Exchange / WinServer / DNS / Domains geeks here!!

[ErMeglio]

Hi guys,
since my Hermes is gone, I couldn't but stay in touch with technology:D and so...in the meantime...I couldn't resist and I'm trying to set my Windows Server 2k8 domain with DNS, IIS7, Exchange etc, the latter is in trial right now, can you give a little advice to set everything up?
The actual problem is I don't think I understood how to set DNS properly.
I mean, I saw some of you offer Exchange services using DDNS (mine is @ath.cx), so I guess you have a dynamic ip and if I'm not wrong, you don't have problems sending email to gmail, as I was having instead.
How have you solved this?

I found some pages saying I have to set the TXT spf field in DNS and to set a Reverse DNS zone and I've done the first with Microsoft site builder(don't know if in the right manner) but I can't do the latter...some sites say only my ISP can do it...but have to say I'm quite confused AT ALL...
how have you done?advices of any kind (noob simple guides instead of my entire book with 430+:eek:)?
Currently, I did -again- a good:) format and installed Win Server 2k8 std with only DNS Server Role, IIS7 and Exchange prerequisites (found on MS WebSite).
Let's see if there's something wrong in my conf, before going to Exchange again and find it not working:
*let's call my pc first name "pc"
*dyndns to my IP (under a NAT, router, then a bridge-switch, with DMZ on and working) @ mydns.ath.cx, switched on wildcards for *.mydns.ath.cx;
*domain mydomain.co.cc with a nameserver pc.mydns.ath.cx;
*dns for primary zone mydomain.co.cc with:

MX mail.mydomain.co.cc. ;

NS pc.mydns.ath.cx. ;

TXT (v=spf1 mx ptr ptr:vser.ilmeglio.co.cc mx:mail.ilmeglio.co.cc a:vser.ilmeglio.co.cc include:vser.ilmeglio.co.cc mx:vser.ilmeglio.co.cc -all) [Microsoft did this, I'm quite unsure of what I inserted there though] ;

mail CNAME pc.mydns.ath.cx. ;

www CNAME pc.mydns.ath.cx. ;

[just added] pc PTR pc.mydns.ath.cx. .Is all this allright?

[more questions coming...]
When I install AD (dcpromo), do I have to use my mydomain.co.cc OR can I use AD only in my home network (let's say myname.mylocalnetwork) and so separate the two things: Exchange & AD?
If I can, are there -hard- additional modifications to make Exchange accept mails from my real web domain and not my local one?
And what about the "pc" name, does it need the network domain or can I leave it the local one? Will Exchange need changes for this too?

P.S. I'm messing with windows server, domains, dns, dcpromo, AD, exchange, ALL this stuff, from 3 days on only, I've learned just a miiinimal part of it all I think, so treat me as a noob:p

Infinite thanks.

[jdc]

Way off topic to be sure, but DNS is a confusing beast to set up at times.

Check this page out:

http://rscott.org/dns/

You can set up a rdns table yourself, but unless the lookups are set to go your DNS machines, it won't do any good.

Reverse lookups are usually delegated to whoever the IP is assigned to, normally your ISP. Some ISP's will forward the reverse lookups to your name server of choice, some will change their records to what you request, and others will either give you a blank look or refuse to do anything.

Also keep in mind that any kind of server is against the acceptable use policy of many ISP's, check with yours before opening anything up to the world.

As for the records you listed, I don't know how microsoft does theirs (I run bind on UNIX machines and always found the microsoft way of dealing with domains and 'NT domains' to be severely fscked up and confusing), but the basics are the same, and I already see some problems:

You only have a single NS
Your MX points to a CNAME, not an A
PTR records are used only for reverse lookup tables, not forward tables

(Mods, I would imagine that this should go in the general -> Off-Topic forum)

[ErMeglio]

[...] but the basics are the same, and I already see some problems:

You only have a single NS
Your MX points to a CNAME, not an A
PTR records are used only for reverse lookup tables, not forward tables

(Mods, I would imagine that this should go in the general -> Off-Topic forum)
Thanks for your answer!
Actually I'm again starting from 0 after having understood it's better to maintain my home domain off the internet :D

Don't think my ISP policy is good for me, but perhaps I can obtain something about rDNS...not sure though

About NS, how can I have two if this is the unique pc doing the dns server?Is this a problem of RFC rules?
If I set both mydns.ath.cx and pc.mydns.ath.cx (which both point here) at the registrar would it do the trick?

About MX, mmh how can it point to an A if I have a dynamic IP? I mean ok, when it's all working perhaps my ip will stay one, but what if my router disconnects, or simply power goes down...my ip would change and I can't change it manually everytime, that's because I was pointing to an address hopped again from the other CNAME to my DDNS servers...is this, again, a problem of RFC roules or is simply wrong?Don't know how to solve though:(

Still have to learn much about forwarding, do you mean I should add it into a primary reverse zone?

Thanks again,
sorry, that's OT of course:rolleyes: