Re: [Exim] lowest numbered MX record points to local host

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Author: Georg v. Zezschwitz
Date:  
To: exim-users
Subject: Re: [Exim] lowest numbered MX record points to local host
On Tue, Jan 04, 2000 at 11:13:47AM +0200, Vadim Vygonets wrote:
>
> You must translate it to something useful, though.
>
> > Translating 127.0.0.1 to any MTA not willing to do anything
> > (5xx greeting) should work fine.
>
> Yes, and where will you get such SMTP server? Set it up
> yourself?


An ISP of the size of Freenet and much smaller ones usually
have multiple MTAs. There are two reasons why a solution for
127.0.0.1-problems is desirable:

- A fast non-delivery notification is customer service.
They will prefer being notified within seconds rather than
days (I used to run auto_thaw to get rid of old frozen messages)

- A good administrator looks carefully at frozen messages, always
worried he or someone made a mistake. However, all cases where
the problem is clear he'd love to be solved automatically.

Therefore, the IP address translation method constructing e.g.
and "endless" loop between to MTAs would be both customer friendly
as sysadm friendly.

However, I guess an even nicer solution would be to include the
"mx_to_localhost_fail"-option for the lookup-router.

> What needs to be done is painful education of the lusers who make
> MX records point to 127.0.0.1.


It is difficult to "educate" other people, especially if your
customers pay the education program.


-- 
Georg v. Zezschwitz                      HGVZ1-RIPE