POP3 Monitor is a straightforward IPNetwork Monitor. Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) remains a commonly used protocol for retrieving email messages from a mail server. While dated, this protocol is still in widespread use. A POP3 Monitor enables verification of both connection status and authentication outcomes.
POP3 can be readily tested manually using the telnet utility, however, this presents security vulnerabilities. If APOP authentication is employed, a password hash needs to be generated; if APOP is unavailable, USER/PASS credentials are utilized. The former necessitates hash computation, while the latter involves transmitting the password unencrypted. Accidental deletion of a remote server message is easy, making manual testing potentially risky. IPNetwork Monitor mitigates most of these risks by providing POP3 Monitors. Manual tests can lead to credential exposure; conversely, the absence of testing can result in delayed notifications about mail service outages. Given the critical role of email availability in numerous business operations, forgoing monitoring entirely is not a viable option.
Setting up a IPNetwork POP3 Monitor is simple. Begin by designating the POP3 server (host) and port number. The port is typically 110 (TLS or insecure) or 995 (SSL); however, non-standard ports are sometimes used.
Configuration parameters for a POP3 mail monitor encompass user credentials and the choice of secure connection type (TLS if available, TLS only, SSL, or none). It is important to use a dedicated technical account for monitoring, not an actual POP3 account. Once the POP3-specific parameters are configured, fine-tune the availability and performance parameters based on the POP3 mail server’s location and connection quality.
A common application of the POP3 monitor is verifying mail server accessibility and successful authentication. If you offer multiple POP3 connection options (secure, insecure, various ports, etc.), ensure a separate POP3 Monitor is created for each available connection type. This comprehensively covers related services (e.g., verifying proper authentication functionality, acceptable connectivity ranges, and ensuring credentials remain unchanged).
Mail service monitoring, which includes POP3, should be integrated into a broader monitoring strategy (because POP3 is invariably used with other mail-related services). It’s advisable to utilize
general PING and
TCP monitoring as dependency monitors, and
SMTP Monitors if the mail server accepts inbound email.
Description of other features:
| Monitoring Features |
Here you can find the list of monitor types supported in IPNetwork Monitor and brief description of their parameters. |
|
| Application Templates |
Here you can find the list of application templates supported in IPNetwork Monitor and their short description. |
|
| Network Discovery |
Helps you to create a basis of your monitoring configuration and automates the task of detection network hosts and network services. |
|
| Alerting Features |
Here you can find the list of alert types (ways of reaction to the problems happened during monitoring) available in IPNetwork Monitor, and their brief description. |
|
| Reporting Features |
Here you can find the list of report types available in IPNetwork Monitor with brief descriptions. |
|
| IPNetwork Monitor interfaces
and structure |
Here you can find an overview of IPNetwork Monitor components, Windows and web interfaces. |
