Configure External DNS Exchange 2016

After installing Exchange Server 2016, the next step is to configure external DNS in Exchange 2016. It’s important to keep the same namespace internal and external. We will sign in to the public DNS and create the records for Exchange 2016. In this article, you will learn how to configure external DNS in Exchange 2016.

Important: Read the article Exchange 2016 namespace design and planning before you go further.

Information Public DNS Exchange 2016

There are three records that we are going to add in the public DNS. With regard to the values, you should only enter an IP address for the A record. The MX record and the CNAME (alias) should point to the DNS name of the A record for the Exchange server. In this way, if your IP address changed due to changing Internet Service Providers, you would only need to update the A record.

Record Type    TTL    DNS Name                 Priority   Value
-----------    ---    --------                 --------   -----
A              300    mail.exoip.com                      73.122.35.127 
CNAME          300    autodiscover.exoip.com              mail.exoip.com.
MX             300    @                        0          mail.exoip.com.

An architecture view of the Exchange 2016 namespace is shown below in the topology.

Create Public DNS records

Sign in to your external DNS registrar. Configure the records.

Check the Public DNS records

Let’s make use of the Resolve-DnsName cmdlet to verify the MX record, A record, and the autodiscover record. Run PowerShell as administrator. Make use of the Resolve-DnsName cmdlet and the -Server parameter. The -Server parameter will resolve the name against the Google DNS servers. We can check the Public DNS records on the LAN or on any external network.

Note: Don’t immediately resolve the external DNS records, as that will not work. The changes have not been reflected by the servers around the world. Give it a maximum of an hour as the DNS propagation will need time.

Check MX record

Verify the MX record.

PS C:\> Resolve-DnsName -Type MX exoip.com -Server 8.8.8.8 | Format-Table -AutoSize
                                                    
Name      Type TTL Section NameExchange   Preference
----      ---- --- ------- ------------   ----------
exoip.com MX   300 Answer  mail.exoip.com 0

Check A record

Let’s have a look at the public A record.

PS C:\> Resolve-DnsName -Type A mail.exoip.com -Server 8.8.8.8 | Format-Table -AutoSize
                                              
Name           Type TTL Section IPAddress
----           ---- --- ------- ---------
mail.exoip.com A    300 Answer  73.122.35.127

Check autodiscover record

As of last, let’s check the public autodiscover record.

PS C:\> Resolve-DnsName -Type TXT autodiscover.exoip.com -Server 8.8.8.8 | Format-Table -AutoSize

Name                   Type  TTL Section NameHost
----                   ----  --- ------- --------
autodiscover.exoip.com CNAME 300 Answer  mail.exoip.com

Conclusion

In this article, you learned how to configure External DNS in Exchange 2016. Add the three records to your public DNS and verify that you can resolve the external DNS records. Don’t forget that it can take a little time before you can resolve the DNS. Did you enjoy this article? You may also like Configure internal DNS Exchange 2016. Don’t forget to follow us and share this article.