Connectivity

SmarterMail provides a variety of options that allow users to manage and access third-party, external accounts directly within SmarterMail. To access these settings, log in to SmarterMail and click the Settings icon. Then click on Connectivity in the navigation pane. The following options will be available:

Jump To:

  • Cloud Storage - Link to files from services like Dropbox or OneDrive
  • Email Retrieval - Download emails from third-party accounts directly into SmarterMail
  • SMTP Accounts - Send emails from third-party accounts directly within SmarterMail
  • Synchronized Devices - Review the syncing connections for your account
  • Mailbox Migration - Importing email, contacts, calendars, tasks, and notes from third-party accounts

Regarding Google Accounts

Google transitioned to their "Sign in with Google" authentication method as a part of their role out of 2-Step Verification and as a way to ensure that any product or service you're connecting to your Google account is "secure" enough to do so. However, not every application or service can, much less want to, integrate with Google using "Sign in with Google". As such, when using Mailbox Migration to migrate a Gmail account to SmarterMail, or when adding a Gmail account to the Email Retrieval card, you will be required to use an "app password." App passwords are 16-digit passcodes that can be used in place of your existing Gmail password that allow applications and/or devices to access your Gmail account.

In the case of connecting Google Drive as a Cloud Storage Connection, you may encounter a "Google hasn't verified this app" warning after selecting the Google account you want to connect to. This is perfectly normal. Simply scroll to the bottom of the pop-up, click on "Advanced" then click on "Go to [SmarterMail Domain]" to connect SmarterMail to Google Drive.

Cloud Storage

SmarterMail can connect to third-party cloud storage providers, like Dropbox or OneDrive, so users can generate links to files stored in the cloud while composing emails. This allows users to quickly share files without worrying about attachment size limits on the server or increasing their mailbox size.

Connecting a Cloud Service

To establish a new connection with a cloud storage provider, click New Provider. Select the service you wish to connect, then follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process. Once you are connected to a third-party account, you can generate a link to a file stored with that provider by clicking on the Actions (...) button while composing an email message. Then click on Link File.

Removing a Connected Service

To remove a connected service, or to simply reset the connection, click on the provider from the list of connected services. Then click Delete.

Email Retrieval

These days it's rare for someone to have, and use a single email address. That's why SmarterMail's Email Retrieval feature is so great: it allows users to access email from another account directly within the SmarterMail Web interface. This means users can add their Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! or any other mail account to SmarterMail so that they can receive all of their emails, from a number of different accounts, from within a single interface.

A nice complement to Email Retrieval is SMTP Accounts. When used together, users can send and receive email from external accounts directly within SmarterMail.

Connecting a Retrieval Account

To establish a connection with an external email account, click New Retrieval Task. Several pieces of information are required in order for SmarterMail to connect to the account and start retrieving messages. If these settings are unknown, it's a good idea to contact your IT or Email Administrator with the list below that corresponds to the type of connection you want: POP or IMAP.

POP Retrieval

SmarterMail's POP retrieval service will download email messages from the Inbox of another server via POP3 and deliver them to your SmarterMail mailbox. One primary difference between POP and IMAP is that a POP account will generally retrieve the messages then delete them from the originating server. While SmarterMail's POP Retrieval DOES allow you to leave messages on the server, users need to make sure they enable it. Otherwise, POP retrieval will delete the messages from the server after they are downloaded to your mailbox. The other primary difference is that IMAP allows the retrieval of ALL messages in the external mailbox, while POP will only download the contents from the Inbox.

