Need help configuring email

Help! (Home for newbies)
1

i’m a single user with a single domain and a single virtual host - DNS is handled by my register

i have WordPress installed, but i set my mail address to use my own 3rd party provider, so that’s taken care of

now i want to disable mail on the virtual host, but still receive mail from the system and i’m not sure how to do that, or even if that’s possible

so i have:
12bytes.org
host.12bytes.org

can i disable mail on 12bytes.org and still get system mails from the server on host.12bytes.org?

and how would that work - how do i configure the txt/mx records on the register

currently the only records i have set are:

A <IP>
www A <IP>
host A <IP>

Ubuntu 22.04.1
Webmin 2.001
Usermin 1.860
Virtualmin 7.3-1

2

In Webmin Tab go to servers > Postfix Mail Server > Edit Config Files

In drop down files /etc/postfix/main.cf

look for inet_interfaces =

Make it look like this:

inet_interfaces = loopback-only

Click on the button: Save and close

Click on the button: Stop Postfix
after
Click on the button: Start postfix

This will only allow mail out from system if you need it to talk to another.
You will not receive any email from outside, Only from within the server itself.
You can check system emails by clicking Read User Mail under Servers

Edited: For more details

1 Like
3

thanks - i edited the config and disabled the mail server for the virtual server and all seems to be fine

just a note to others who may read this; i don’t think there’s any need to set up any MX/TXT records for mail on the register if using a 3rd party mail provider on the virtual server

5

could use a “bit” of assistance (that’s putting it mildly!) with setting up DKIM, DMARC and SPF - all this was installed/enabled in Virtualmin and mail is working locally on the server

DNS is managed at the registrar - this was suggested but i don’t know that i like it - all the DNS records were created by Virtualmin, which seems to make things simple, however since DNS is at the registrar, now i have to create the MX/TEXT/whatever records there and i don’t know how to do this and no amount of reading is helping me

this is what i currently have on the registrar…

dynadot
dynadot772×635 43.9 KB

questions…

  1. is the MX record in the right place (domain vs. subdomain records)?

1.a. the record on Vm…
MX 5 mail.12bytes.org.
this is different than what’s on the registrar - is the “5” the priority?
also there’s a trailing dot - does that get copied to the registrar also?

  1. where does the SPF record go (domain or subdomain)?
    this is the record on Vm…
    TXT "v=spf1 a mx a:12bytes.org ip4:45.42.246.86 ip4:45.42.246.86 ?all"

  2. where does the DKIM record go (domain or subdomain)?
    this is the record on Vm…
    TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; t=s; p=<a long string of potentially sensitive gobbledygook>"

  3. when creating the DKIM record, does that whole string get copied (roughly 409 chars long)?

  4. where does the DMARC record go (domain or subdomain)?
    this is the record on Vm…
    TXT "v=DMARC1; p=none; pct=100; ruf=mailto:postmaster@12bytes.org; rua=mailto:postmaster@12bytes.org"

6

  1. mx looks good, priority fine, that’s more important for 2 or more MX records.

  2. spf select TXT from drop down and add the record, sometimes the quotes are needed.
    same for 3 and 5.

use https://mxtoolbox.com/ to test the records a functioning correctly.

1 Like
7

If a subdomain / subserver sends or receives mail, then it needs the entries. If not, then it doesn’t.

Richard

8

i forgot about mxtoolbox - thanks for reminding me!

9

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