FAQ
Configuring versaSRS HelpDesk for In-Bound Email Automatic Call Logging
In order for versaSRS HelpDesk to accept job submission via email, a POP3 enabled mailbox is required (minimum system requirement), and the versaSRS HelpDesk Mail Services need to be installed, configured and running.
If the corporate mail server cannot support POP3, using an alternative mail server just to support versaSRS HelpDesk inbound mail could be used, such as MailEnable or the mail server available with Windows 2003 Server. You would still use your corporate mail server to send email (SMTP - based).
To enable POP3 in Exchange:
(1) On your Exchange Server, enable and start the "Microsoft Exchange POP3" service from the Windows services control panel.
(2) Make sure that the "Default POP3 Virtual Server" is started in Exchange System Manager (under Servers\Servername\Protocols\POP3)
In the properties of the Default POP3 Virtual Server you can also set access control to only allow connections from certain IP addresses. You can set this to be the IP address of the versaSRS HelpDesk server if versaSRS HelpDesk is the only application that will be using POP3.
POP3 Mailbox with multiple Queues and Assigned Email Addresses
Step 1: Create or use an existing Primary POP3 Enabled Mailbox (for example, helpdesk@domain.com). (refer to diagram).
Step 2: Designate a Default Queue and associate this email address with this Queue (through Administrator > Manage System Queues), select the Queue to use (or create a new Queue if required) and click Edit. In the Primary Address field enter the above email address).
Step 3: Using the versaSRS HelpDesk - System Management Console, set the Application Settings for:
POP3Password
POP3Profile
POP3Server
SMTPServer
to the necessary required credentials – this will allow the versaSRS HelpDesk application to log into the Mailbox and process the emails.
Step 4: Stop and restart the versaSRS MailIn Service on the Server. All incoming emails will be logged by default to this defined Primary Queue.
Should you wish to assign a different email address to different Queues, for example, emails to support@domain.com to go into the Support Queue, emails to sales@domain.com to go to the Sales Queue, etc. then the following is required:
Step 1: Ceate email aliases against the POP3 Mailbox account (helpdesk@domain.com), as per the above example, support@domain.com and sales@domain.com.
Step 2: For each of the queues in question (through Administrator > Manage System Queues, selecting the queue to use and clicking edit (or creating a new queue if required)), set the aliased email addresses to those queues in the Primary Address field). So for the Support Queue the Primary Address will be support@domain.com, and for the Sales Queue the Primary Address will be sales@domain.com.
Multi POP3 Mailboxes with multiple Queues and Assigned Email Addresses
Step 1: Create POP3 Enabled Mailboxes for each Queue you wish emails to be delivered to. (refer to diagram).
Step 2: Designate a Default Queue and associate this email address with this Queue (through Administrator > Manage System Queues, selecting the Queue to use (or creating a new Queue if required)) and click edit. In the Primary Address field enter the required email address. Repeat for each Queue.
Step 3: Through SQL Server Enterprise Manager or SQL Server Management Studio (depending on the version of MS SQL installed), open the Table tbl_POP3. Enter the required information for each of the Mailboxes as defined in Step 1. Ensure that the Status for each is set to 1 (Active).
Step 4: Using the versaSRS HelpDesk - System Management Console, set the Application Setting: 'MultiPOP3' to Enabled.
Step 5: Using the versaSRS HelpDesk - System Management Console, set the Application Setting: 'ApplyDefaultQueue' to Disabled.
Step 6: Stop and restart the versaSRS MailIn Services on the Server where they are installed.
All incoming emails will be delivered to the defined Queues.
Configuring versaSRS HelpDesk for Out-Bound Email
The versaSRSMailOut Windows Service is responsible for sending email.
Settings specific to this service are defined via the system Application Settings. The values of these settings are defined via the versaSRS HelpDesk – System Management Console.
Step 1: Using the versaSRS HelpDesk - System Management Console, set the Application Settings for:
SMTPServer
SMTPPort
to the necessary required settings appropriate for your environment.
Step 2: Stop and restart the versaSRS MailOut Service on the Server if you apply any changes to these settings.
In-Bound and Out-Bound Email Troubleshooting
versaSRS HelpDesk uses POP3 to receive email and SMTP to send email.
To assist with Mail-In and Mail-Out Troubleshooting - the versaSRS HelpDesk MailIn and MailOut services always generate log files, located within c:\temp by default and are named “versasrsmailinlog.txt” and “versasrsmailoutlog.txt”.
Open these files using Notepad to determine what the services are doing and if any errors have been encountered and recorded.
The following Telnet test should also be performed on the Server running the vesraSRS Windows Services to confirm that the server is able to perform the required email processes.
POP3 - Telnet Test
From a command prompt type the following:
telnet host port# (then press enter)
Where host is the name or IP of Exchange Server and port#=110 (default)
user username (then press enter)
Where username = username of the POP3 enabled mailbox
(this may be the alias name of the format MyDomain\MyUsername)
Pass password (then press enter)
Where password = account password
Note the message returned by telnet. If it reads “OK Successfully logged” then the versaSRSMailIn service configured with the same settings will work.
Once email in the POP3 account has been processed by versaSRS HelpDesk it is deleted by default.
SMTP - Telnet Test
From a command prompt type the following:
telnet host port# (then press enter)
Where host is the name or IP address of the Exchange Server and port# = 25 (default)
helo test (then press enter)
mail from: helpdesk@yourdomain (then press enter)
rcpt to: <your email>@yourdomain (then press enter)
Where <your email>@yourdomain is some other email to qualify if email was sent successfully.
data (then press enter)
Hi from Me
(then press enter, full stop, enter to send the message)
If there were no errors, the MailOut service will be able to send email and is working correctly.