Set up Email and Troubleshooting

Supervisor settings

The Supervisor settings applied above should be rechecked with your IT Support team:

• Ensure that the SMTP Server name or IP address have been correctly entered.
• Ensure that no SMTP server login and SMTP server password is required.
• Is the SMTP server requires a login? Field correctly set?
• Have you checked to make sure that each Location has not accidently been configured with a different email setup? – See: Setup individual email systems by location above. If you want the Default settings to be in effect for all locations, then the relevant fields for each location should be left blank.
• Run the Amlib Test Email Utility – See: Appendix A: Amlib test email utility.

Borrower settings

For borrowers to receive their overdue notices via email, the borrower record will need to have the following:

• Email address
• Use for Notices = Y (for Yes)
  

Running reports

Emails generated by the Amlib system need to sent using the Reports Scheduler (via F6 Print). Things to check include:

• Does the F7 Where statement check for NULL email values?
• Did you choose an email-capable report template? – for example: the Overdue Email Notices use the &ODEMAIL.QRP template.
• Was the report template Choose Type set for email – for example: the &ODEMAIL template has a Choose Type = Continuous – Email.
• Did you start Report Scheduler beforehand?
• Was the E-mail option selected on the Report Scheduler pane when you started the Scheduler?
• Did you “print” the report via F6 Print?
• When printing the report (via F6 Print), was the To = Email option selected on the Print screen?

Email address validation rules

When email reports are being sent a certain amount of validation is going on. Email addresses are rejected if illegal characters are found.

If the email address is invalid and if the barcode of the patron can be found by the process, the Borrower ID is written to a saved Borrower File, which can be checked later.

If the barcode of the patron cannot be found, no file can be created but an error message is written to the amdberror.log in the Amlib folder.

If the SMTP protocol is being used then any errors encountered will be logged. Neither MAPI nor the internal method support error reporting in an accessible way.

1. Must be at least 5 characters long. Shortest theoretical address is a@b.c
2. Must contain an “@”
3. Must have one or more characters before the “@”
4. Must contain a “.”
5. No more than 4 characters after the last “.”
6. No “_” after the “@”
7. Only one “@”
8. No invalid chars – the following ranges are invalid:
   • Less than ASCII 48 (except 45 and 46)
   • ASCII 57 to 65 (except 64)
   • ASCII 90 to ASCII 97 (except 95)
   • ASCII > 122

      Note: 45 = "-", 46 = ".", 64 = "@" and 95 = "_"

The formatting of the email is checked against these rules, but the address may it still be invalid.

Error messages

If emailing out of Amlib proves unsuccessful, then it is a good idea to examine the Amlib error log (amdberror.log). Any unsuccessful email should generate an entry in the error log.

• The amdberror.log file can be located in the /Amlib folder on your Amlib server.
• Open up the file in Notepad – look for ay entry headed REPORTS (as most email functions use the Reports module).
• If there is a Socket Connect failure, then this is usually indicative that either the server details have been entered incorrectly or the outgoing email is being blocked in some way – the latter will require troubleshooting of the security surrounding your Amlib system (Amlib has been correctly set-up but the outgoing emails are being blocked).
• Users should run the Amlib test email facility to check the validity of their email server settings.

It is also possible for other types of error messages to be generated when an email report is scheduled to run.

If a BASE64.DLL error occurs during “printing” of emails, then this indicates a missing Amlib Base64.DLL file in the /Amlib folder on the Amlib server. Contact Amlib Support for more information.

Port settings/Firewall

A firewall prevents computers on a network from communicating directly with external computer systems. A firewall typically consists of a computer that acts as a barrier through which all information passing between the networks and the external systems must travel. The firewall software analyses information passing between the two and rejects it if it does not conform to pre-configured rules.

It does this through the use of ports. Ports are basically logical connections (or sockets) between two computing devices (for example: a PC and a printer) or network devices used for sharing data. Port numbers range from 1 to 65535 and some port numbers are assigned to specific tasks, such as port 25 for transferring SMTP data.

Port 21 is for FTP, port 25 is for SMTP, port 80 is for HTTP, port 110 is for POP3, port 23 is for Telnet, etc. There are many ports that, if left open, can be considered a high security risk. Many viruses spread to different computers because of open ports.

Amlib uses port 25 for SMTP emailing out of the client:

• Contact your IT support team to ensure that the TCP/IP port 25 (if using SMTP) is open for the PC running the Amlib Reports module (Reports.exe).
• Users of Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2 may like to consult Add a Program to the Firewall Rules List.

Anti-virus settings

If you are having trouble with email reports not being sent, it is possible that your anti-virus agent is blocking access to your email server on port 25 (SMTP) as it believes the email is a mass mail. Therefore you will have to add Report.exe (the Amlib Reports module application) to the anti-virus “safe list”.

In addition to the Amlib server, individual anti-virus agents on a client machine (for example: McAfee OAS) can block outgoing Amlib emails as “spam”.

