FAQ:Configuring Email Services

Status:	Published
Version:	1.1
Authors:	Hornbill Support
Applies to:	Supportworks ITSM, ITHD, HRSD

To configure Supportworks to connect to an email server in order to support the Shared Helpdesk Mailbox, the four stages are shown below:

• Create a Supportworks Shared Mailbox
• Setup Active Mail Services for Shared Mailbox
• Start the Mail Connector
• Add a shared mailbox and configure analyst access to the mailbox

Prerequisites

Before this is attempted a mailbox must be present on an existing mail server that supports POP3 or IMAP4 protocols. Alternatively the Exchange or Lotus Notes connector can be used but is not recommended, as the relevant client will need to be installed on the mail server. A mailbox should also be available for the Supportworks mail connector to connect to.

Supportworks Shared Mailboxes

A Supportworks Shared Mailbox is a mailbox that is local to the Supportworks server and can be shared amongst analysts in order to receive Service Desk email requests. This mailbox will be connected to an existing mailbox on the mail server. The shared mailbox is created within the Supportworks Server Configuration program.

Creating a Supportworks Shared Mailbox

Once the Mail Connector has been started, all mail entering the mail server's Service Desk mailbox will be downloaded onto the Supportworks server every x minutes depending on the specified polling interval. By default none of the analyst accounts will have the Shared Helpdesk Mailbox configured, and thus it will not be visible to them. In order to setup the Shared Mailbox for analyst use, it must be setup individually for each analyst. This involves the addition of the mailbox to an analyst account and the assignment of rights. This can all be achieved from the Supportworks client.

To create a Supportworks Shared Mailbox

The shared mailbox is required for accessing emails destined for the Service Desk, from this mailbox emails can be used to Log, Update and Close calls. A default mailbox is created during the installation of the Supportworks Server called servicedesk.

1. Open the Supportworks Server Configuration program and select the Inbound SMTP Mail Routing tab.
2. Although inbound SMTP routing will not be used for the shared mailbox the Domain name used for mail addressing needs to be setup here.
3. Check that the Enable SMTP services on this server check box is ticked.
4. Click the New button in the Domains Accepted/Routed by this Server area, and in the Domain Name field enter the domain name to be used (for example, training.hornbill.com). Click OK.
5. The domain name should now be visible in the Domains Accepted/Routed by this Server area. Uncheck the Enable SMTP services on this server check box.
6. Click on the System Mailboxes tab, and then click Add Mailbox.
7. In the Create New Shared Mailbox dialogue, enter mailbox name and display name details.
8. In the Default SMTP Configuration for Outbound Internet Mail section, enter the server,

signature and port details - for example:

• Server : mailout.training.hornbill.com
• Signature : [email protected]
• Port: 25

1. Click on the newly created Mailbox and click on properties. Click New.
2. Enter the Recipient mailbox name and click on the checkbox Make this the default address. Click OK
3. Click on both check boxes in the Learn addresses for area.

Setting up the SMTP POP3/IMAP4 Active Mail Services

In order for e-mails to be received and delivered using POP3 and SMTP, the Supportworks Mail Server will need to be configured to talk to an existing mail server. This example configures the previously created mailbox to support POP3 mail retrieval and mail delivery via SMTP, if the POP3 mailboxes already exist on a mail server and the server supports SMTP mail delivery for the domain training.hornbill.com.

1. Still within the Mailbox Properties dialog, select the Services tab. Click add SMTP.
2. Enter the details of the outbound SMTP server to be used. This server is external to Supportworks. It may necessary to provide logon account details; this can be acquired from the Mail Server Administrator. Click Add POP3
3. Enter the details of the inbound POP3 server to be used. This server again will be external to Supportworks. It may also be necessary to provide logon account details; both of these options are likely to be the same as the SMTP settings.
4. Once complete click OK.

• Note: The settings for connecting to an IMAP4 server are the same as a POP3 server the

difference will be in the port number that is used (port 143).

Configuring Customer Lookup

Contact Details mapping is required for the recognition of Customers by email address. The mappings can be set via the Customer Lookup tab on the Mailbox Properties. To do this, still within the Mailbox Properties dialog, select the Customer Lookup tab, set the values as appropriate, then click OK.

Configuring the Mail Scheduler and Starting the Mail Connector

In order for the inbound and outbound delivery of mail to function, the Supportworks mail connector will need to be started. Once the Shared Mailbox has been configured, you can configure the Mail Scheduler to poll the mail server in order to send and receive mail.

1. Select the Messaging tab in the Supportworks Server Configuration program.

From this tab the configuration of the Mail Scheduler can be achieved. Note: The scheduler dictates the polling interval to be used for pulling information from the mailbox. This is also where the Mail Connecter can be started and stopped.

1. Click on Mail Scheduler within the Installed Mail Components area, then click the Configure button.
2. Set the Poll Interval to the required value. Note: The recommended polling interval is 5 minutes (300 seconds), which is the default and

recommended value. Click OK.

1. Click on Internet from within the Installed Mail Components area, then click the Start/Stop button.
2. Select the Process Outbound Mail Messages and Process Inbound Mail Messages tick boxes, andclick on OK
3. Finally, click OK to close the Supportworks server configuration program.