Backup MX Service FAQ

How much does the service cost?

Do you provide web access to stored e-mails while our server is down?

Any downtime as a result of service activation?

What if I have more than 1 domain?

Do you charge for disk space utilisation?

Is there a limit or cap to the amount of mail I can store?

Do you charge me for the number of e-mails that get queued every month?

What is the maximum message size your mail servers will accept?

If my server is misconfigured or rejecting valid users are those messages still queued?

How does the service work?

How often do your servers retry sending messages to my mail server?

How long do you queue a message?

Does the service work with any mail server?

What browsers do you support?

Do you do any virus scanning of e-mails?

Do you utilise any RBL's or DNSBL's to filter spam?

How secure are my e-mails on your systems?

 

DR Email Option FAQ

How does your DR Email Option service work?

Can users view their queued message from Outlook or another e-mail client?

Do I have to add all my users to the DR Email Option?

Can users send and receive e-mail attachments?

 

Question: How much does the service cost?
Answer:As each customer's specific requirements differ in terms of numbers of domain names, users etc, then we would like to provide you with a fixed monthly cost once we have all your details. Please call or contact us here.

Question: Do you provide web access to stored e-mails while our server is down?
Answer: Yes. All of our accounts come standard with the ability to view queued messages. If more advanced e-mail functionality is desired such as the ability for each user at your organisation to login and view their individual queued messages as well as be able to send or reply to messages you can add our DR Email Option to any domain.

Question: By activating the E-mail Backup MX Service will it result in any downtime or loss of e-mail?
Answer: Activating our service will not result in any downtime for you, nor any loss of e-mail.

Question: If I have more than one domain name can I add it to a single account or a separate account needs to be opened for each domain?
Answer: Multiple domains can be grouped under a single account and will be aggregated in your quarterly or annual bill.

Question: Do you charge me for space I use up on your servers?
Answer: We do not bill your account on how much e-mail you have queued on our servers. We only bill you on a per domain basis. We also do not cap how much space you can use on our servers.

Question: Is the amount of space my mail is stored in capped?
Answer: No. We do not cap the amount of space your queued e-mails are allowed to take up on our servers.

Question: Do you charge me for the number of e-mails that get queued every month?
Answer: No. We do not charge on the amount of e-mails that result in being queued for you each month, nor do we charge you for the amount of traffic that passes through to our system as a result of your e-mail being stored by us. You are only billed on a per domain name basis.

Question: What is the maximum message size your mail servers will accept?
Answer: To prevent denial of service attacks our system limits each message size to 35 MB.

Question: If my server is misconfigured or rejecting valid users are those messages still queued?
Answer: If your server is online and receiving requests but is not configured correctly then those messages that are not processed correctly or are rejected by your server will not be queued. We are not responsible for how your server is configured.

Question: How does the service work?
Answer: Our E-mail Backup MX Service works by utilising a set of backup MX records. MX records are short for mail exchanger records and they are part of the domain name system (DNS) the Internet uses. They tell servers on the Internet how to get mail routed to your mail server. The e-mail from the Internet to your domain is routed to the MX record based on the MX priority. With our service your mail server will be the highest priority, meaning all e-mail sent to your domain will initially go to the server your mail is currently being hosted.If your mail server is not available, our MX records are next in order so all Internet e-mail will automatically be routed to our servers if your server is unreachable. Here our servers hold your messages and automatically retry sending the messages to your mail server every 1-2 hours. The messages are held for a maximum of 14 days from arrival. During the time your mail service is down you can login to your account with us on our web site and you can view all the messages queued for your domain. This is a service many of our competitors don't offer. If you were waiting for that important e-mail and your mail server was down you can just check our web site to read that message. This feature comes standard with all of our accounts. In addition, if you need your users to login and view their individual mailboxes and reply-to or compose new e-mails, you can add our DR Email Option.

Question: How often do your servers retry sending messages to my mail server?
Answer: Our servers retry sending messages to your server automatically every 1-2 hours.

Question: How long do you queue a message?
Answer: Messages are queued for up to 14 days from arrival to our servers. This means if your mail server is down right now, and you get a new e-mail we will retry sending that e-mail to your mail server every 1-2 hours for 14 days. If after 14 days your server has not come back online that message will be deleted.

Question: Does the E-mail Backup MX Service work with any mail server?
Answer: The service will work with any SMTP compliant mail server, meaning that your mail server must accept mail on the standard port 25.

Question: What browsers do you support?
Answer: Our web site has been tested with and works on the following web browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome on a PC; Safari and Firefox on a Mac.

Question: Do you do any virus scanning of e-mails?
Answer: Yes we scan e-mails for viruses.

Question: Do you utilise any RBL's or DNSBL's to filter spam?
Answer: Yes, we scan each incoming e-mail against a random set of blacklists.

Question: How secure are my e-mails on your systems?
Answer: All of our servers are located in a state of the art data centre with limited access.

Question: How does your DR Email Option work?
Answer: Our DR Email Option is offered as an upgraded feature on a per domain name basis. It allows the ability to add all your e-mail users and provide them access to login to their individual mailboxes. This is extremely helpful if your mail server is down for an extended period of time. While logged in, your e-mail users can utilise our webmail client and compose/reply/forward e-mails and view or send attachments. Once the primary mail server is restored, the emails received will be forwarded.

Question: Can users view their queued message from Outlook or another e-mail client?
Answer: Currently queued messages can only be accessed by logging into our web based interface.

Question: Do I have to add all my users to the DR Email Option?
Answer: No. You can specify whoever you want that needs access to their queued messages. We still queue e-mail for all other users even if they aren't added as a user in the system.

Question: Can users send and receive e-mail attachments?
Answer: Yes, any DR Email Option user can view e-mail attachments as well as compose new messages and attach files.