Activating Your DuoCircle Email Service

Summary

This guide explains how to activate your DuoCircle email service. You set your destination server, then you update your DNS MX records.

Objective

By the end of this guide, you will have activated your DuoCircle email service.

Introduction

Thank you for signing up for DuoCircle. Your account is ready. To start using the service for your domain, complete two steps: configure your destination server, and update your DNS MX records.

Prerequisites

  • Access to your domain's DNS settings.
  • The hostname or IP address of your destination mail server.
  • Access to your DuoCircle account.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Set your destination server

The destination server is where we deliver your mail after we filter it. Give us a valid hostname or IP address.

See instructions on setting up your destination server.

Supported ports: The Email Gateway delivers to these ports: 24, 25, 26, 587, 2525, 10025, 52525. Make sure your destination server accepts mail on one of them.

2. Update your DNS MX records

Your DNS MX records must direct email traffic to the DuoCircle servers. Incorrect MX records cause bounced or lost messages. If you are unsure, ask your hosting provider.

View instructions on updating MX records.

MX 10 your custom MX record (from the portal) or mx1.mailhop.org
MX 20 mx1.mailhop.us
MX 30 mx1.mailhop.co
MX 40 mx1.mailhop.co.uk

Add all four records. They use four top-level domains held at two different DNS providers. If one DNS provider or one registry fails, senders can still resolve one of the others. See MX Records with Redundant DNS Providers.

Enter the MX priority numbers exactly as shown above.

Remove all other MX records. Leave only the records that point to DuoCircle.


IMPORTANT: Incorrect MX records cause your email to bounce or to be lost. If you are unsure, ask your hosting provider.

Filtering in one region only: The records above send your mail to whichever of our two regions is healthy at the time. If you need your mail filtered only in the United States, or only in the European Union, use the regional records instead. See Geographically Diverse Filtering Zones.

3. Final steps

After you save your changes, incoming mail flows through the DuoCircle servers as soon as the DNS changes propagate. You will see less spam immediately. Within two days, all of your domain's incoming mail routes through the DuoCircle spam filters.

DuoCircle's Advanced Threat Defense includes phishing protection.

What's next?

After the DNS change propagates, you can configure your mail server to accept mail only from DuoCircle servers. This stops "transient spam", where spammers bypass your MX records and connect to your network directly. The addresses to allow are here: IP Addresses for Firewalls.

Learn more about DuoCircle's email spam service.

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Contact Us

If you still have problems, or you have more questions, contact us or send an email to support@duocircle.com.