SMTP configuration reference

Page and card controls

Table 1. SMTP Configuration page controls
Control	Description
Add new server	Opens a blank profile form above the existing profile cards.
Edit	Replaces the profile card with the profile form so that you can change the saved values.
Remove server	Deletes the profile. Appears only when two or more profiles are configured, because BigFix UI requires at least one profile.
Test connection	Sends a message from the address in From email address to that same address and reports whether the configuration is valid. Available on a saved profile card and in the profile form.
Save changes	Saves the profile. Replaces Test connection in the form after a test succeeds. Not available until then.
Reset inputs	Returns every field in the form to its last saved value, or clears the form for a new profile.
Cancel	Closes the form and discards unsaved changes.

All fields in this group are required.

Table 2. Server details fields
Field	Description	Value
Profile name	Identifies the profile. Becomes the heading of the profile card.	Text
SMTP host / Server address	Host name or IP address of the mail server that relays the message.	Text
SMTP port	Port that the mail server listens on. Port `465` is an implicit TLS port and always requires Connection security to be TLS, whether or not authentication is on.	Number. Default: `465`. Enter the port that matches the connection security that the server requires. A port that the server does not accept causes the connection test to fail.
Connection security	Encryption that BigFix UI uses to reach the mail server. Select None only when the server accepts unencrypted connections and Authentication required is off. With authentication on, None is invalid and the field shows `Select TLS when authentication is enabled`. When you select TLS, the mail server certificate must be trusted by the machine certificate store on the BigFix UI server. See SMTP authentication requires TLS.	TLS (default) or None

Table 3. Authentication fields
Field	Description	Value
Authentication required	Controls whether BigFix UI signs in to the mail server. When the toggle is off, BigFix UI hides Username and Password, and the profile card shows Authentication required: False. When the toggle is on, Connection security must be TLS, because credentials must never travel in cleartext.	Toggle. Default: on
Username	Account that BigFix UI uses to sign in to the mail server. Required when Authentication required is on.	Text
Password	Password for the account. Masked by default; select the eye icon to show or hide it. BigFix UI encrypts the password before it sends it, so the password is never transmitted in plain text. Required when Authentication required is on.	Text

Table 4. Sender information fields
Field	Description	Value
From email address	Address that appears in the From header of every message that this profile sends. The connection test also sends its message to this address.	Email address
From name	Display name that accompanies the sender address.	Text
Reply-to address	Address that receives replies. Do not reply composes a no-reply address on the permitted domain, Same as sender reuses From email address, and Custom address lets you enter any address.	Do not reply (default), Same as sender, or Custom address
Permitted domains	Recipient domains that this profile serves. Enter a domain and select the plus sign to add it as a chip; select the X on a chip to remove it. If you specify no domains, the profile allows all domains.	One or more domain names. Optional

Table 5. Connection status values
Status	Meaning
Connection passed	The most recent connection test succeeded. BigFix UI reached the mail server and relayed the test message. The status does not confirm that a mailbox exists for the sender address.
Connection failed	The most recent connection test failed. BigFix UI could not reach the mail server or the server rejected the request. A Connection failed notification also appears in the upper right corner with the message `Please check the server details added`. Select the X to close the notification. Save changes stays unavailable until a test succeeds.

When the status is Connection failed, check the following values, and then select Test connection again:

SMTP host / Server address. The host name or IP address must resolve and the server must be reachable from BigFix UI.
SMTP port. The port must match the port that the mail server listens on.
Connection security. The setting must match what the server requires. Select None only when the server accepts unencrypted connections and authentication is off.
Authentication required. Turn the toggle on and enter valid credentials when the server requires them. With the toggle on, select TLS.
The mail server certificate, when the profile uses TLS. A self-signed certificate or a certificate from an internal certificate authority fails until it is added to the machine certificate store on the BigFix UI server.
From email address. The server must accept this sender address.