Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!math.lsa.umich.edu!emv From: emv@math.lsa.umich.edu (Edward Vielmetti) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains Subject: Re: Can non-Internet site handle others domains? Message-ID: Date: 12 Apr 90 18:58:20 GMT References: <141@dynasys.UUCP> Sender: news@math.lsa.umich.edu Organization: University of Michigan Math Dept., Ann Arbor MI. Lines: 54 In-reply-to: jessea@dynasys.UUCP's message of 11 Apr 90 19:26:01 GMT In article <141@dynasys.UUCP> jessea@dynasys.UUCP (Jesse W. Asher) writes: I'm not sure what I'm asking, so I didn't know how to phrase the subject. :-) But, I'm interested to know if a USENET site could handle the routing for other USENET sites. Example: Let's say my site has a registered domain and I have a site that I connect to that is on Internet and is my MX forwarder. I also have 10 other sites that _want their own domain_ instead of hiding behind mine. Now, here's the question. Is there a way that these ten sites (after registering, of course) can list my domain name as their MX forwarder? In other words, is there a way that they don't have to have my Internet contact as the MX forwarder for them or do I just not know what I'm talking about? I know that I can have machines use my domain - my domain is foobar.com and can have those systems be whatever.foobar.com. But that's not what I'd like to do. Thanx in advance for any ideas... In a word, no. To be more specific, the mechanism that provide you with mail forwarding is the MX record, which has to point to a machine which has an A record, like so foobar.com. MX 10 mailgw.forwarder.org. ;; OK mailgw.forwarder.org. A 135.24.64.24 ;; needed blurfl.com. MX 10 foobar.com. ;; nope blurfl.com. MX 10 mailgw.forwarder.org. ;; OK The first MX record won't work for blurfl.com because the MX record doesn't point to a real A record. It is possible to hack your way around this by having whoever is doing name service for the foobar.com domain put in a false A record for foobar.com which really is the address of 'mailgw' in this case, i.e. foobar.com. A 135.24.64.24 ;; a lie! This is a bald-faced lie and asks for trouble, especially since things like 'telnet' and 'ftp' to foobar.com will now work though not as you might expect. As an instance of this compare the result when you connect to "um.cc.umich.edu" and "ummts.cc.umich.edu". Even so this will not work without cooperation from your friendly mail gatewaying site, since they have to known (i.e. hard-wire in their mail configuration) that "blurfl.com" should be delivered to "foobar.com" via uucp or avian carrier or what have you, not in the standard way of trusting the domain name system to resolve an address. It would also be un-sociable to put this extra forwarding burden on your mail relay without giving them the courtesy of rejecting this extra load. --Ed Edward Vielmetti, U of Michigan math dept. emv@math.lsa.umich.edu