When creating a new account for POP message retrieval, the following options are available:

  • Type - Select POP.
  • Server Address - The address for the email server for which you want to connect. This will most likely be the URL to the mail server. (E.g., mail.example.com).
  • Port - The port used to connect to the email server. By default, the port is 110. However, some mail providers may require a separate port be used for POP retrieval.
  • Username - The identifier used to authenticate with the email server. This will most likely be the full email address you want to bring into SmarterMail.
  • Password - The password used to log into the mail account.
  • Retrieval Method - The method by which SmarterMail checks for new messages on the server, either Manual or Automatic. If you choose to manually retrieve messages, you will have to navigate to the Connectivity page, click on the retrieval task, then click Retrieve Messages Now in order to check for new messages. If you choose to automatically retrieve messages, you will not need to return to the Connectivity page, as messages would be automatically retrieved every 10 minutes.
  • Destination Folder - The folder where messages from the external account should be downloaded.
  • Enable APOP authentication - Select this option if the server requires additional login security.
  • Leave messages on server - Select this option to keep your messages on the server after they are downloaded to your SmarterMail mailbox.
  • Require SSL - Select this option if the connection to the server must be SSL.
  • Enable spam and content filtering - Select this option to apply your SmarterMail spam and content filtering settings to any messages downloaded from this server.

NOTE: After you've added your information, when you click the Save button, the connection is tested prior to actually being saved by SmarterMail. If an error occurs during the test, you will receive a notification that an error occurred and will need to correct it prior to being able to save the connection.

IMAP Retrieval

SmarterMail's IMAP retrieval service will download email messages from another server via IMAP and deliver them to your SmarterMail mailbox. One primary difference between IMAP and POP is that an IMAP account will leave the original messages on the original mail server by default. The other primary difference is that IMAP allows the retrieval of ALL messages in all folders of the external mailbox, while POP will only download the contents from the Inbox.

When creating a new account for IMAP message retrieval, the following options are available:

  • Type - Select IMAP.
  • Server Address - The address for the email server you want to connect to. This will most likely be the URL to the mail server. (E.g., mail.example.com).
  • Port - The port used to connect to the email server. By default, the port is 143. However, some mail providers may require a separate port be used for IMAP retrieval.
  • Username - The identifier used to authenticate with the email server. This will most likely be the full email address you want to bring into SmarterMail.
  • Password - The password used to log into the mail account.
  • Retrieval Method - The method by which SmarterMail checks for new messages on the server, either Manual or Automatic. If you choose to manually retrieve messages, you will have to navigate to the Connectivity page, click on the retrieval task, then click Retrieve Messages Now in order to check for new messages. If you choose to automatically retrieve messages, you will not need to return to the Connectivity page, as messages would be automatically retrieved every 10 minutes.
  • Folder Transfer Method - The method by which SmarterMail imports emails from the server. The advantage of creating an IMAP connection, rather than POP, is that IMAP allows existing folders to be brought into SmarterMail. Users can choose to add their external account folders as root folders or append them as subfolders on an existing SmarterMail folder.
  • Requires SSL - Select this option if the connection to the server must be SSL.
  • Enable spam and content filtering (Inbox only) - Select this option to apply your SmarterMail spam and content filtering settings to any messages downloaded from this server.

NOTE: After you've added your information, when you click the Save button, the connection is tested prior to actually being saved by SmarterMail. If an error occurs during the test, you will receive a notification that an error occurred and will need to correct it prior to being able to save the connection.

Removing a Retrieval Task

To remove a retrieval task, click on the account from the list of retrieval tasks. Then click Delete.

SMTP Accounts

These days it's rare for someone to have, and use, a single email address. That's why SmarterMail's SMTP Accounts feature is so great: it allows users to send email from another account directly within the SmarterMail Web interface. This means users can add their Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! or any other mail account to SmarterMail so that they can send all of their emails, from a number of different accounts, from within a single interface.

A nice complement to SMTP Accounts is Email Retrieval. When used together, users can send and receive email from external accounts directly within SmarterMail.

Connecting an SMTP Account

To establish a connection with an external email account, click New SMTP Account. Several pieces of information are required in order for SmarterMail to connect to the account. If these settings are unknown, it's a good idea to contact your IT or Email Administrator with the list below.

