MX record question(s) for FutureQuest

[songdog]

I'm considering utilizing a company called OnlyMyEmail to perform spam filtering on 1 or 2 of my domains. They offer a couple different services, though the one I'm leaning towards basically operates on an entire domain (rather than just specific addresses).

I've read a previous thread here discussing MX Logic, but OnlyMyEmail (OME) appears to work a little differently. OME's "corporate" service works as follows:
- MX records direct incoming mail to OME's spam filters
- filtered (i.e. non-spam) mail is delivered to the user's existing mail servers

One of their FAQs at http://www.onlymyemail.com/faqs/mx_defender/ addresses how a shared hosting company might configure a client's site to work with OME's service. Here's the gist of their recommendation:

In order to most effectively filter your domain with the Corporate MX-Defender, OnlyMyEmail's mail servers must be listed exclusively in the DNS MX records for you domain.

[However, ...] the inbound email servers at [some] operations often do not actually know what domains they are hosting. In these cases, if the host's mail server doesn't "see itself" listed in the MX records it will assume that it is not hosting your email, and will then reject the filtered messages we try to deliver....

In order to use the Corporate MX-Defender you'll generally either need: (or be willing to upgrade to) a "Dedicated" or "Virtual Dedicated" server, or have a host with the technical capacity to manage their own servers, or have your own email server.

However, there are "workarounds" for these types of hosts, if you can get their Technical Support departments to assist:

1. Have the host register DNS "A" records for "yourdomain.yourhost.tld"

Replace your existing MX entries with the new server name above, and

Create a "CNAME" records for the above that point to the appropriate "mailfilter.onlymyemail.com." servers.

2. Alternatively, ... simply leave one of the host's email servers listed in the DNS MX but also:

Assign the host's mail-server the "highest numeric value" preference number allowed, and

Have the host restrict the mail-server so that it will only accept messages for your domain when the connection is from our outbound servers.

Either of these workarounds will allow simplistic email hosting administration schemes to recognize your domain as their client, and to accept your mail from us once filtered.


I'm wondering what you guys think of their approach, and if this would be feasible with my hosted domain(s).

Thanks for your time! :)

[sheila]

There are a number of different providers offering email services like this. The way to make it work with FutureQuest's servers is:
(1) You have to manage your own DNS. (See services similar to EasyDNS.com or other DNS providers.)
(2) You set the mail filtering service as your MX record. This means all email originating from outside the FutureQuest network will see the mail filtering services as your MX host and send mail to you there.
(3) Do NOT order an MX record change from FutureQuest. In other words, we will keep our DNS entries that say we are an MX host for your domain. This will only affect mail generated on our network, as we will not be authoritative for your DNS. The important point is that with this DNS setting, we will accept mail for your domain from the mail filtering provider.

At least, this is the setup we have advised other clients to use, and it appears to work for them...

[songdog]

At least, this is the setup we have advised other clients to use, and it appears to work for them... Thanks Sheila!

2 more (quick!) questions:

1. If I were to implement the setup you outlined, would I need to notify FQ that I had done so? Or would everything just keep humming along as it does now?

2. With that setup, would there be any negative effect on my use of DomainKeys for mail I send out through the FQ network? In other words, would the DomainKeys on my outgoing messages still be "valid"?

[sheila]

Sorry that this hasn't been answered for so long, but to follow-up...

1. You would not need to notify FutureQuest in any way if you used the suggested setup above.

2. You wouldn't be able to use DomainKeys since you would be managing your own DNS. Only if you use our DNS and our outgoing mail server can you use our DomainKeys service. Otherwise you need to use some other mail server (not ours) and your own DNS and somehow set it up with other services (we cannot advise you on that, of course).