The SMTP channel allows the logging server to e-mail logged events. Typically, the SMTP channel is used to e-mail system critical events, such as a server abend, to a system administrator’s mailbox, cell phone, or other e-mail enabled device. To enable e-mail notification, administrators must configure a notification filter and select the SMTP Channel object as one of its Notification Channels. For more information, see Section 8.3, Notification Filters.
At startup, the SMTP driver, lgdsmtp, performs a server check; that is, the driver attempts to connect to the designated host at port 25. The server check verifies the driver can communicate with the server before it attempts to relay events. If the server check fails, the SMTP driver refuses to load. This is done to ensure that no events are lost because of misconfiguration. For troubleshooting purposes, this event is written to the log file. For example, in the case of NetWare, the etc/logdir/log would have the following entry:
lgdsmtp.nlm failed to load Error Code -6
The SMTP driver does not buffer events that are undeliverable because of a misconfiguration or a server failure.
The SMTP channel driver can send events through servers that require SMTP authentication as long as a valid username and password are defined in the Channel object configuration. If the username and password are configured, the SMTP driver always attempts SMTP authentication when connecting with the relay host. It does not, however, distinguish whether or not this authentication is actually successful and it tries to send the message in either case.
The SMTP driver cannot authenticate with an SMTP server on which SMTP-after-POP is enabled.
The SMTP Channel object stores the information the SMTP driver needs to relay events through an SMTP server.
The following table provides a description of each Channel object attribute.
IMPORTANT:You must restart the logging server to effect any changes in Channel object configuration. For more information, see Section G.3, Secure Logging Server Startup Commands.
Table 7-12 SMTP Channel Object Attributes
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Attribute |
Description |
|---|---|
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Configuration |
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SMTP Relay Settings |
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The host name or IP address of the SMTP server. If a host name is specified, only the first address associated with that name is used. |
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The user name for the e-mail account the SMTP channel uses to connect to the SMTP server. The user name is required only if SMTP Authentication is enabled on the SMTP server. |
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The password for the e-mail account the SMTP channel uses to connect to the SMTP server. The password is required only if SMTP Authentication is enabled on the SMTP server. |
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Message Settings |
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The name that appears in the From: line for all messages sent from this SMTP Channel object. Some SMTP servers require this field to be a valid e-mail address. If this is required by your SMTP server, make sure you provide a valid e-mail address, such as username@yourcompany.com. |
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The e-mail addresses to which all events directed through this SMTP Channel object are sent. Multiple recipients are delineated with a comma ( , ), a space, or a semicolon ( ; ). You can also use the $S or $T event variables in this field instead of a real address. When relaying an event, the SMTP driver replaces these variables with the value of the event’s or fields, respectively. (See Section A.3, Managing Event Data for more information.) As long as the value of the or field is an e-mail address, the $S and $T variables can be leveraged to automatically send notification messages for user-related events such as a password change. IMPORTANT:To use the $S and $T variables, you must also configure a Notification Filter that directs only those events with an e-mail address in the Text1 or Text2 fields to this SMTP Channel object. For information on configuring Notification Filters, see Section 8.0, Configuring Filters and Event Notifications. |
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The text that appears in the Subject line for all messages sent from this SMTP Channel object. The subject line can contain up to 255 characters. The subject line can also contain event variables. The SMTP driver replaces these variables with a value from the event’s designated field. For a listing of event variables, see Section A.3, Managing Event Data. This field is optional. |
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The text that appears in the message body for all messages sent from this SMTP Channel object. The message body can be up to 64 KB; however, for performance reasons, this is not recommended. The message body can contain event variables. The SMTP driver replaces these variables with a value from the event’s designated field. For a listing of event variables, see Section A.3, Managing Event Data. This field is optional. |
|
Status |
Allows you to enable or disable the Channel object. By default, all Channel objects are enabled. This means that the logging server loads the Channel object’s configuration in memory at startup. The Channel object must be located in a supported Channel container for the logging server to use it. For more information on the logging server’s Channel Container property, see Logging Server Objects . If you select the option, you must restart the Secure Logging Server for the setting to become effective. Thereafter, the logging server cannot load the object’s configuration until you select . For information on unloading the logging server, see Section G.3, Secure Logging Server Startup Commands. |