When creating a new SMTP account, the following options are available:

  • Display Name - The name that should appear in the From field of emails sent using this account.
  • Server Address - The address for the external email server for which you want to connect. This usually takes the form of mail.example.com.
  • Server Port - The port used to connect to the email server. By default, the port is 25. However, some ISPs block port 25 by default. Therefore, it's a good idea to check with your email provider or email administrator to ensure that you're using the proper port for this account.
  • Encryption - The type of encryption required by the external email server. Many ISPs and service providers require you use SSL to send emails.
  • Email Address - The full email address that corresponds to the external email server. For example, jdoe@example.com.
  • Enable Authentication - Select this option if SMTP authentication is required to send mail from this email address. What that means is that, once you attempt to send a message using this account, SmarterMail will pass your credentials back to the sending server to authenticate your address and let the sending mail server know that you're authorized to send mail from that account.
  • Username - The identifier used to authenticate with the external email server. In many cases, this and the Email Address will need to be identical.
  • Password - The password used to authenticate with the external email server.

NOTE: After you've added your information, when you click the Save button, the connection is tested prior to actually being saved by SmarterMail. If an error occurs during the test, you will receive a notification that an error occurred and will need to correct it prior to being able to save the connection.

Removing an SMTP Account

To remove an SMTP account, or to simply reset the connection, click on the account from the list of SMTP Accounts. Then click Delete.

Synchronized Devices

In the Synchronized Devices section, a user can review the syncing connections that are configured for their account. SmarterMail will show the type of connection being made (generally, the protocol being used) and, in most cases, the device/client and protocol, except for IMAP or POP connections as these are not listed. For example, "Outlook (MAPI)" or "WindowsMail (EAS)". SmarterMail Enterprise uses multiple data synchronization technologies to sync account data with email clients and mobile devices, including:

  • MAPI is an optional add-on that syncs SmarterMail mailboxes with Microsoft Outlook for Windows and that allows Outlook users the same features and functionality that's available within Outlook when using Microsoft Exchange.
  • EAS is an optional add-on that is the de-facto standard for syncing SmarterMail mailboxes with most smartphones and tablets.
  • EWS is an optional add-on that seamlessly syncs SmarterMail messages, contacts, calendars and tasks to third-party email clients that support the protocol, including Microsoft Outlook for Mac, Apple Mail, the Outlook client for iPad and eM Client.
  • CalDAV is an extension of the WebDAV protocol that syncs SmarterMail calendars with Macs, iPads, iPhones, and other devices/applications that use the technology.
  • CardDAV is an extension of the WebDAV protocol that syncs SmarterMail contacts with Macs, iPads, iPhones, Thunderbird and other devices/applications that use the technology.

(For more information regarding the different synchronization methods available for SmarterMail and/or your device, please refer to Synchronizing with SmarterMail.)

Deleting a Connection

In general, users should not delete a sync connection as this may cause the device/application to stop functioning with SmarterMail. Deleting a connection is only recommended if you are no longer utilizing that device or if you are experiencing issues and want to completely resync the device's connection to SmarterMail. When reconfiguring a device's connection, you should: 1.) Remove your SmarterMail account from the device. 2.) Delete the connection from the Synchronized Devices section. 3.) Add the account configuration back to the device.

Resync all Devices

There may be instances where a user who has multiple different clients set up on their account will want to manually force all of those clients to resync. This should generally be done at the request of the domain administrator, but it can be done any time there is at least one device listed. Forcing a resync of one or more clients can help resolve issues, such as emails appearing in one client and not another.

That said, resyncing all clients connected to an account can take some time to complete, especially for particularly busy/active email accounts. Therefore, it should only be done during off hours, if at all possible.

When pressing the Resync all Devices button, the user is presented with a confirmation dialog warning them of the time that may be necessary to complete the action. Once acknowledged, a toast notification appears letting them know the process has begun. From there, notifications are used to let the user know when the process completes, and if there are any issues. Resyncing of clients is logged, so if an issue presents itself, the user should contact their domain admininstrator, who can then help further troubleshoot the issue.

Mailbox Migration

The mailbox migration tool makes moving an account from an email provider like Office 365 or Yahoo!, or from another email server like MailEnable or Open X-change, to SmarterMail incredibly easy. Depending on whether the provider allows it, Mailbox Migration can import email, contacts, calendars, tasks and notes into a SmarterMail Account.

