SMTP Monitoring falls under the category of advanced IPNetwork Monitors. SMTP, an application-level protocol and the industry standard for email transmission over IP networks since the early 1980s, boasts several extensions designed to enhance functionality and bolster security. An SMTP Monitor facilitates testing of both core and extended features, encompassing general connectivity and network latency. While manual SMTP testing is possible (using tools like telnet or openssl and piped commands), verifying aspects like authentication and successful mail delivery can be complex and time-consuming. Insufficient monitoring, or overly simplistic checks (like merely confirming connectivity), can lead to delayed notifications of critical mail server issues. Given that email service is essential for most internet-based businesses, comprehensive monitoring is crucial. IPNetwork Monitor provides a streamlined solution for overseeing these tasks across numerous servers. Setting up an IPNetwork SMTP Monitor is quick, requiring only a few minutes. Configuration involves specifying parameters such as server name and port (multiple ports like 25, 465, 587, and others may be available depending on the server’s setup). The SMTP Monitor can test authentication by providing valid server credentials (username and password). It’s advisable to create a dedicated technical account for monitoring instead of using a regular user’s credentials. Testing SMTP through message delivery is also an option, using the ‘To’, ‘From’, ‘Subject’, and ‘Content’ fields. Ensure that anti-spam and similar filters don’t flag these recurring test messages as junk mail. Whitelist the sender and/or the IP address of the monitoring server. Use meaningful text in the subject and body of the test message, and avoid excessively frequent sending (adjust the polling interval accordingly if using the ‘Test message’ feature). You can also configure the desired security connection type: TLS (if supported), SSL, or no security (use with extreme caution). Finally, specify standard monitoring parameters like polling interval, alert method (if the default isn’t suitable), availability, and performance thresholds. A common use of the SMTP Monitor is ensuring mail transfer functionality operates correctly and messages are delivered promptly. When testing external mail services, ensure the chosen alert method doesn’t depend on that service to avoid notification failures. A typical approach is configuring alerts to be sent through a separate mail server. Another common use case is verifying successful authentication, as failures can indicate broader issues. System administrators are the primary users of this monitor. SMTP monitoring, as a component of broader mail service monitoring, can be combined with POP3 and IMAP monitors, along with monitors for authentication and general connectivity. Remember that the absence of a test message should also trigger an alert.

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.