The AutoReply Agent lets users create custom messages that are automatically sent in response to incoming mail. For example, when users go on vacation, they can create a message that lets others know they are unavailable.
The AutoReply Agent also enables users to forward their messages to another e-mail address. Users can specify if they want to retain a copy of the message in their NetMail mailbox or forward the message to the designated address.
In addition to forwarding messages to another e-mail address, the AutoReply Agent can forward SMS messages to cellular phones and pagers. While it does not configure SMS messages, the AutoReply Agent can recognize a message's format and forward it to the user's designated cellular phone or pager number.
The AutoReply Agent is not client-specific. Although users must configure mail forwarding and autoreply messages in WebAccess or Webmail, the agent functions independently of any e-mail client because users' forward and autoreply information is stored in their eDirectory User objects. Therefore, NetMail can forward messages or send autoreply messages regardless of whether users open or send messages in a POP3 or IMAP4 client, WebAccess, or Webmail.
NOTE: You can also send autoreply messages and automatically forward messages using rules. For information on configuring rules in WebAccess and WebAdmin, see WebAccess and Webmail User Guide. For information on configuring rules in WebAdmin, see Defining Rules in User Objects.
To create the AutoReply Agent, select the messaging server where you want to create the agent and select AutoReply Agent from the Create menu. In creating the AutoReply Agent, you are prompted for the following information:
| Option | Function | |
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Monitored Queue |
The message queue monitored by the AutoReply Agent. Messages passing through the specified message queue are scanned by the AutoReply Agent. If a message is addressed to a user with an enabled autoreply message, the AutoReply Agent generates the autoreply message and drops it in the current message queue. A single AutoReply Agent can monitor multiple message queues. However, you can only select one monitored queue when creating the AutoReply Agent. You can add multiple monitored queues when configuring the agent. Because NMAP Agents manage the message queues, the Monitored Queues property corresponds to NMAP Agents. On a standalone messaging server, WebAdmin automatically selects the NMAP Agent on the current server. In distributed messaging systems, you can select any NMAP Agent on a distributed messaging server. IMPORTANT: If you have a distributed messaging system with multiple NMAP Agents, you must ensure that the AutoReply Agent only processes messages one time as they go from the queue server to the message store. For more information, see Agent Distribution in Distributed Environments. To verify that an AutoReply Agent is registered to a particular message queue:
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After you create the AutoReply Agent, you must restart the messaging server to load the agent. For information on restarting the messaging server, see Starting and Stopping NetMail.
From the AutoReply Agent's configuration menu, you can configure the following options:
| Option | Function | |
|---|---|---|
| Monitored Queues |
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Monitored Queues |
The message queue monitored by the AutoReply Agent. Messages passing through the specified message queue are scanned by the AutoReply Agent. If a message is addressed to a user with an enabled autoreply message, the AutoReply Agent generates the autoreply message and drops it in the current message queue. A single AutoReply Agent can monitor multiple message queues; however, you should not configure multiple AutoReply Agents to monitor the same queue. Doing so produces inconsistent results such as duplicate messages. Only one AutoReply Agent should monitor each message queue. Because NMAP Agents manage the message queues, the Monitored Queues property corresponds to NMAP Agents. On a standalone messaging server, WebAdmin automatically selects the NMAP Agent on the current server. In distributed messaging systems, you can select any NMAP Agent on a distributed messaging server. IMPORTANT: If you have a distributed messaging system with multiple NMAP Agents, you must ensure that the AutoReply Agent only processes messages one time as they go from the queue server to the message store. For more information, see Agent Distribution in Distributed Environments. To verify that an AutoReply Agent is registered to a particular message queue:
IMPORTANT: You must restart the forward executable to effect any changes in the Monitored Queues configuration. See Loading and Unloading NetMail Agents for more information. |
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| Status |
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By default, the AutoReply Agent is enabled. To disable the AutoReply Agent:
Disabling the agent prevents the messaging server from launching the AutoReply Agent at startup. However, to immediately disable the agent, you must manually unload the forward executable or restart the messaging server. For more information on manually unloading NetMail agents or restarting the messaging server, see Starting and Stopping NetMail. After the AutoReply Agent is disabled, the messaging server does not launch the forward executable again until you select Enabled and restart the messaging server. |
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Only users who belong to the messaging system can forward mail or send autoreply messages via the AutoReply Agent. (The AutoReply Agent must be enabled on the users' associated User or Parent object.) For standalone messaging servers, this means the user must belong to a local NMAP context. For distributed messaging servers, this means that the user must belong to an NMAP context for one of the messaging servers in Internet Services. If the username does not exist within the local messaging server's NMAP context list, the user cannot forward mail or send autoreply messages. For more information on how NMAP contexts are managed, see the Context property in Configuring the NMAP Agent .