Question regarding multiple MX records

[John Van Ostrand]

On Thu, 2006-11-09 at 15:19 -0500, E K wrote:

> What happens where there are multiple MX record entries in a zone
> file. Does email get distributed according to the priority or the
> record or does email get routed to the server will lower priority only
> if no email server of higher priority does not respond?
> 
> Do all email server fall back automatically to lower priority email
> server to deliver email when the server with high priority does not
> respond or some server will just wait for the primary server come
> back? In other words what is the effect of an MX record entry poiting
> to a server that is down?


Servers will attempt to deliver email to the server with the lowest
number. If that fails it will move to the next lowest number.

Spam emailers may attempt to deliver to the higher numbers with the
assumption that secondary servers will not have spam filtering and that
the secondary server will be trusted by the main mx.

-- 
John Van Ostrand
         Net Direct Inc.
 
CTO, co-CEO
564 Weber St. N. Unit 12
   Waterloo, ON N2L 5C6 
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john-Da48MpWaEp0CzWx7n4ubxQ at public.gmane.org
        Ph: 519-883-1172
 ext.5102
Linux Solutions / IBM
Hardware
        Fx: 519-883-8533
 
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