[cobalt-users] RAQ3 DNS Issues Primary & Secondary

[Render-Vue <sales@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Yah,

Just taken over another server for a hosting company that we use to use for 
hosting accounts on way back, had a reseller account with them with our own 
custom DNS (Virtual name servers). We've started moving some customers we 
have from other hosts onto this box - up till today there's been no 
problems with mail etcetera.

One customer we just put on has their domain hosted and is using a 3rd 
party for mail services.
So we have the GUI DNS set-up as so:-

a record domain.com with a the reverse look up checked
a record www.domain.com
a record mail.domain.com
mx record domain.com --> 3rdparty.com preference 20
mx record www.domain.com ---> 3rdparty.com preference 20

The customer has their own server as they run a database off it so 
basically mail goes to 3rd party then onto their server.
The problem we had was if people on one of the main ISP's networks sent 
email to them it came back as relaying denied yet on other networks it 
didn't. Now we had the ISP come back to us saying that the mail was getting 
rejected because they didn't recognise our secondary nameserver....now this 
is where I'm leading to.

Remember took over the server with our own VNS already in place.

Now I'm totally confused at the way the previous hosts have set this up as 
they changed the Server name from ns.theirname to ns.ourdomainname prior to 
taking over...

GUI > Server Management > Network:-
Host name - ns
Domain - serverdomainname.com
IP address - 123.123.123.123 (example only)
Secondary Name Server - blank

Interface settings - Network 1
IP Address - 123.123.123.123

Go to Site Management and there are two virtual sites set up by previous 
for what was our custom name servers
www.ns.serverdomainname.com - IP address 123.123.123.321
www.ns2.serverdomainname.com - IP address 123.123.123.456
This is what we've been using quite happily with no problems.

Then we go to the Control Panel > DNS Server

Select serverdomainname.com

 serverdomainname.com      123.123.123.456
 ns2.serverdomainname.com      123.123.123.456
 www.serverdomainname.com      123.123.123.456
 123.123.123.456/24      serverdomainname.com
 123.123.123.456/24      ns2.serverdomainname.com
 123.123.123.456/24      www.serverdomainname.com
 www.serverdomainname.com   mail is sent to the High priority mail 
server   mail.serverdomainname.com
SOA Primary Host - ns.serverdomainname.com

So I then check what's in the DNS for ns.serverdomainname.com
a record - ns.serverdomainname.com 123.123.123.321 with reverse lookup
a record - www.ns.serverdomainname.com 123.123.123.321
mx record - mail.ns.serverdomainname.com
SOA Primary Host - ns.serverdomainname.com

So now to see whats there for ns2.serverdomainname.com
a record - ns2.serverdomainname.com 123.123.123.321 with reverse lookup
a record - www.ns2.serverdomainname.com 123.123.123.321
SOA Primary Host - ns.serverdomainname.com

Now I know that it's not good to have primary and secondary dns on the same 
machine but at this stage I want to know why the ISP couldn't see 
ns2.serverdomain.com

I basically think that the previous owners have set it up wrong - though I 
hold no judgement as I'm no expert :)

I always assumed that where they have the ns & ns2.serverdomainname.com the 
DNS records should be host ns then the domain name or have I been looking 
at this all too long now - having the flu with streaming eyes and a bunged 
up heads not helping clarify anything.

Regards

Chae