>The Scenario: I currently have one IMail server and I want to setup a
>secondary Backup Spooler server.
"secondary Backup Spooler server", hmm, what's that?? I assume you mean
"secondary mail server". vbg
>For example, I want to continue using my existing server...let's call it
>IMail #1 and just use the second one as a backup. I understand that my MX
>record will reflect something like this:
>
>10 (IP address) (imail.domain.com) = Primary Server
>20 (IP address) (imail2.domain.com) = Backup Server
not at all like that, but like this, in domain.com's zone file, and for
every virtual domain on imail1.domain.com:
$ORIGIN domain.com.
IN MX 10 imail1.domain.com.
IN MX 20 imail2.domain.com.
imail IN A ip.ad.re.ss1
imail2 IN A ip.ad.re.ss2
imail.domain.com and imail2.domain.com MUST be canonical names, NOT CNAMES.
Also, in imail2, you must NOT create any mail accounts that are in
imail1. Imail2, used only as a 2ndary server for Imail1, needs these settings:
In Imail2 NT hosts file:
ip.ad.re.ss1 imail
In controlpanel:imail:smtpsecurity:mailrelayoptions:relaymailfor: (add
ip.ad.re.ss1)
Mail delivlery operation when 2ndary mail server is used:
1. An smtp client queries for MX's for domain.com and receives them all back.
2. Contact MX 10, wait a couple min's,
3. decides MX 10 not reachable,
4. contact MX 20.
5. Imail2 sees the recipient's domain of incoming msgs is in NT hosts file,
so accepts the mail.
6. Imail2 then tries to relay the mail to Imail1, seeing that Imail's ip
address is approved for relaying.
btw, note that even if Imail1 is never down, some of Imail1's mail will go
through Imail2 simply because sometimes Imail1 "appears" to be down due to
Internet temporary anomalies.
Also, I assume you are not wasting an entire Imail license just to run a
2ndary mail server. ie, you are putting a set of virtual mail domains on
mail2 DISTINCT FROM the virtuals on mail1??
If so, then in the zone files for the Imail2 virtual domains, just reverse
the sene of the above records, so that mail1 is a 2ndary MX for mail2.
Note that 2ndary MX is occuring only for the SMTP protocol. POP3, IMAP,
and Web Msging, while Mail1 is down, will all be UNavailable until mail1
comes back on-line. The mail1 msgs "spooled" to mail2 will be saved but
not be accessible until they are relayed to mail1's mail accounts.
Also, while Imail users who send outgoing SMTP mail to mail1 will not be
able to send mail since I don't think SMTP client pgms use 2ndary MX for
sending. ie, you need to get Imail1 up fast. 2ndary MX will save the
incoming SMTP mail only, it won't save your @ss.
Len
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