Setup Web and Database Server

Configure SMTP

 NOTE

Applies to: Sana (on-premises)

To send e-mails from the Sana web store, for example order confirmation e-mails, you must set up Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). Configuring SMTP settings specifies to which SMTP server e-mails generated by Sana should be delivered.

There are two options on how you can set up SMTP for the Sana web store:

• External SMTP server
• Local virtual SMTP server that relies on the external SMTP server

When you install Sana on the Web server, you can enter SMTP settings (host and port) in the Sana Commerce installer. The SMTP settings are stored in the 'Web.config' file of the Sana Commerce frontend. The SMTP settings can be changed in the 'Web.config' file at any time.

Which of the above mentioned option to use is up to you. We recommend to set up local virtual SMTP server on the Web server that relies on a real (external) SMTP server. This configuration has the following benefits:

1. If you have multiple web applications on a single server, you can set up a single local virtual SMTP server for all applications. It will receive all e-mails from the Sana web store and forward them to a real SMTP server for delivery.
2. If a real SMTP server is not available for some reason, the e-mails will not be lost, but will be delivered once the connection to the SMTP server is re-established. In case if you set up Sana with a real SMTP server and it does not respond for some reason, the e-mail will not be delivered to the recipient.

How to set up Sana with a local virtual SMTP server which relies on a real SMTP server?

Prerequisites:

The following Windows roles and features must be installed on the Web server:

• SMTP Server
• IIS 6 Management Compatibility
• IIS 6 Management Console

These components are available in Windows Server 2003 and higher, and can be installed using Add Roles and Features Wizard from the Server Manager. 

To set up Sana with a local virtual SMTP server which relies on a real SMTP server:

Step 1: The SMTP settings of the Sana web store must be configured to localhost.

<mailSettings>
  <smtp deliveryMethod="Network">
    <network host="localhost" port="25" />
  </smtp>
</mailSettings>

Step 2: Open the Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 Manager on the Web server.

Step 3: Right-click on the SMTP Virtual Server and select Properties.

Step 4: Under the Access tab, click on the Relay button. Select Only the list below and then click Add. Enter 127.0.0.1 as the IP address and then click OK.

The Relay section determines which computers can send e-mails through this SMTP server. By only allowing the localhost IP address (127.0.0.1) relay permissions means that only the server itself can send e-mails. Conversely, it prevents the SMTP server from being an open relay and being used to send unsolicited spam e-mails by other computers on the Internet, which could lead to the SMTP server being blacklisted.

Step 5: Under the Delivery tab, click on the Advanced button. In the Smart host field, enter the domain name of a real (external) SMTP server to which the e-mails from the Sana web store will be forwarded.