How to format and where to put the SPF TXT record?

Question

EDIT I think I more or less understand the syntax and, anyway, Google is giving, in the link below, the syntax needed.

My question is really where to put that stuff. Should I quote every field? The whole line? :)

I've set up Google apps for my domain: I've registered the domain with Google by adding the CNAME Google asked and I've apparently succesfully setup the MX Google mail servers.

So far I haven't yet a dedicated server: I'm just having a domain at a registrar.

Now I want to activate SPF and I'm confused. In the following short webpage:

http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?answer=178723

it is written that I must add a TXT record containing:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all 

Where should I enter this? Should this go in the zone (?) file, like I did for the CNAME and the MX records?

So far I have something like this:

@ 10800 IN A 217.42.42.42
@ 10800 IN MX 5 ASPMX3.GOOGLEMAIL.COM. 
@ 10800 IN MX 5 ASPMX2.GOOGLEMAIL.COM. 
@ 10800 IN MX 3 ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM. 
@ 10800 IN MX 3 ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM. 
@ 10800 IN MX 1 ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM. 
google8a70835987f31e34 10800 IN CNAME google.com. 

Does adding the SPF TXT record mean I should literally have something like that:

@ 10800 IN A 217.42.42.42
@ 10800 IN MX 5 ASPMX3.GOOGLEMAIL.COM. 
@ 10800 IN MX 5 ASPMX2.GOOGLEMAIL.COM.
@ 3600 IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all" 
@ 10800 IN MX 3 ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM. 
@ 10800 IN MX 3 ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM. 
@ 10800 IN MX 1 ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM. 
google8a70835987f31e34 10800 IN CNAME google.com.

I made that one up and included right in the middle to show how confused I am. What I'd like to know is the exact syntax and where/how I should put this TXT record.

Answer 1

Our SPF records look like this:

@ 1800 IN TXT "v=spf1" "a" "mx" "ip4:x.x.x.x" "ptr:example2.org.au" "mx.example.org.au" "ip4:x.x.x.x" "ip4:y.y.y.y" "a:example2.org.au" "+all"

The equivalent text is:

v=spf1 a mx ip4:x.x.x.x ptr:example2.org.au mx.example.org.au ip4:x.x.x.x ip4:y.y.y.y a:example2.org.au +all

So your guestimate record is very close.

Answer 2

You have to set TXT records in your DNS server. In your case you are not running your own DNS server so please read through this URL which might prove helpful http://www.openspf.org/ .More precisely this URL http://www.openspf.org/SPF_Record_Syntax

This URL http://old.openspf.org/wizard.html has a wizard which will actually help your set SPF records.

Once set your TXT record should look like this (domain name and I.P Addresses changed for privacy)

[obadiah@zion ~]$ dig txt exampledomain.co.in

; <<>> DiG 9.3.6-P1-RedHat-9.3.6-4.P1.el5_4.2 <<>> txt exampledomain.co.in
;; global options:  printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 11892
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;exampledomain.co.in.                 IN      TXT

;; ANSWER SECTION:
exampledomain.co.in.          3600    IN      TXT     "v=spf1 ip4:202.189.54.0/19 ip4:179.152.68.0/19 ip4:58.162.110.66/32 ip4:205.199.74.184/32 ip4:195.95.172.199/31 -all"

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
exampledomain.co.in.          1327    IN      NS      ns2.exampledomain.co.in.
exampledomain.co.in.          1327    IN      NS      ns1.exampledomain.co.in.

;; Query time: 16 msec
;; SERVER: 192.168.1.1#53(192.168.1.1)
;; WHEN: Thu May 20 08:38:28 2010
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 196

[obadiah@zion ~]$

Hope this information helps.

Answer 3

The other option is to edit the zone files by hand if the DNS hosting provider allows for it, usually they don't. It is certainly possible if you are the administrator of your own DNS Server.

I work with India's largest Email Service Provider, and we also provide DNS Service for our clients that ask for that service but we don't provide any back end access to our DNS Server.

Some companies provide a front end to their DNS service and might have an option to add the TXT record also.