RE: [cobalt-users] Setup Raq550 as Secondary Name Server

["Al-Juhani" <aljuhani@xxxxxxxxx>]

Fri Jan 16 12:18:00 2004 , SW cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote

>Just updated a Raq3 to Raq550 and I'm not that familiar with the new GUI
and
>I'm hoping someone can help me w/ DNS. I want the Raq550 to act as
secondary
>name server but I'm not sure how to input the dns information so that it
>points it to the primary name server. I know I need to do something like
>mydomain.com info is located on this <IP Address> of primary dns server.
But
>I can't find that rule under the DNS 'Add Records' drop-down menu. I know I
>might be missing something. Can someone help?
>
>Thanks,
>
>SW

HOW TO MAKE A BACKUP/SECONDARY MAIL SERVER on Raqs using Command line:
================================================================

I have setup three RaQ4s using this method.

After spending great deal of time using GUI as suggested by others, I have
found that
command-line is the best way to accomplish this.

on the Primary Server (RaQ):
=====================

from the GUI / Control Panel / DNS choose the domain and then add a low
priorty MX record as:

PrimaryRaQDomain.com pointing to mail.BackupMailServer.com

save the changes and the DNS settings.


on the BackUp/Secondary Server (RaQ):
==========================

1. Enable /etc/mail/relay-domains and /etc/mail/mailertable from the
cobalt.mc configuration file:

add this feature line below:

FEATURE(`mailertable')dnl
RELAY_DOMAIN_FILE(`/etc/mail/relay-domains')dnl

--command procedure--

cd /usr/lib/sendmail-cf
cp cf/cobalt.mc cf/cobalt.mc.B4applyingBackupMXFeatures
pico cf/cobalt.mc

then add above feature to the bottom of features section.
CTRL+X and the save cobalt.mc

then compile your sendmail.cf as below:

m4 cf/cobalt.mc >/etc/mail/sendmail.cf.config.WithBackupMXFeatures

Now go to the /etc/mail directory:

cd /etc/mail/

2. Create/touch a file named relay-domains under the /etc/mail and insert
the domain name (tld format) that you will need the backup for as:

PrimaryRaQDomain.com

exist and save the relay-domains file.

3. pico /etc/mail/mailertable (this file does not exist by default) and add
the format below:

PrimaryRaQDomain.com [TAB] smtp:[mail.PrimaryRaQDomain.com]

You are pointg any incoming email to the PrimaryRaQDomain back to its
mailserver.  This
is IMPORTANT.

then update the database:

makemap hash /etc/mail/mailertable.db < /etc/mail/mailertable

4. Copy a backup of your old sendmail.cf

cp /etc/mail/sendmail.cf /etc/mail/sendmail.cf.B4UsingBackupMX

5. Rename the compiled /etc/mail/sendmail.cf.config.WithBackupMXFeatures
to sendmail.cf as below:

cp /etc/mail/sendmail.cf.config.WithBackupMXFeatures /etc/mail/sendmail.cf

6. Restart your sendmail:

/etc/rc.d/init.d/sendmail restart

Now if your Primary mail server (PrimaryRaQDomain.com) fails emails will be
delivered to the
Backup/Secondary machine where it is kept in the QUEUE /var/spool/mqueue/.

The backup mail server will try to deliver the mail at whatever interval you
specify with the -q flag when running sendmail.

The default -q value is 1 hour but you can change it to whatever you want:

If you want to setup for 15 minutes, stop sendmail and then restart
with command below:

/usr/sbin/sendmail -bd -q15m (for 15 minutes).

Now Testing Time:

OK on the Primary RaQ (where backup MX is used for), Stop sendmail.

Now send a message from outside anywhere Yahoo ..etc to the primary raq
domain ..

Check your Secondary RaQ (backup mail server) log: /var/log/maillog ..
You should see the message in the queue retrying to establish contact with
primary RaQ domain every 15 minutes.

Run mailq from command line to see the outQueue.

Now restart sendmail on the primary RaQ, you will receive the message.
Check the header of the message to see how it was routed to your backup
(secondary) RaQ.

Thats all ..

Regards,

Al-Juhani
aljuhani@xxxxxxxxx