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I am wondering if I need to setup a DNS Server as well as a MX Record if I plan to host an email server such as hMailServer for an internal network. The network itself will be isolated from the internet. The emails will not be sent to any other server. The idea is that the emails will be used by local services to send notifications about events within the network.

Thank you.

amsga
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2 Answers2

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No, you do not need an MX record. Mailservers can function without.

But in general setting up an internal DNS server beats the alternative: maintaining hosts files and/or using IP-addresses everywhere.

Generally sending email messages to user@internal.example.com will also come easier than using the square bracket syntax to send messages to a bare IP-address user@[10.9.8.1].

Normally an MX record is needed more by other (SMTP) servers to discover what server handles the incoming e-mail for a particular domain than for your own systems. You have full control over your own systems and they don't necessarily need such discovery mechanism, they can be explicitly configured with the hostname/IP-address of the host they should deliver their messages to. So an MX record is not mandatory and you can theoretically do without. But when you're setting up internal DNS anyway, adding that MX record is a trivial effort.

diya
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You need to set MX record(s) only in the following cases:

  1. have more than one mail server which manage mail for particular group of users
  2. have one mail servers and one or more mail forwarders
  3. have more than one internal domains.
  4. expect to have incoming mails from internet.

I all other cases you will have only one mail server and no need of MX records in DNS.

Romeo Ninov
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