Need Help setting up a backup email account,

[defining]

Hi,
I'd like to use one of my reseller accounts as a backup-email account.
How do I setup a domain to use dathorn hosting as a backup email account in the MX reccord.

RIght now I have:

We have added the appropriate mail exchanger settings to your domain:
mydomain.com mail exchanger = 10 mail.mydomain.com.
mydomain.com mail exchanger = 20 DNS45.GZO.com.
mydomain.com mail exchanger = 25 DNS46.GZO.com.

Now I have an account on dathorn, (mydomain-backup.com) how do I let it accept the mail for the domain (mydomain.com) along with the (mydomain-backup.com) emails? I've created the same users on the second account.

Or do I have to have the second account mydomain.com on the dathorn hosting instead of mydomain-backup.com?

Please help.

[www]

I'm using 2 accounts (in different data centers) for my email and I have it setup something as follows:

domain.com. MX 5 mail.domain.com.
domain.com. MX 10 mail2.domain.com.

Then I set the two A records (mail and mail2) to the IPs of the two different servers I use:

mail.domain.com A 1.2.3.4 (IP of main server)
mail2.domain.com A 1.2.3.5 (IP of the backup server)

I then have to check for mail on the email account on both servers (2 accounts in Outlook for the same email address)

I'm not sure how you can do it since you need to use a different domain for the backup....
Can you:

domain.com. MX 5 mail.domain.com.
domain.com. MX 10 mail.backup-domain.com.

Then set the two A records (mail and mail) to the IPs of the two different servers you want to use:

mail.domain.com A 1.2.3.4 (IP of main server)
mail.backup-domain.com A 1.2.3.5 (IP of the backup server)


I hope this helps some!!!

[defining]

I don't have to use the other domain name, it's just an option. So once I have these records, if the server for domain1 is down, then it just forwards the email to domain2 (on a different datacentre)?

Do I have to have any special settings on the second account to accept the incoming mail for the domain?

[www]

I don't have to use the other domain name, it's just an option. So once I have these records, if the server for domain1 is down, then it just forwards the email to domain2 (on a different datacentre)?

I would just use the same domain name then.

If the main mail server (in my case "mail.domain.com") is down the backup server (in my case "mail2.domain.com") is tried and if the backup does not work it is stored for later.

If you want to have your main and backup servers in different datacenters (incase of a network problem) then you will have to find a second hosting company not at ThePlanet datacenter.

Do I have to have any special settings on the second account to accept the incoming mail for the domain?

No, just set it up the same way you setup the main account and the same email addresses.

You also have to realize that if the name servers you are using to hold your MX and A records should be down you email will also fail. You may want to use two different sets of DNS servers or outsource your DNS to a DNS-only company.