Re: [cobalt-users] MX definition

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 03:50 PM 2/18/00 -0500, you wrote:

> Now I'm not getting any mail..
>
> The host people made some changes this AM.. they have the MX records on
> their serves which is why they say I don;t need any..

If you're doing primary DNS then you have to have MX records.  Nothing they 
do can help you with DNS if you're doing primary DNS for your domain.

> so evidently a change they made foobarred up the whole works.. no mail sent
> to the box is getting thru
> mail generated internally via cgi's are going out properly however..
>
> >>setting and read all the docs.. just won't happen.. I added a MX record
> today:
> >>beautytech.com   mail is sent to the High priority mail server
> >>beautytech.com
>
> this MX record is gone..

Wait a second... you creted an MX record on YOUR machine and it's gone?  Or 
on their system through some kind of web-based interface?

>  I can and always could POP the box.. but not
> send..

Not sure of what you mean.  You're not getting any mail, you say, but you 
say you can "POP the box".  Do you mean your email client can log into the 
box but there's no mail on it?  What does "POP the box" mean to you 
anyway?  MX records have NOTHING to do with POP.  They're for MTA (mail 
transport agents) to know where to send email for a given domain, since all 
domains don't handle their own mail.

As for sending, well MX has NOTHING to do with sending.  Not being able to 
send through your server is a different issue entirely.  Of course you 
can't, by default; if you could, so could I or anyone else in the 
world.  This has to be carefully and explicitly set up, perhaps using POP 
before SMTP (available from Cobalt; it was mentioned Friday in another thread).

>  I called my ISP today.. who was like.. HUH?? you are doing what?? so
> basically he was no help there.. he suggested trying just asb.com not one
> of the appliances (x2haup.asb.com or x2haup32.asb.com for instance) so I
> did that.. but with this other problem.. well I;m not even going to bother
> right now..

HUH??   <smile>

We need you to be much more specific.  Maybe we need you to learn "geek"; 
english just doesn't seem to be cutting it here <big grin>.

> >>I presume you use a Windows-based system in your home/office.  Is that
> >correct?  How is it connected to the Internet?
>
> yes.. win 98 thru my isp
>
> >I presume you hava a RaQ somehwere.  How is it connected to the Internet?
>
> T1 at Sage/Interliant in Atlanta

Yet the asb.com domain seems to be using <new-york.net> nameservers (see 
your whois record).  Who is new-york.net to you?

> >Do you have a permanent or dial-up Internet connection from your
> >home/office?  Is your own Windows-based system connected directly, or
> >though some kind of proxy server or other kind of box or server?
>
> nope.. regular old 56k dialup DUN connection my IP changes every time I
> dial in.. I know that for a fact

Then not being able to send mail comes down to the fact that your ISP may 
be blocking outgoing port 25.  If you've installed POP before SMTP, and you 
know it works (I, or anyone else who is NOT port-25 blocked, could try this 
for you), then your ISP may very well be blocking port 25 for you.  In 
which case you need to use your ISP's mail-server for your outgoing 
mail.  Or change your ISP, but it's getting harder and harder to find an 
ISP that doesn't block port 25.  In general these days, if you're dialing 
up, your ability to send traffic off your ISP's network via port 25 is 
extremely limited.

> Jeff.. you offered a few days ago your services.. maybe we should talk..
> please email me your phone#.. thanks

But at the top of this post it says you're not getting your email <wry grin>...

I'll send it in a separate email, direct to you.  And I'll call you as well.

Jeff

--
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>