cname usage to get 2nd domain email through virtual host?

[Barry Margolin]

In article <a41qdh$doj at pub3.rc.vix.com>, John <john at zip.com> wrote:
>would appreciate help on following problem -
>
>I have a main domain "main.com", registered
>second domain "second.com." Have tried
>setting up dns records via registrar for
>second.com to point second.com to
>main.com. Tried using A & MX records.
>Web site works great, email bounces because
>sendmail is not configured on server to accept
>email addressed to xxx at second.com. Fair
>enough.
>
>Tech support at company says:
>
>> Can you create a cname under the master
>> domain for main.com if not let us know,
>> will have to see if we can get a administrator
>> to make manually entries in the sendmail
>> config files for you. We dont typically do
>> this for a domain thats not hosted on the
>> server but I will see what can be done.
>
>I'm trying to decipher this. Doesn't help that
>I'm new at dns. It sounds like I need to create
>a new record in the dns entries for MAIN.com,
>something like:
>
>www.second.com   CNAME   main.com

You could do that, but it would only work for mail addressed to
user at www.second.com, not user at second.com.

I think the reason they're suggesting a CNAME is that the sending machine
is supposed to replace any aliased hostnames in addresses with the primary
name; that way, by the time it arrives at their server, it will say
user at main.com.  But since you can't use a CNAME for the domain name itself,
this won't work for you if you want mail for user at second.com to work.  For
that, they'll need to add second.com to their sendmail config file.

-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar at genuity.net
Genuity, Woburn, MA
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