anuragbhatia.com !!!

Hello all!!!

i was just getting lot of queries regarding setup of GApps with external web host. So basically using GApps for email hosting and using a separate web host for Web hosting.

Now we can have this kind of setup in two ways:

1. using DNS hosting of web host
2. using external DNS hosts

regarding differences in both i had gave here

1st way is quite easy, it just need you to put Google’s mx records at web hosting control panel

But you will need #2 in case of following things:

• web host doesn’t allow using custom mx
• you want to create cname records and web host is not giving option to do so
• you can put only one mx record but still you want all emails on time with full redundancy
• you also want to create advanced records like SPF, SRV etc

So here’s the info on #2

here i am giving some DNS related steps and tricks to do that.

Step 1 - choose DNS Host

Now here you may choose your registrar’s dns hosting (if available) or else you can go with an external free dns host (remember free DNS hosts are highly reliable)

you may go with:

• Edit DNS
• Zoneedit
• Everydns
• Sitelutions
• web-dns

Incase you need something with gurantee, you can try out Googleing for “paid external dns”

Step 2- create GApps records

Now here start creating GApps records….as

1. mx records - http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=33352
2. cname record for verification and custom url’s - http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=47283
3. Optional - SRV records - These are to enable usage of GTalk for GAPps account from outside of Google network. Here’s more info. - http://anuragbhatia.com/2008/09/googles-srv-records/
4. Optional - SRF records - These are to protect your domain from being used by spammers.
   in case you want to use ONLY GApps for sending mail on behalf of your domain, just create this “txt record” at dns hosting for root (domain.com) zone -
   v=spf1 include:aspmx.googlemail.com ~all

   and incase you plan to use servers others then (but including) Google’s then use this wizard to generate custom SPF for your domain.

Step 3 - Configuring Web Hosting

to configure web hosting, you need to point root zone (i.e domain.com) and also subzones to web hosting server’s ip using “A record”

Now here exists two possibilities:

• your web host gave you web hosting server’s ip (sweet host!)
• your web host gave you only nameservers and not any hosting server’s ip.

in 1st case ignore next section and scroll down and further instructions.

here’s what to do in 2nd case to get ip of hosting server.

Here’s the idea is just to query nameservers given by web host for “A records” of your domain.

proceed as:

• use any dns lookup tool, for simplicity i am using zoneedit’s nslookup tool
• put your own domain in domain field
• select record as “A record” for querying
• use nameservers to query of your web host.

here’s a preview

(click on image to enlarge)

you can also use dig command if you are on Linux, use it as

dig your-domain.com@ns1.your-web-host-server.com a

Thus you will notice output as

[anurag@root ~]$ dig harisri.in@ns1.anuragbhatia.com a

; <<>> DiG 9.2.4 <<>> harisri.in@ns1.anuragbhatia.com a
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 398
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;harisri.in@ns1.anuragbhatia.com. IN A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
harisri.in@ns1.anuragbhatia.com. 60 IN A 72.9.152.48

;; Query time: 253 msec
;; SERVER: 69.56.247.250#53(69.56.247.250)
;; WHEN: Mon Sep 29 16:23:41 2008
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 65

[anurag@root ~]$

Now after getting ip of web hosting server just create the following records:

1. A record for domain.com pointing to that ip
2. A record for *.domain.com pointing to that ip

This will enable web hosting on domain.com as well as all subdomains (including www.domain.com)

Step 4 - Changing nameservers of domain

Now just change the nameservers of your domain. Point your domain to nameservers of the dns host you are using.

And done!!!

After recieving lots of emails regarding SRV records issue in Google Apps, i finally tried that in myeslf……unfortunately thats true that Google has missing info. about SRV records.

As per refering to official Google’s help here .

It has missing info. about the location servers.

Here are those missing SRV records…

_xmpp-client._tcp.YOURDOMAIN.TLD. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk.l.google.com.

_xmpp-client._tcp.YOURDOMAIN.TLD. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk1.l.google.com.

_xmpp-client._tcp.YOURDOMAIN.TLD. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk2.l.google.com.

_xmpp-client._tcp.YOURDOMAIN.TLD. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk3.l.google.com.

_xmpp-client._tcp.YOURDOMAIN.TLD. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk4.l.google.com.

so finally saying…..just forget everything and have these SRV records to get your domain’s Gtalk working from external IM services…

Hostname Type Priority Port Record Value

_xmpp-server._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 5 0 5269 xmpp-server.l.google.com.
_xmpp-server._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5269 xmpp-server1.l.google.com.
_xmpp-server._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5269 xmpp-server2.l.google.com.
_xmpp-server._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5269 xmpp-server3.l.google.com.
_xmpp-server._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5269 xmpp-server4.l.google.com.
_jabber._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 5 0 5269 xmpp-server.l.google.com.
_jabber._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5269 xmpp-server1.l.google.com.
_jabber._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5269 xmpp-server2.l.google.com.
_jabber._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5269 xmpp-server3.l.google.com.
_jabber._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5269 xmpp-server4.l.google.com.

_xmpp-client._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk.l.google.com.
_xmpp-client._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk1.l.google.com.
_xmpp-client._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk2.l.google.com.
_xmpp-client._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk3.l.google.com.
_xmpp-client._tcp.your-domain.com. IN SRV 20 0 5222 talk4.l.google.com.

NOTE: In case you are finding this view difficult to read, please click here

FAQ ON GApps SRV Records

1. Rating: +0

   
   
   
   
   
   

   What are SRV records?

   This record type is defined in RFC1183.

   SRV-Records (location of service)

   SRV-records are used to specify the location of a service.

   They are recently being used in connection with different directory servers such as LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), and Windows 2000/2003 directory services.

   They can also be used for advanced load balancing and to specify specific ports for services - for example that a web-server is running on port 8080 instead of the usual port 80 (theoretical example - this is not yet supported by any major browsers).

   This record type is however NOT supported by most programs in use today, including web-browsers.

2. Rating: +2

   
   
   
   
   
   

   What is standard syntex of SRV records?

   The name of a SRV-record is defined as “_service._protocol.domain” - for example “_ftp._tcp.xyz.com”.
   the protocol is generally TCP or UDP.

   The “service location” is specified through a target, priority, weight, and port:
   - Target is the domain name of the server (referencing an A-record).
   - Priority is a preference number used when more servers are providing the same service (lower numbers are tried first).
   - Weight is used for advanced load balancing.
   - Port is the TCP/UDP port number on the server that provides this service.

3. Rating: +1

   
   
   
   
   
   

   ok fine, tell me practical use of SRV records.

   These days, as per great influence of Google Apps, more and more admins and webmasters are moving their site on Google Apps.

   And in case if anyone wants to chat outside Google netwrk (which includes Gmail and GAPps users) they need SRV records.

   e.g incase you want to use popular meebo.com's IM services with your GAPps account, then you MUST have SRV records for your domain.

4. Rating: +1

   
   
   
   
   
   

   I don't see any option like SRV at my DNS host....what to do?

   Thats very common, unfortunately MOST of DNS hosts still don't support SRV records.

   You have only two ways:

   1.either forget the idea of using GAPps account with any outside IM netwrk!
   2.switch to any external DNS host which supports creation of SRV records.
   one of free yet reliable host is editdns.net
   For premium host, try googling for them, you will find a lot!

1 - optional, used to notify you when the question has been answered
Hope this will help you out

(5 votes, average: 4.40 out of 5)

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