SMTP Server Configuration

The platform requires a properly configured SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server to send a lot of email notifications to end-users upon various events in the system (registration, environment creation, etc.).

To configure the main SMTP server that should be used by the platform to send email messages to users, navigate to JCA > System Settings (Expert Mode) and adjust the following parameters:

• smtp.mail.host - provides domain name or IP of the main SMTP server
• smtp.mail.port - defines a port to access the main SMTP server
• smtp.mail.user - contains a username to authenticate on the main SMTP server
• smtp.mail.password - stores a password to authenticate on the main SMTP server
• smtp.mail.ssl - sets a secure protocol for notifications sent via the main SMTP server
  • NONE - to apply no additional security protocol
  • STARTTLS - to access the main SMTP server without encryption and initialize secured connection after the starttls command
  • SSMTP - to access the main SMTP server over secure SMTP (SSL) connection
• smtp.mail.from - defines a sender email address for the system notifications sent via the main SMTP server
• smtp.mail.type - sets the type of email messages for the main SMTP server
  • NULL - to forbid all notifications
  • SIMPLE - to use plaintext messages
  • MULTIPART - to provide multi-part MIME messages

Do not forget to Apply any performed changes.

Additionally, you can set up a backup SMTP server for the platform, which will create redundancy to automatically overcome temporary unavailability or failure of the main server. In such a way, any interruption in the platform notification delivery can be avoided. The alternative SMTP is configured using the appropriate smtp.backup.mail.* settings (similar to the smtp.mail. ones described above).

SMTP Relay

The platform allows configuring SMTP relay infrastructure container, which works as an email proxy between other infrastructure modules and SMTP server, controlling the notification provisioning and ensuring simplicity and reliability of the process.

How SMTP Relay Works

SMTP relay consists of two elements - a Postfix mail server and a platform-managed daemon. When an infrastructure component needs to send an email message to outside, it puts the mail envelope into the relay queue via SMTP protocol and, simultaneously, provides the ID of the sender (reseller). The proxy processes all messages in the current mail queue in asynchronous mode. Postfix interacts with the platform management daemon to get the required information (SMTP mail server with the appropriate authentication credentials), then delivers the message.

The benefits of configuring the SMTP relay server on the platform are:

• emails queue eliminates risks of “lost” notifications due to the temporary outages
• simple customization, a possibility to set up rules for notification sending based on various conditions
• automation and convenience, a platform component just drops an email into the queue, and it will be sent automatically
• security, SMTP relay can be accessed only by those infrastructure containers that may require to send notifications, while other connections are restricted

Configuring SMTP Relay

In case you want to integrate SMTP Relay into your infrastructure, please contact your technical account manager to discuss the details and get assistance with the process.

After the appropriate SMTP Relay infrastructure container is created, you need to provide the connection details and enable the functionality via the following system settings (expert mode) in the JCA panel:

• smtp.mail.relay.host - host or IP of the SMTP relay server
• smtp.mail.relay.port - port for the connection to the SMTP relay server
• smtp.mail.relay.available - enables (true) or disables (false) the usage of the SMTP relay server on the platform

Now, the reliable mailing relay is configured for the platform.