[Exim] Re: Reverse Mappings

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Author: Exim Users Mailing List
Date:  
To: bhoc
CC: Exim Users Mailing List
Subject: [Exim] Re: Reverse Mappings
[ On Wednesday, February 6, 2002 at 21:47:20 (+0100), bhoc@??? wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: Reverse Mappings
>
> Thanks to all who mailed me. That wasn't my best example ever. I *do* have
> an A record for my MX... I don't care about *my* exim that is bounced by
> others...
>
> What I tried to convey is that not every reverse lookup will necessarily
> reveal the same host.


Well, actually, if you follow the DNS RFCs, every reverse lookup "MUST"
reveal the same host or host_s_.

> <better example>
>
> foo.org         MX      10      mail.foo.org
> foo.org         NS              ns.isp.com
> mail.foo.org    IN      A       123.1.2.3

>
> bar.net         MX      10      mail.bar.net
> bar.net         NS              ns.isp.com
> mail.bar.net    IN      A       123.1.2.3

>
> isp.com         MX      10      mail.isp.com
> isp.com         NS              ns.isp.com
> mail.isp.com    IN      A       123.1.2.3
> 3.2.1.123.in-addr.arpa  IN      PTR     mail.isp.com.

>
> </better example>


Nope, not better -- bogus and broken by definition. In such an scenario
you MUST have a PTR for every hostname that points to a given address.

I.e. your example is missing the following critical PTRs:

    3.2.1.123.in-addr.arpa.    IN PTR    mail.bar.net.
    3.2.1.123.in-addr.arpa.    IN PTR    mail.foo.org.


(yes, you really "MUST" have multiple PTRs in such a scenario!)

Note that this bogosity is even worse than it looks and such scenarios
are fundamentally limited by the number of PTRs that can reasonably be
returned in a single DNS lookup.

You really REALLY want _only_ the following:

    foo.org.        IN MX    10    mail.isp.com.
    bar.net.        IN MX    10    mail.isp.com.
    isp.com.        IN MX    10    mail.isp.com.
    mail.isp.com.        IN MX    10    mail.isp.com.
    mail.isp.com.        IN A    123.1.2.3
    3.2.1.123.in-addr.arpa.    IN PTR    mail.isp.com.


That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Any attempt to define A RRs for
every virtual mail domain is literally stupid and self-limiting. Same
for virtual HTTP domains -- just use the 'Host:' header! (there is no
such thing as a "virtual" HTTPS domain -- you need separate IP#s for
them, so no worries there)

--
                                Greg A. Woods


+1 416 218-0098; <gwoods@???>; <g.a.woods@???>; <woods@???>
Planix, Inc. <woods@???>; VE3TCP; Secrets of the Weird <woods@???>