HPlogo Configuring and Managing MPE/iX Internet Services > Chapter 8 DNS BIND/iX

DNS and Electronic Mail

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E0802 Edition 6
E0701 Edition 5 ♥
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One of the advantages of the Domain Name System over host tables is its support of advanced mail routing. DNS offers a mechanism for specifying backup hosts for mail delivery. The mechanism also allows hosts to assume mail handling responsibilities for other hosts. This lets diskless workstations that don't run mailers, for example, have mail addressed to them processed by their server. These features give administrators more flexibility in configuring electronic mail on their network.

MX Records

DNS uses a single type of resource record to implement enhanced mail routing, the MX record. MX records specify a mail exchanger for a domain name, a host that will either process or forward mail for the domain name.

In order to prevent mail routing loops, the MX record has an extra parameter, besides the domain name of the mail exchanger, a preference value like: peets.mpk.ca.us IN MX 10 relay.hp.com specifies that relay.hp.com is a mail exchanger for peets.mpk.ca.us at preference value 10.



List of Utilities

DNS BIND Troubleshooting Steps