pop3 server for mx record

[Joe Kattner]

The MX (mail exchanger) rr is used for SMTP, server to server transfers of
mail (Mail Transfer Agent). SMTP only knows only that it has mail for a
particular domain, and uses the MX record to find the appropriate place to
send it.

POP/IMAP, is clients (Mail User Agent) picking up their mail (that was
delivered to their domain via SMTP), and is entered into the client program.
The clients must know where they should get mail (configuration entered
manually). 

Often they are hosted on the same server (such as mail.foo.com), but they
are two different services. Larger providers will have multiple SMTP servers
to handle more mail and separate POP servers for their clients to pick up
from.

--Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Ng [mailto:ngkeith at triumf.ca]
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 2:05 PM
To: comp-protocols-dns-bind at moderators.isc.org
Subject: pop3 server for mx record


Hi all.

I am just wonder if the mx record in the dns server refer to the pop3/imap
server within that domain.

I was told that the mx record is the smtp server instead.
If that is the case, how does messges know which pop3/imap server should
delivery to.

Thanks in advance

Keith