Microsoft 2003 POP mail service

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benutne

[H]ard|Gawd
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Apr 15, 2001
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Well it works. In the office. The mail server is simply the name of the computer. It doesnt use a FQDN like most other POP/SMTP servers I've come into contact with.

Is there any way to access mail from OUTSIDE our network?
 
On your firewall/router forward all requests from your external IP to port 110 of the internal ip oif the Pop server
 
And, unless you want to access the pop server via IP address, you will need to us a FQDN.

Although, you can get them free at dyndns.org, which is what I would do for a small office.
 
You will not be able to access that machine from outside your network using the NetBios name of the machine...
 
Originally posted by PHUNBALL
You will not be able to access that machine from outside your network using the NetBios name of the machine...
Click to expand...


Thats just it. It wont let me use a FQDN from INSIDE the network.
 
Go ahead folks. Try it yourselves. Install Server Win2K3 and then install the Mail services that come with it. NOT Exchange.

Try to tell your mail client that the server name is server.yourcompany.com instead of server
 
Originally posted by benutne
Go ahead folks. Try it yourselves. Install Server Win2K3 and then install the Mail services that come with it. NOT Exchange.

Try to tell your mail client that the server name is server.yourcompany.com instead of server
Click to expand...

Do you have an internal DNS that points the FQDN server.yourcompany.com to the server's internal IP?

This may be the problem.... when you access server.yourcompany.com, it would be going OUT of your network (by resolving the name to an external ip), then trying to come back in.
 
Originally posted by benutne
Go ahead folks. Try it yourselves. Install Server Win2K3 and then install the Mail services that come with it. NOT Exchange.

Try to tell your mail client that the server name is server.yourcompany.com instead of server
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^^^
What he said

If your DNS server is set up correctly it will work. This problem has nothing to do with the server itself or even the application that is running on it...
 
Actually, if your DNS is set-up correctly then when you for example type "ping server", your workstation will automatically append your domain name from DNS suffix search list, and perform "ping server.company.com", so as long as your DNS is set-up correctly when your POP clients contact your "server", they are actually contacting FQDN "server.domain.com"
 
Just curious, in my infinite quest to understand DNS, wouldn't you need to make your ISP change your RDNS to yourcompany.com or whatever to access mail servers from outside the network? Not a problem for T1 users or business-grade DSL, but those with cable and some DSL connections (which I've seen many small offices run on) shits a brick.
 
Originally posted by Blitzrommel
Just curious, in my infinite quest to understand DNS, wouldn't you need to make your ISP change your RDNS to yourcompany.com or whatever to access mail servers from outside the network? Not a problem for T1 users or business-grade DSL, but those with cable and some DSL connections (which I've seen many small offices run on) shits a brick.
Click to expand...

You need to register a domain name with ICANN (via a rigistrar), then root DNS servers will be updated with your domain name and DNS servers responsible for it. Then create an SMTP record. ISP hasn't got anything to do with this. You will need a permanent public IP address of course...
 
Originally posted by axdx
You need to register a domain name with ICANN (via a rigistrar), then root DNS servers will be updated with your domain name and DNS servers responsible for it. Then create an SMTP record. ISP hasn't got anything to do with this. You will need a permanent public IP address of course...
Click to expand...
It's MX record, to be anally accurate. And you don't really need a static IP, but it helps.

Otherwise, you could use a service like DynDns.org, and have your fqdn updated that way.

Try to tell your mail client that the server name is server.yourcompany.com instead of server
Click to expand...
I don't think we understand enough about your setup to really help.

What is your win2k domain name, what is the external FQDN name? What kind of firewall do you have? ( believe it or not, this is important ).
 
Yes, it's called an MX record, which stands for Mail Exchange, and contains the SMTP domain name, preference rank and the hostname for the mail server(s)

SMTP record just seemed somehow more descriptive of the function....

As for dyndns and dynamic IPs - it just doesn't seem like a reliable solution for a mail server...
 
Originally posted by axdx
As for dyndns and dynamic IPs - it just doesn't seem like a reliable solution for a mail server...
Click to expand...
2 years and running here. Haven't lost an email yet.
 
Originally posted by axdx
You need to register a domain name with ICANN (via a rigistrar), then root DNS servers will be updated with your domain name and DNS servers responsible for it. Then create an SMTP record. ISP hasn't got anything to do with this. You will need a permanent public IP address of course...
Click to expand...
You're missing what I was saying. I was under the impression MX records need your FQDN to match that of your reverse DNS name. Or something.
 
Originally posted by Blitzrommel
You're missing what I was saying. I was under the impression MX records need your FQDN to match that of your reverse DNS name. Or something.
Click to expand...

When you send mail to [email protected] an MX record lookup is performed on "domain.com" to find out the host name of the mail server responsible for the SMTP domain in form of "host.domain.com", which is a fully qualified DNS name. Once thats done, a DNS lookup is performed on "host.domain.com" to find out the IP address of the mail server. No reverse lookup is performed since we are not translating IP addresses to DNS host names...

MX records don't have reverse lookups
MX records don't contain IP addresses
..and you question doesn't really make much sense. FQDN of what? Reverse DNS name for what?
 
I meant the reverse DNS for the connection the mailserver uses to access the internet. Don't worry about it, I figured it out.

So do tell more about ICANN.
 
Well, you don't deal directly with ICANN. If you want to register a domain you go to IANA to find the authority operating the top level domain. Then, you have to go to that authority's website to get a list of registrars that accept the domain registration on their behalf. Then you deal with the registrar, and the registrar handles the registration for you. The operating authorities only accept registrations from the registrars.

List of generic top level domains (gtlds)
List of country top level domains (cctld)
 
What's the difference between these registrars and say Network Solutions? I own 6 domain names, all of which I bought through NSI.
 
"Network Solutions" is listed as one of the registrars under gTLDs for .com domain here
 
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