Migrating a Mailbox

To import data from a third-party mail server, do the following:

  1. Log into SmarterMail as a user.
  2. Click the Settings icon.
  3. Click on Connectivity in the navigation pane. The Connectivity page allows you to add cloud file storage providers that you can use to link files from in your messages, you can add SMTP accounts, you can view your connected devices...AND you can migrate messages from third party services or other mail servers into your SmarterMail Account.
  4. On the Mailbox Migration card, click the Migrate button.
  5. The Mailbox Migration modal appears. Here, you will select which service or mail server you want to migrate data from. Find your appropriate starting point and click on its icon.
  6. The information required will vary based on the service or server you're migrating from, and in some cases SmarterMail will know information, such as the Server Address you're migrating from. For example, when migrating from Office.com, you'll simply need your email address and password: SmarterMail fills in the Server Address for you. However, if migrating from another email server, such as MailEnable, you'll need more detailed information. The most information you'll need is:
    • Items to Import - You'll be able to select what you want to migrate over to SmarterMail: Email, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks or Notes -- or all of them. That said, in some cases you will not be able to choose -- the choice is made for you by the provider. Therefore, this may not always be available, especially if migrating from another mail server like Zimbra or MailEnable.
    • Server Address - This will be the URL you use to log in to the mail server, or the mail server address you use when connecting your mail account to an email client. For example, mail.your-domain.com. Whenever possible, SmarterMail pre-fills in the server address to make it easier for you to start the migration.
    • Type - This will either be POP or IMAP. The difference is that POP will pull ONLY messages from the Inbox whereas IMAP may be able to pull additional items such as calendars.
    • Port - The port that's associated with the Type you've selected.
    • Email Address - This is the full email address you're migrating over. For example, jdoe@office.com
    • Password - This is the password you use to log into the account you're migrating over.
    • Require SSL - This is enabled by default, requiring a secured login.
    • Delete existing SmarterMail mailbox items - Enabling this will overwrite any existing SmarterMail data with the data that's being migrated over. That includes all contacts, calendar entries, etc. If this is NOT enabled, the migrated data will be "merged" into any existing data in the account and nothing is overwritten.
  7. Once you've filled out the necessary information, and selected the items you want to migrate over, the mailbox migration will start. You can track its progress as the data is imported. So now, it's a waiting game. The total time necessary to migrate your data depends on how much data there is, your internet connection and other factors.

Note: It may take some time for your mailbox data to import. You can continue using SmarterMail during this time as the migration process happens in the background. In addition, the type of items available for migration are purely dependent upon the service you're migrating from. SmarterMail cannot migrate any item that is not allowed by the service provider.

Our knowledge base offers a couple of different articles that walk through the migration process. Please see:

A few quick notes regarding Mailbox Migration:

  • The mailbox migration tool will only transfer email, contacts, calendars, tasks, and notes (if supported) from a single third-party mailbox to your SmarterMail mailbox. System administrators can use mail server conversion tools to migrate multiple mailboxes or entire domains from mail server applications like MailEnable, Merak, MailMax, or Imail quickly and easily. System administrators can also use Web services to run migrations for multiple accounts.
  • SmarterMail is typically able to keep date and time stamps when importing from other email servers as long as they follow the standard time and date format in the email header. In addition, it may be necessary to make changes to your account, especially if you're importing data from services like Office365 or Yahoo! to allow for mis-named "insecure applications". So, be sure to make any necessary security changes to your account BEFORE you start the migration process.
  • There may be a discrepancy in the number of items in the Deleted Items folder after a migration. This is because some email providers, notably those made by Microsoft, don't restrict the type of item that gets stored in Deleted Items. For example, in your Office.com account there may be contacts, calendar appointments, notes, and tasks in Deleted Items. SmarterMail only allows mail messages in Deleted Items, we do not import other item types during a migration.
  • Finally, if there are issues with a migration, SmarterMail logs all migration activity. Therefore, a System Administrator can check the Mailbox Importing logs for an account to see what happened, and find a resolution.