Installation Hostname and IP Address

I'm trying to set up a new machine with Zimbra 3.1 on SUSE Linux. During the installation process I get a warning that my host isn't resolvable to a DNS MX record.

Being new to all this, I ask your patience.

If the DNS entry for my MX record is mail.companyname.com with an IP of 204.68.221.1 (for example), does that mean that I must name my Linux box mail.companyname.com with an IP of 204.68.221.1?

Right now the IP address of my DSL router is the 204.68.221.1. Can't the IP of my Zimbra server be something else (e.g., 192.168.2.100)?

I'm not running my own DNS. I've entered the address of my ISP's DNS server in the configuration on Suse.

So, can I just ignore the warning or do I need to address it?

Thanks!

Hi

Welcome to the forums. :)

Yoo can't ignore this error, you'll need to address it I'm afraid.

If you intend to have a mail server visible to the world and if you're going to have your DNS records hosted outside your LAN then you'll need the correct ports forwarded through the router and you'll need a local DNS server set-up as 'split DNS'.

If you have a domain name then it will point to your IP address and each of the PCs on the LAN will need a 'name' (they probably have already but let's say 'mail' for the zimbra PC), the zimbra would then be mail.domainname.com

You'll need to check that your /etc/hosts file is set-up correctly and the hostname for the zimbra PC can be resolved via DNS. When you've done all that you should install Zimbra, that should see you right. ;) In (very) simple terms, that's all there is to it. :D

Having said all that if you're just testing zimbra and you don't have a registered domain name and the server won't be accepting any connections from the internet then it's slight more simple to setup. You'll still need a hostname for the zimbra PC and you'll still need a locan DNS server. You can find a DNS 'how to' here and apart from that there isn't much to it.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to address my question.

So a local DNS server is a requirement if I'm to send and receive messages external to my LAN?

Currently I'm running Exchange with no local DNS. I have port 25 on my router directed to my Exchange box. My Exchange machine has a local IP address (e.g., 192.168.2.10).

I must plead ignorance. I thought this would work the same for Zimbra or any other mail server for that matter. Am I simply wrong?

You might not be wrong. :) It depends on whether you have a registered domain name and whether you're on a fixed IP and whether you want inbound mail delivered directly to your server and whether you want outbound mail delivered directly or relayed through ISP. Tell me those answers and I can point you in the right direction.

I do have a registered domain name and a static IP address.

Currently I have inbound mail delivered directly to my server. That is, I forward port 25 traffic to my Exchange box.

Right now I'm not doing any sort of relaying through my ISP. I'm mearly using their DNS server addresses as though they were my own. But I have no problem relaying through them if that will make things easier for me.

OK, I wasn't sure from your first post what your set-up was exactly.

In that case you need your Zimbra PC to have a FQDN, you'll need to set-up a local DNS server otherwise any mail you send to yourself won't arrive because it's not doing a DNS lookup correctly - that will need to be a split DNS setup. The hosts file will need your local fixed IP address and your firewall will need the relevant ports forwarded to the zimbra box. IIRC, Exchange doesn't send internal mail via a DNS lookup but a proper mail server should. ;)

Okay...So my hosts file should look something like:

127.0.0.1 localhost
192.168.2.10 mail.mydomainname.com mail

May I ask you...Can I run a DNS service on the Zimbra machine or does it require a dedicated server?

I will search for previous posts on setting a split DNS setup. So, I'll try to take a stab at it myself before posting any questions as to HOW-TO.

Thanks :)

That's almost right for the hosts file, it should read:

127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost

the second line you have is correct.

Split DNS should be fairly simple to set-up, a 'straight' DNS set-up can be found in the 'DNS in a Nutshell' post but I don't think there's a how-to on split DNS in the forums. I think there is a link to a google search somewhere on the forums. Have a look around and if you have any problems post again.

Yes, you can run a DNS server on the Zimbra host.

I appreciate the help. It will probably be next week before I have a chance to work on it though. I've got to be getting back to my day job. :)

Thanks!