Configuring alerts for Microsoft Exchange Server

This article will walk you through the configuration process, enabling Alloy Discovery to send automated outgoing alert notifications for Microsoft Exchange Server.

Before you begin:

1. All e-mail notifications are sent by the Inventory Server, so make sure that the Inventory Server is configured and started. For details, see Inventory Server Manager.

2. Choose what Microsoft Exchange account Alloy Discovery will use for sending alerts. This must be a Windows account with sufficient permissions to access the Microsoft Exchange mailbox you want to use. You can create a special Exchange mailbox account for this task, or use an existing one.

3. Configure the Inventory Server to run under the Microsoft Exchange account. To do this, start the Alloy Inventory Server Manager on the Inventory Server computer and change the Inventory Server startup account to the Microsoft Exchange account. For details, see Inventory Server Manager.

4. If you plan to use MAPI:
   On the Inventory Server computer, create an e-mail profile for the Microsoft Exchange account. The profile must be created using a 64-bit edition of Microsoft Outlook. For details, see MAPI e-mail profile for integration with Microsoft Exchange.

To configure e-mail settings:

1. Mandatory: Go to Services > E-mail Settings and choose the protocol to use:

   • Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) - MAPI is a standard method of e-mail integration for all versions of Microsoft Exchange. Using this method requires an e-mail profile for the Microsoft Exchange account on the Automation Server computer. For details, see MAPI e-mail profile for integration with Microsoft Exchange.

   • Exchange Web Services (EWS) - EWS are an enhanced method of e-mail integration for newer versions of Microsoft Exchange, introduced with Exchange 2007 SP1. EWS are installed and configured by default if Outlook Web Access is enabled in your environment.

2. Mandatory: Specify settings for the chosen service:

   • For MAPI:

     • Specify the Outlook profile that you have created for the Inventory Server startup account:

     • If the Inventory Server computer has a single mail profile or when Microsoft Outlook on the Inventory Server computer is configured to always use the profile you want to use, select the Use default profile check box.

     • If you want to specify a non-default profile, clear the Use default profile check box and select the profile from the Mail Profile list.

     IMPORTANT: The profile must be created using a 64-bit edition of Microsoft Outlook. For details, see MAPI e-mail profile for integration with Microsoft Exchange.

     IMPORTANT: When you have multiple Inventory Server instances, the Mail Profile list includes profiles that exist on all of the instances.

   • For EWS:

     1. Under EWS connection details, choose one of the following:

     • If Autodiscovery is not enabled, click Specify the Exchange Web Services URL or server name and type in the URL path (the default URL is https://hostname.domain.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx). Alternatively, you can type in just the server name, and the system will suggest you the full URL path.

     • If your EWS server has Autodiscovery configured, click Autodiscover the Exchange Web Services URL using this address and type in the e-mail address of the Microsoft Exchange account.

     2. Provide the user name and password for the Microsoft Exchange account.

     3. By default, Alloy Discovery automatically detects the version of your Microsoft Exchange Server. However, in some situations you may need to manually specify your MS Exchange Server version. To do this, choose the necessary option in the Version field.

     4. If you want to prevent communication with the Microsoft Exchange Server when a certificate validation error occurs, select the Reject invalid certificates check box.

3. By default, all notifications will be sent from the Microsoft Exchange account, i.e. will have its address in the From field. If you want to enable Alloy Discovery to send notifications on behalf of other users, select the 'From’ address delegation check box.

IMPORTANT: Sending notifications on behalf of other users requires that every person whose e-mail address you specify in the From field when configuring e-mail notifications must grant your Microsoft Exchange account a permission to send e-mail messages on her/his behalf. For instructions, see How to allow sending notification on behalf of another person.

4. To verify your settings, click Test Settings. Alloy Discovery will send a test message using the specified parameters to confirm the ability to communicate with the mail server. When the Send Test Message window opens, enter a valid e-mail address to send the test message to, choose the Inventory Server instance (if you have more than one), and click OK.

5. Click Save on the toolbar.

In order to send an alert notification, the Inventory Server connects to the specified outgoing mail server, and the outgoing mail server will send out the message. Make sure the Inventory Server is configured and started. For details, see Inventory Server Manager.

NOTE: In case you configure the e-mail settings after audit data has been uploaded, the alert record appears in the Alert Log (for details, see Viewing Alert Log) but the alert notifications can not be sent out.