[CLUE-Tech] problems with your mail server

[Nate Duehr]

On Apr 27, 2004, at 2:32 PM, Roy Johnston wrote:

> Hi Dan,
> I'd love for you to set up the reverse for the server.
> Dave & I have contacted ViaWest at least a 1/2 dozen times about 
> setting it
> up - or at least setting up a generic PTR for the spec - and we have 
> been
> told:
> 1. that it will be done today.

That's my favorite.  I'd say that gives you free reign to call every 
hour on the hour until it's done, asking for an update.  If you call at 
4:30 PM and it's not done, time to ask for a manager, and then the VP, 
and then the owner.

> 2. that their upstream does not allow them to delegate reverse DNS.

Bravo Sierra.  That would break all sorts of things if that were true 
for lots of their customers.

Of course, since you probably know who at least three of their 
larger(ish) customers are, you could find their IP's they use via 
forward-DNS in a flash, and then you could apply the tool below to see 
what THEIR reverses say -- I bet they're delegated!

> 3. that it is already set up and I'm just not check it correctly.

dig -x <ip address>

... should do it nicely from just about anywhere on the Net.

> 4. that they had to lay off the DNS guy and the guys left can update 
> DNS,
> but not reverse.

Anyone there claim to "know Unix"?  They should be pickled in their own 
juices if they can't do simple DNS.  (And yes, reverse delegation is 
SIMPLE.)

I heartily recommend "DNS & BIND" from O'Reiley & Associates as their 
first step to cluefulness.  Next stop, RFC 2317, which was published in 
March of 1998... probably time to get on with reading it.

Sorry to rant but come on... I could do a few digs from here and send 
them the exact lines to put in their reverse zone file if they'd like 
help with the syntax.

If they're supremely retarded and need visual aids, www.miceandmen.com 
makes some Windows-based check tools and management tools that are 
actually quite useful too.  There's even 
https://secure.menandmice.com/mmForms/dnsx_test_now.jsp which is kinda 
nifty if you're willing to part with some personal information.

Nate WY0X