Rackspace Email + Cloudflare

Set up Rackspace Email on Cloudflare

The records Rackspace Email needs, written with the field names Cloudflare uses (Name, Mail server, Content, Target), in the order to add them.

  • 5 steps
  • 6 DNS records

Before you start

  1. Have your Rackspace Email account ready. Some values are unique to your account and come from the Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel .
  2. Open DNS at Cloudflare: Sign in to the Cloudflare dashboard and select your domain. Open the DNS Records page.
  3. Keep both tabs open and add the records below one at a time.

Rackspace Email on Cloudflare: what to know

How long changes take

Cloudflare says changes to your DNS records take effect worldwide within 5 minutes, usually much less. A record you replaced can stay cached until its old TTL runs out.

Source: FAQ (Cloudflare DNS Docs)

Records to add

Copy each value with the button next to it. Rows marked “Copy from Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel” are unique to your account.

MX records Where incoming email goes Type MX Name @ Value mx1.emailsrvr.com Priority 10 TTL 3600 (1 h)
MX records Where incoming email goes Type MX Name @ Value mx2.emailsrvr.com Priority 20 TTL 3600 (1 h)
SPF record Which servers may send as you Type TXT Name @ Value v=spf1 include:emailsrvr.com ~all Priority n/a TTL 3600 (1 h)
DKIM A signature on every message Type TXT Name See your provider Value Copy from Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel Not yet confirmed by us Priority n/a TTL Auto
DMARC record What to do with fakes · recommended Type TXT Name _dmarc Value v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com Priority n/a TTL Auto
Autodiscover Automatic app setup · recommended Type CNAME Name autodiscover Value autodiscover.emailsrvr.com Priority n/a TTL 3600 (1 h)

Step by step in Cloudflare

Point your MX records

MX records tell other mail servers where to deliver your email. How MX works

Type
MX
Name
@
Priority
10
Mail server
mx1.emailsrvr.com
  • Rackspace warns that no other MX records should exist, or you'll have problems with your email.
  • Use 3600 seconds or the lowest TTL your host allows.
Type
MX
Name
@
Priority
20
Mail server
mx2.emailsrvr.com

In Cloudflare

  1. On the DNS Records page, select Add record.
  2. Choose MX as the Type.
  3. Fill in Name, Mail server and Priority.
  4. Select Save.
  5. Delete any other MX records: select Edit on each one, then Delete, and confirm.
  6. Repeat for each MX record above.

Add the SPF record

SPF lists the services allowed to send email as you. How SPF works

Type
TXT
Name
@
Content
v=spf1 include:emailsrvr.com ~all

In Cloudflare

  1. On the DNS Records page, select Add record.
  2. Choose TXT as the Type.
  3. Fill in Name and Content.
  4. Select Save.

Set up DKIM

DKIM signs your mail so receivers can trust it. How DKIM works

Type
TXT
Name
See below
Content
Copy it from Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel (see below)

Where to find your value

In the Cloud Office Control Panel, go to Domains → Sender Authentication (DKIM), select your domain and click Enable DKIM for it.

We haven’t been able to confirm this value from Rackspace Email's public docs yet, so we don’t show one.

  • After adding the TXT record, click Verify TXT Record in the control panel.
  • Allow 24 to 48 hours for the record to propagate.

In Cloudflare

  1. On the DNS Records page, select Add record.
  2. Choose TXT as the Type.
  3. Fill in Name and Content.
  4. Select Save.

Add the DMARC record (recommended)

DMARC tells receivers what to do with mail that fakes your domain. How DMARC works

Type
TXT
Name
_dmarc
Content
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
  • Rackspace's setup page doesn't list a DMARC value. This is the standard starting record; replace the report address with one you read.

In Cloudflare

  1. On the DNS Records page, select Add record.
  2. Choose TXT as the Type.
  3. Fill in Name and Content.
  4. Select Save.

Add the Autodiscover record (recommended)

Autodiscover lets Outlook and other mail apps find your account settings without manual setup.

Type
CNAME
Name
autodiscover
Target
autodiscover.emailsrvr.com

In Cloudflare

  1. On the DNS Records page, select Add record.
  2. Choose CNAME as the Type.
  3. Fill in Name and Target.
  4. Set Proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud).
  5. Select Save.

Check your setup

Once the records are saved, run a live check. We look up your domain in public DNS and tell you what is right, missing or wrong, with the fix in Cloudflare’s words.

We only read public DNS records. Nothing is stored.

Common mistakes with Rackspace Email on Cloudflare

Leaving other MX records

Rackspace says no other MX record entries should exist alongside mx1 and mx2.emailsrvr.com.

Cloudflare: Turn off Cloudflare Email Routing first

If Email Routing is on, Cloudflare has added locked MX records (route1, route2 and route3.mx.cloudflare.net) and an SPF record with include:_spf.mx.cloudflare.net. Unlock them or disable Email Routing (Compute > Email Service > Email Routing > your domain > Settings) before switching to another provider. Email Routing can't be used with an outside mail server.

Visit Rackspace Email Visit Cloudflare

Rackspace Email on Cloudflare: questions

Where do I add Rackspace Email DNS records in Cloudflare?

Sign in to the Cloudflare dashboard and select your domain. Open the DNS Records page. Add each record there, one at a time.

What goes in the Name field at Cloudflare?

Enter @ for records on your bare domain, such as MX and SPF. For the others, enter only the part before your domain, for example _dmarc. Cloudflare adds your domain automatically.

Do I need to delete my existing MX records at Cloudflare?

Yes. Sending servers pick an MX record by its priority (lowest number first) and fall back to the others, so a leftover MX record can receive some or all of your mail. Keep only the Rackspace Email MX records and delete the rest. If Email Routing is on, Cloudflare has added locked MX records (route1, route2 and route3.mx.cloudflare.net) and an SPF record with include:_spf.mx.cloudflare.net. Unlock them or disable Email Routing (Compute > Email Service > Email Routing > your domain > Settings) before switching to another provider. Email Routing can't be used with an outside mail server.

Where do I get my Rackspace Email DKIM record?

Use the value shown in the table on this page.

How long until Rackspace Email works on Cloudflare?

Cloudflare says changes to your DNS records take effect worldwide within 5 minutes, usually much less. A record you replaced can stay cached until its old TTL runs out.

Sources

Every value and step on this page comes from these official pages. Dashboards change, so if something doesn’t match what you see, tell us.

Rackspace Email on other hosts

Other email providers on Cloudflare