The Email monitor checks a mail server by first sending the server an email via SMTP. Then, in the subsequent poll, the monitor attempts to delete previously sent emails using either POP3 or IMAP. If no emails from the monitor are present in the inbox to delete, the mail server is considered Down. Please note, the first time the monitor is polled and an email message is successfully sent, the status will automatically be Up because there are no previously sent emails to delete.

Note: The email monitor supports encryption with SSL/TLS and SMTP Authentication which ensures that the monitor sends emails to a secure email account.
Important: You must use a separate email account for every monitor that you create. Failure to do so will result in false negatives. For example, if you want to check both IMAP and POP3 on the same server, and create two instances of the monitor, one configured with POP3 and one with IMAP, you must use two separate email accounts. Otherwise, one monitor deletes all emails previously sent from both instances of the monitor and incorrectly reports the mail server as Down.

Provide a unique name and description for the monitor, then configure the following:

Outgoing mail

  • SMTP server. Enter the address of the server on which SMTP is running. Use the default, %Device.Address, to use the device IP address on which the monitor is attached.
  • Port. Enter the port on which the SMTP service is listening. The standard SMTP port is 25.
  • Email to. Enter the address to which the Email Monitor sends email.
  • Email from. Enter the address you want listed as "From" in the email sent by the Email Monitor.

Incoming mail

  • Mail server. Enter the address of the server on which the POP3 or IMAP service is running.
  • Account type. Enter the protocol (POP3 or IMAP) you want the monitor to use to check for correct email delivery.
  • Username. Enter the username of the account in which the monitor uses to log in.
  • Password. Enter the password for the account in which the monitor uses to log in.

SMTP Advanced Properties

  • SMTP server requires authentication. Enable this option if the specified SMTP server requires authentication. Please note, this monitor supports CRAM-MD5, LOGIN and PLAIN authentication methods. The authentication method is not configurable. It is negotiated with the SMTP server automatically using the strongest mutually-supported authentication method.
  • Username. Enter the username to be used for SMTP authentication.
  • Password. Enter the password to be used for SMTP authentication.
  • Use an encrypted connection (SSL/TLS). Enable this option to encrypt SMTP traffic if your SMTP server supports encrypting data over a TLS connection. Please note, WhatsUp Gold only supports explicit SSL sessions negotiated using the STARTTLS command for SMTP connections.
  • Timeout.uicontrol> Enter the length of time attempts to connect to the selected device. When the specified time is exceeded without connecting, a timeout occurs and stops trying to connect to the server. This is considered a failed connection.

POP3 advanced properties

  • Port. Enter the port number where the POP3 or IMAP server listens.
  • Use an encrypted connection. Enable this option to connect to a POP3 or IMAP server in an encrypted mode. Select one of the following encryption methods:
    • Use implicit SSL. Select this option to login to your POP3 or IMAP server in an encrypted mode.
    • Use SSL with STLS. Select this option to login to your POP3 or IMAP server in an unencrypted mode, and then switch to a TLS connection by sending STARTTLS or STLS command to the server.
Important: WhatsUp Gold only supports clear text authentication for retrieving mail. To protect your username and password when retrieving mail, you must use an SSL encryption method. When connecting using STARTTLS, the connection is encrypted before any authentication information is sent or any mail is retrieved.
  • Timeout. Enter the length of time attempts to connect to the selected device. When the specified time is exceeded without connecting, a timeout occurs and stops trying to connect to the server. This is considered a failed connection.
Note: If your IMAP server is configured to move the test message sent by the monitor to any folder other than the Inbox, the monitor fails. WhatsUp Gold only detects messages in the Inbox folder on an IMAP server.