MailHop Relay How-to

Creating and configuring MailHop® Relay from start to finish

Step One: Domain Registration and DNS

Before you begin, your domain name will need to be registered and have some form of DNS service. If you do not have registration or DNS for your domain, you can purchase DNS and domain registration from DynDNS.com.

Step Two: Creating MailHop Relay Service

First, you will need to add the MailHop Relay service for your domain using the Add Zone Services wizard. Enter your domain name (domain.com, not www.domain.com) and select "MailHop Relay" beside Email Routing, then click Next. (If you are also purchasing domain registration services or DNS services, you can select these as well.)

On the next page, select the desired Service Period (one, three or five years). Under the Email Relay Setup are three options:

Once you are finished deciding, please click Next. The service(s) will be added to your shopping cart. You can continue shopping or check out when you are finished.

Step Three: Configuring Your MX Records

After the service has been purchased, it can take up to fifteen minutes to activate, so please be sure to wait a little while before changing your MX records. When you are ready, you will need to change the MX records for your domain to use the MailHop Relay servers for its incoming email. (You can learn more about MX records here.)

If you are using Custom DNS, you can use the Configure for MailHop link to automatically create the necessary MX records for your domain. If you are using the Expert interface, you can create the records manually using the Add New Record section like so:

MailHop Relay Screenshot

If you are using third-party DNS service, you will need to add the MX records to your domain's zone file through their interface.

Once the MX records have been created, email for your domain will be directed towards our mail servers, and they will relay it to the server and port you have specified. (If you changed existing MX records, the old information may still be cached, and it may take some time for mail to begin flowing through MailHop Relay. You can learn more about DNS caching here.)

Incorrect settings for your server hostname and relay port may cause mail to be lost. Be certain your configuration is correct by manually sending mail from outside your network through your server on the hostname and port you configured in MailHop Relay before you change your MX records.

Important Note: In any case of a dynamic IP address, it is possible (though highly unlikely) for someone else to receive your mail if you drop offline, and they come online with your old IP address, with a mail server configured to receive your mail. To prevent this, we would recommend the use of our "Offline URL" functionality to redirect your host to a server which will not accept mail while you are offline. See the documentation for the appropriate service for more information on this. We cannot be held responsible for mail delivered to a host which is online at your IP address but not controlled by you. (If you use an alternate port for your mail delivery, the likelihood of this occurring becomes extremely improbable.)