Using a *secondary* mail server only for smtp

đź’» Development
1

Hello, everybody.
For the no-profit who I collaborate, with we currently have a Free Google Work Email account on domain @example.com. So, it has got some limits per day (500 messages/day).

We also own a mail server which I could use as SMTP server. To avoid Gmail (and other ISPs) spam filters I’m thinking it could be useful to setup the DNS on example.com domain in order to tell them that this “secondary” SMTP server is “official” for that domain and it is not a spammer who is spoofing the sender email address.

Someone could help me suggesting which is the best way (low priority MX record? TXT record? …)?.

Thank you very much for your help and support in advance!

2

It’s not really my area but I think that you will need to create an SPF record on your main domain that authorises the secondary domain to send email on its behalf.

3

@duncanc,
first of all thank you for your reply!
Can you help me in order to which values could be used, in example? I never used the SPF record before.
Best regards,
ilNebbioso

4

@duncanc
searching on Google I found this website, very interesting:
http://www.spfwizard.net/
I used it o create the following TXT string
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ip4:ab.cd.ef.gh/32 ~all
where ab.cd.ef.gh is the IP on the “secondary” mail server. Let’s cross fingers!

5

You should be able to test that is working correctly by sending a test email to a personal yahoo or gmail address. When it arrives you can view the email headers for a line somthing like this

Received-SPF: pass (domain of ealingcivicsociety.org designates 89.248.61.40 as permitted sender)

If it is not working properly then the line will be like this

Received-SPF: none (domain of met.pnn.police.uk does not designate permitted sender hosts)
6

Ok @duncanc, I’d like test it, but I found some trouble configuring PHPList. :frowning:

I found this (old: https://forums.phplist.com/viewtopic.php?t=22296 ) topic, but I’m unsure how to configure PHPlist to use first gmail 465 port SSL smtp servers and my own 25 no SSL one.

Can you help me?
Thank you!

7

phplist can use only one smtp server. You need to decide whether to use the gmail server or the secondary server and configure phplist appropriately.

8

Hello @duncanc,

Is it the compulsion in the newer version of phplist (able to use only one smtp)?

I was trying to google and found this post (link below) from the old forums.
https://forums.phplist.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=22296&start=15
(is there specific way we could achive this since the directions in the above link seems broken)

We have a list of more than 100000 subscribers and are planning to move to phplist.

Could i get more directions on ip or domain getting black listed by using from single ip or smtp.

I was thinking if we could use multiple ip’s or smtp to send out mails so to improve delivery rate and also not get blacklisted (couldent find anything specific in forums here).

Thank you for help and directions.

Vicky T