[Mailman-Users] using mailman on a server other than the one that DNS is pointing to

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

Adam Parker, OD writes:

 > no, i'm not actually using that domain.  Cpanel allows you to easily set up
 > a list - it just asks you for the name of the list and a password and does
 > the rest for you.

Actually, cPanel itself doesn't do anything except allow the hosting
staff to avoid interacting with clients on client-specific stuff.
It's the staff of the cPanel host that does the host configuration
work you don't want to do (quite reasonably; or perhaps you aren't
allowed to do it on those hosts).

I gather from the suffix to your name that you are a professional.
Well, web hosting (including mail) is a profession, too, but the
ethical side of professionalism is often slighted in favor of low-cost
high-volume operation, of which a very common symptom is ... you
guessed it ... cPanel.  Pros can use cPanel, too, of course, but if
your cPanel host were run by pros, they would be telling you how to
get this job done.

My recommendation is that you talk to a reputable professional about
getting your needs met with minimum work on your part.  They'll help
you figure out what your needs really are, among other things.  There
are a couple listed on the Mailman wiki, I think.  Most likely the
kind of service you want is only marginally more expensive (and
possibly as little as $4/month) than what you've got.  Even if it
turns out to be more than you want to pay, you'll have a better idea
of the possibilities (and your own needs) when you're done.

http://wiki.list.org/display/COM/Mailman+hosting+services
http://wiki.list.org/display/COM/Mailman+consulting+services

"Consulting" seems to be oriented toward extensive customizations,
probably not what you need.  Of the "hosting" services, EMWD staff are
known to contribute on this list, FWIW.  If you contact a service, you
might want to check the archives (use Google's site:mail.python.org
option) to see if the people you talk to hang out here in a visible
way, and whether they talk sense at your level.  Many probably lurk
without saying anything, though.  ("They also serve who stand and
wait.")

 > I went into the panel and there's a place to alter the MX record -
 > one option is for "Remote Mail Exchanger" which I thought would
 > work, but it doesn't.

It can't work, because the configuration that needs to change is on
the email server, not on the cPanel host.  Unlike your personal mail
client which works by "pulling" mail from a specific host, the mail
system itself works by "pushing" mail from one host to the next (along
a route it looks up in the domain name directory service) until it
reaches the destination.  If you don't know that much about the mail
system yet, it will be a big investment to get the knowledge and
skills needed to make this work ... and you very well may not be
permitted to do the necessary configuration yourself by your hosting
service(s).

If you do want to do this yourself anyway, I recommend the solution
that several others have already offered: set up a lists.YourDomain
subdomain in the DNS, whose A and MX records point to the cPanel host.
No muss, no fuss once it's done, but if the email and cPanel hosts are
run by separate companies, getting the DNS configuration done could be
modestly annoying depending on how much freedom the email host gives
you to delegate subdomains.