Spool Issue

Question asked by Boyd White - 2/13/2015 at 3:44 PM

Unanswered

On Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard 64-Bit I have installed as my Email Server [SmarterMail Professional Edition Version 4.3.2760]. I have been working on a solution that customers could email an .xls or .xlsx file to an email and using Visual Basic I could either parse the attachment out of the email or save the file to the File System and work with it from there.

I found a work-around by having Microsoft Outlook open and set to download messages from my [ import at domain dot com ] email every three minutes. Using very simple VBA code within MSOutlook I am able to save the Attachments out to the File System which is the primary hurdle I was trying to clear.

Now for the issue, my Server is installed on a blade in a large hosting company and its internal IP is 10.1.50.1 while the IP my website's URL is pointed to is something you would expect like 208.80.162.111. My SmarterMail's [ Protocal Settings: SMTP In: Submission IP: Port] is set to the 10.1.50.1:26 and works fine.

When I set my MSOutlook, which remember is also running on the Desktop of this blade server, email account's Server Settings to any other than 10.1.50.1 then MSOutlook cannot find the Email Server because it is not sophisticated to go out into the internet then back again, [Example of Server Settings tried: mail.mydomian.com and 208.80.162.111 ].

The problem is, when my MSOutlooks Server Settings are set to 10.1.50.1 the SmarterMail's Spool does not clear out the emails downloaded (transferred) to MSOutlook....within seconds I will have 300 copies and more of the same email downloaded to MSOutlook.

What configuration setting can I set to clear out the SmarterMail Spool in a situation like this where the email is being downloaded on the same computer the Email Server is on?

[Note: I am working over Remote Desktop with my blade server.]

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

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Paul Blank Replied

2/15/2015 at 8:21 AM

How about setting up a HOSTS file entry pointing to the local IP address OR set up the DNS server included in Server 2008 to do pretty much the same thing?

Boyd White Replied

2/15/2015 at 9:33 AM

I am familiar with working with the HOST file and DNS Server is setup on my server to catch Forward Lookup Zones (e.g. my domain). Can you tell me more on why you are suggesting this would clear the SmarterMail Spool instead of MSOutlook downloading hundreds of the same email while the source email never clears out of the SmarterMail Spool? Thanks in advance.

Paul Blank Replied

2/16/2015 at 7:36 AM

I was simply thinking that some type of "loopback" addressing, and using a domain name like [mail.domain.com] (using your actual server's FQDN) in Outlook instead of an IP address would help this problem. But I could certainly be wrong.

Boyd White Replied

2/19/2015 at 11:49 AM

This thread got me looking at some of my settings: http://portal.smartertools.com/community/a1372/smartermail-13-messages-stuck-in-spool.aspx I was trying so many things that when I turned off Spam Assassin filtering AND removed a Content Filter, then, my intra domain email with attachment when through and left the Spool. I am inclined to think the resolution was really deleting the Content Filter which was trying to move all .xls and .xlsx attachments to a folder on the File System...but it was the above thread that got me looking back under those settings since they are on the same menu. So kudos for that. Here is another example for people writing production code, as if they needed another example, of chasing down solutions and making a setting earlier on the hangs them up later on in the development process. I am fairly certain I set that SmarterMail Content Filter before I even started messing with Microsoft Outlook.

Boyd White Replied

2/20/2015 at 11:02 AM

Further update if anyone is interested in this type of thing. I figure out how to use AfterLogics (afterlogic dot com) Mailbee IMAP4 component to connect to my SmarterMail account using solid VB6 code, open the Inbox, download the emails and collect beaucoup info on the email and attachments, and save the attachments to the File System. The info collected being saved into a database table for use later on. Then continuing on and deleting all the emails in the Inbox programatically to keep the email account clean and ready for the next Import email.

Fairly slick and solid way to provide the solution desired. Run this puppy as a Scheduled Task and my main hurdle is jumped.

Now my users can email MSExcel files containing data in a predetermined format, the idea being data coming from Quickbooks, and it will get imported into a temp database table where the users can confirm the data is correct before approving its full import into our web application.

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