.com reports "mail for myexample.com loops back to myself"

In my previous configuration all i needed to do is use a TXT record like "v=spf1 ip4:89.46.34.0/21​ ip4:216.239.115.0/24 a mx​~all" and e-mail would just "work"

Now it doesn't... am i missing something? Did my previous dns host have some kind of standard configuration that made it work and this one doesn't? Do i need to add anything else.

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You have to describe how your mail should work: where is it sent from, where is mail destined for mydomain.com received, etc. The TXT record is for the SPF check used by anti-spam filters to help judge if email claiming to be for myexample.com is coming from an authorized mail server. It doesn't have anything to do with directing incoming mail for your domain. That would be the MX record. – cjc Nov 8 '12 at 12:23
Also you need to specify WHAT exactly isn't working? Do you see an error when you try sending/receiving emails? Can you post the log file? – tftd Nov 8 '12 at 12:25
Fixed now... i get an e-mail reply that says mx.mydynamicdnshost.com reports "mail for myexample.com loops back to myself" – basilmir Nov 8 '12 at 12:33
That's more mail server configuration than DNS. Can you update your question with the mail server software you're using? – cjc Nov 8 '12 at 12:37
The problem is this... i get a reply from my DNS Hosting mail server... but mail is supposed to reach my Web hosting server... i want to route mail to another server altogether. – basilmir Nov 8 '12 at 12:47
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1 Answer

up vote 1 down vote accepted

Just checked MX records and @.myexample.com was pointing to "LOCAL"... added an A record for mail.myexample.com to the web host and another A record in the DNS host... the had the MX record point to that. FIXED

Seems older dynDNS service did this by default since it had no Backup MX, this one does, so it directs to their own servers by default.

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MX records must never point to a hostname which is a CNAME. This will break your mail in subtle and annoying ways. – Michael Hampton Nov 9 '12 at 0:57
True... i read the RFC 2 hours after i wrote this. I now use an A record to the ip with the same name. I edited the answer. – basilmir Nov 9 '12 at 6:16

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