Connectivity

SmarterMail provides a variety of options that allow users to manage and access third-party, external accounts directly within SmarterMail. When accessing your connectivity settings, the following options will be available:

Jump To:

Cloud Storage Connections - 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 user
Authenticated IPs - The IP addresses being used by any device connecting to your SmarterMail account. These can be clients on mobile or desktop clients, etc.
Mailbox Migration - Importing email, contacts, calendars, tasks, and notes from third-party accounts

Regarding GMail and Microsoft and Email Retrieval / SMTP Accounts

Google transitioned to their "Sign in with Google" authentication method as a part of their roll-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 wants 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. For the time being, Google allows the use of app passwords for connecting accounts to third-party services. However, Google's policies around integration with third parties is likely to change, becoming more rigid and restrictive.

In the case of connecting Google Drive as a Cloud Storage Connection, SmarterMail uses "Google Picker" as a way to validate your connection. You log into Google with your account, then when adding links to files, a separate Google modal opens. Here, you can select the various files you want to link to right from Google Drive itself.

For its part, Microsoft moved to OAuth 2.0 for services such as Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, and Hotmail. This is essentially the same as the authentication methods Google has introduced. It simply means that, when setting up additional accounts within SmarterMail, or migrating accounts from these services into SmarterMail, you will first need to authenticate your account by logging in to the Microsoft account being used. You will no longer have to enter your account and account password within SmarterMail (the password field is, in fact, removed), just your username. From there, you're directed to Microsoft where you're required to log in.

Cloud Storage Connections

SmarterMail can connect to third-party cloud storage providers such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, vBoxx, Leitzcloud, and OwnCloud 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 as you simply link to the file at its original location, the file isn't actually attached to the message.

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.

Connecting to Google Drive

Connecting Google Drive to your SmarterMail account acts a bit differently as Google now requires a more granular level of permission before you can connect to their services. As such, when adding Google Drive as a storage provider you will need to explicitly grant permission to SmarterMail when selecting the Google account you want to use. If you do not do this, SmarterMail will not connect to Google Drive.

This also affects how links to files on Google Drive are added to messages. When using the "Link to file" action when composing a message, and selecting Google Drive, Google requires the use of their "Picker", which opens an entirely new modal with access to your Google Drive account. From here, you simply select the file and a link is added to the message.

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 web-based email client.

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

Using Email Retrieval

To establish a connection with an external email account, click New Retrieval Task on the Connectivity page of your account settings. You'll see a list of email services and providers, much like you see during a mailbox migration. Regardless of the type of account you are setting up -- POP or IMAP -- or which service you're connecting to, 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. (I.e., POP or IMAP.)

NOTE: When setting up Email Retrieval and connecting to another SmarterMail account, that account needs to have MAPI/EWS enabled in order to pull over all relevant folders. This includes Calendars, Contacts, Tasks, and Notes, in addition to email.

Microsoft Exchange and Exchange Services Retrieval

Most email servers, and email services like Yahoo! and Gmail, allow users to use either POP or IMAP for connecting accounts. Microsoft, however, is different. They've deprecated "basic authentication" methods for connecting to Microsoft Exchange and/or Microsoft Exchange services such as Microsoft 365 (Office) and Outlook.com/Live.com. Instead, they're utilizing OAuth 2.0 for authentication to these systems. As a result, the information required for connecting Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, or Exchange accounts for email retrieval is a bit different than what's required for POP and IMAP.

In addition, there's an extra step required when using an actual Microsoft Exchange account or an account that is powered by Microsoft Exchange like Outlook.com. Microsoft requires you to actually sign in to their services using the Microsoft account you're retrieving because that's part of the OAuth 2.0 process. Therefore, once you have your retrieval set up, you'll see a new pop-up from Microsoft asking you to sign in to your account or use whatever secondary authentication method created for that Microsoft account. (E.g., Receive a code to your backup email address.)

Server Address - The address for the email server you want to connect to. When using Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com/Live.com, SmarterMail automatically fills in the server to be used. It's important to note that when using these services, the server address added by SmarterMail should not change -- it will work for Microsoft 365, Outlook.com and Live.com addresses. However, when connecting to an on-premises (or remotely hosted) Exchange server you manage yourself, you will need to fill in this information.
Email Address - The full email address of the account you'll be adding. For example, my_name@outlook.com.
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 - This is how you want the folders within your account to be transferred into SmarterMail. You can have them transfer as Root Level Folders, meaning they will appear intermingled with any existing folders in your primary account, or as Subfolders. When transferring as subfolders, you will be asked to select a folder you want to import into. Therefore, it's recommended that you create a folder specifically for the folders from the account you're retrieving. For example, create a "M365" folder and then use that.
Require SSL - Select this option if the connection to the server must be SSL.
Enable content filtering - Select this option to apply your SmarterMail content filtering settings to any messages downloaded from this server.

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.

In addition, some services (e.g., outlook.com) do not offer POP as a retrieval method. Instead, they default to IMAP or they use a different protocol.

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. If the antispam solution being used for the account you're retrieving is good, this may not be necessary.

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. If the antispam solution being used for the account you're retrieving is good, this may not be necessary.

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.

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 user. 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 user 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 standard for syncing 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:

Remove your SmarterMail account from the device.
Delete the connection from the Synchronized Devices section.
Then 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 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 can take some time to complete, especially for particularly busy/active users. Therefore, it should only be done during off hours, when 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 administrator, who can then help further troubleshoot the issue.

Authenticated IPs

This section displays all of the authenticated logins, by public IP addresses, over the previous 3 days for your user. These IPs may be associated with email clients, webmail clients, mobile devices or any other type of connection that accesses your SmarterMail user. (NOTE: Private IPs, or ones generally reserved for internal use on a network, are excluded from this list.) Where possible, the associated protocol is listed as well, which can be used to help identify what is connecting and from where. For example, EAS connections are most likely mobile devices. The same IP address may show up multiple times if, for example, you're logged in via webmail as well as Outlook on the same computer.

Mailbox Migration

The mailbox migration tool makes moving a user from an email provider like Microsoft 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.

NOTE: When migrating from another SmarterMail server, the account(s) on the source SmarterMail server need(s) to have MAPI/EWS enabled in order to pull over all relevant folders. This includes Calendars, Contacts, Tasks, and Notes, in addition to email. Otherwise, IMAP can be used to migrate just email.

Migrating a Mailbox

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

Log into SmarterMail as a user.
Click the Settings icon.
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 SmarterMail.
On the Mailbox Migration card, click the Migrate button.
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.
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 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. (NOTE: Some services require an extra layer of authentication. For these services, the Password field is hidden. Instead, users will need to log in to their accounts at these services directly, thereby offering a more robust and secure form of account authentication.)
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 and nothing is overwritten.

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 Microsoft 365 (Office) 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 a user to see what happened, and find a resolution.