The following anti-viral agents have information regarding changes to the settings to allow Amlib to email out of the system:

• Appendix B: McAffee Anti-Virus Software
• Appendix C: Symantec EndPoint Protection (SEP) settings

Email client server settings

A common source of blocked emails is the actual email client itself.

When the email report is run, the client PC connects to your SMTP email server (for example Exchange 2003) and the email server sends the email (relays it). SMTP mail servers need to be set up to allow email messages from the client machine to be relayed (as the email being sent is not authenticated and perceived to be junk mail). This is usually done by adding an exception to allow relay rule. You will need to add each client PC (using its IP address) that run the Reports module to the exceptions list.

More information about SMTP relay blocks: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290842.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Settings

Appendix D: Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 settings: Setting relay restrictions

Set up anonymous relaying for non-authenticated applications (including Amlib).

• Configuring, Filtering and Controlling Spam
• How to Create a Global Accept List

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Settings

Configure the Exchange Server 2007 HUB Transport Role to Receive Internet Mail

• Enable 3^rd party software to send emails. It is possible to setup a Receive Connector rule on the Exchange 2007 hub transport server, where the new IP address of the machines that are running 3^rd party software are manually added into the field ”receive email from remote servers that have these IP addresses:” and for permissions have Anonymous and Exchange servers selected. This rule then allows software to send emails as required (where the from address is not gathered by Active Directory automatically).

iinet email settings

Appendix E: iinet settings

Install Amlib test utility

1. The Amlib Test Email Utility is available from the OCLC Support website, under Amlib > Downloads and Software Updates > Utilities. Contact Amlib support if you require a login to this website.
2. Download the Amlib Email Test Utility (SMTPEmailTest.msi).
3. Run the SMTPEmailTest.msi.
4. Select Next.
   
5. Select a Directory to Install the Amlib Test Utility - leave the default setting.
   
6. Select Next.
7. Select Install.
   
8. Select Finish and ensure the Launch Configuration Manager option is ticked.
   
9. The AM and TE databases will display as default.

    Note: This configuration automatically has the AM [Live] and TE [Test] databases defined [but not set].

10. In the Amlib Systems tab, highlight the Live or Test database connector and Select the Edit button. The System Editor will open.
11. If your database prefix is not ‘AM’ add a new connector by selecting the New button. On the General tab, enter the Prefix and a Description, otherwise continue with step 6.
    
12. On the Databases tab, enter the following details:
    • Choose the details for the RDBMS and OleDbProvider from the drop-down boxes.
      
    • Enter the details for the Lib database.
      
    • Server – Enter the name of the Server running your Amlib databases.
    • Instance – Enter an Instance (only if required – otherwise leave as Default, an example would be SQLEXPRESS).
    • Port – Enter a Port number (if required – otherwise leave as 0 [for unused]).
    • User – Enter the Username for the database connection.
    • Password – Enter the Password for the database connection. The username and password should be the same as that the login for your other Amlib databases. SYSADM/SYSADM is the default login for most Amlib database setups.
    • Select the Copy to all button to copy the details to the other database fields.
      
13. Select the OK button once complete. The System Editor window will close.

Testing

Once complete, the connection can be tested:

1. Highlight the relevant database (e.g., AM). Select the Test button.
   
2. The Test Connections window will display with the result. If errors occur, the reason will display in the Error Details column:
   1. Test successful – all Results = OK:
      
   2. Test unsuccessful – all Results = Fail with Error Details shown, Use the error details to guide you and go back and check your configuration:
      
3. Select the Close button to close the Test Connections screen.
4. Select Exit.

Start Amlib test utility

1. Open a Windows Explorer Window and browse to: \Program Files (x86)\OCLC\Amlib SMTP Email Test.
   
2. Double-click SMTPEmailTest.exe. The SMTPEmailTest Utility window will display:
   

In the SMTP Server Details section:

1. Click the Login button.
2. Enter a Valid User Name and Password (not case-sensitive).
3. Select a Database. This should be the same database you use for Amlib.
   
4. Click the OK button. The Please select a location window will display:
   
5. Chose a login location and click the OK button (by default, the Location setup for your Username in the Amlib Installation setting will be highlighted).
6. All the SMTP Email server setting are now extracted from the Amlib database (if they have been defined in the Amlib Installation setting:
   

Enter the following message details:

1. To: Type the an email address into the field to which a test email is to be sent.
   
2. Cc: Type a carbon copy email address (optional).
   
3. Bcc: Type a blind carbon copy email address (optional).
   
4. From: This email address is extracted from the Amlib database therefore does not need to be altered.
   
5. Type a Subject: into the field provided.
   
6. Type a Message: in the box provided.
   

Once all details are completed, click on the Send Email Test! Button. If all the details are valid, and the SMTP port (25) is not being blocked the you should see the following message:

If the email server details are incorrect or the port is blocked, the following message will appear: