How to Set Up/Modify SPF for MailChannels
The following description addresses how to update a Domain Name Service (DNS) record to use SPF with your custom domain in MailChannels.
To utilize a custom domain, the MailChannels provider requires an SPF TXT record be added to the DNS record. This TXT record is then used by DNS to recognize email servers allowed to send messages on behalf of your custom/third-party domain. To determine whether a correspondence from the specified domain comes from an authorized messaging server, the recipient system relies on the implemented SPF TXT record. At that point, the message is either accepted, quarantined, or rejected by the email receiving system.
To implement SPF authentication for your domain, you will need access to your DNS records in the domain hosting account. Important: If you already have an SPF record, then you should modify that existing record. You must not have more than one SPF record.
For convenience, be sure to log in to your MailChannels account to verify your domain and copy your TXT records. MailChannels utilizes an include mechanism during the set-up process. For example, if you do not have an SPF record on your domain, the following scenario is the most common and would pass SPF:
v=spf1 include:relay.mailchannels.net ~all
If you do already have an SPF record on your domain, simply add the following to it:
include:relay.mailchannels.net
To create an SPF record for your domain name, follow these steps:
1. Log in to your domain host account
2. Navigate to your domain host’s DNS/Name Server management page (cPanel)
3. In TXT Value field, create a TXT record with the following (example) specifications:
v=spf1 include:relay.mailchannels.net ~all
4. Decide how you want to enforce SPF failures:
~all results in a soft fail (not authorized, but not explicitly unauthorized)
-all results in a hard fail (unauthorized)
?all is neutral (similar to no policy)
As shown above, enter your choice after v=spf1 include:relay.mailchannels.net
5. Save changes
How to Set Up/Modify DKIM for MailChannels
DKIM is an industry-standard method for associating a domain name to an email so the recipient can validate the legitimacy of the message.
*DKIM is not generally required to make the MailChannels service work with cPanel clients. Their service does not modify parts of the messages that you sign with DKIM, so messages still validate without issue.