What is SMTP Override?
Override SMTP Email Settings (Click to Zoom)
We recommend that you use SMTP Override ONLY as a last resort if you are unable to get local SMTP emails working at a client monitor installation.
SMTP Override instructs the WinScry Client Console to ignore the FROM email settings and Alert Format setting defined by you when you create (or edit) the WinScry Monitor in the Management Console. If enabled on a Conditional Alert or a System Status Report (this feature is NOT available for File API Alerts) the Client Console Windows Service will generate the alert report and instead of sending it out using the local computers SMTP email system it will transmit the report to the WinScry Web Service which will then generate the outbound email to the intended recipients from our servers.
What's the risk of using SMTP Override? One of the most unique features of the WinScry system versus others is that, once created and activated, the Client Console and all of its functionality is under your complete control and can function for an extended period of time without any interaction with the WinScry Web Service. In the Management Console when you create a monitor installation you configure the FROM email settings to use your OWN SMTP email server(s) whenever possible. While you can configure the monitor installation to use the WinScry default email servers there are several compelling reasons why you would not want to do that. First and foremost is the fact that if you use the WinScry default email servers your alert system is totally reliant on OUR email servers, and if they happen to be offline (for maintenance, etc) then your WinScry Alert emails will not be delivered. If you use your own email server(s) then you would know if there was a problem and can address it yourself. Using SMTP Override also falls into this same category. If you rely on the WinScry Web Service to deliver your alert emails you will not receive them if our web service is offline for some reason.
What's the benefit of using SMTP Override? It eliminates the need for the local computer to be able to send SMTP emails. If the target computer is highly secure and the IT department does not want to enable SMTP email creation then SMTP Override can be a quick and easy workaround.
How to use SMTP Override. To enable SMTP Override simply check the Override SMTP 'From' Email settings and send alerts via the WinScry Web Service box in the Email Properties (Optional) tab of either the Conditional Alert window or the System Status Report window (you cannot use SMTP Override for File API Alerts).
Are there any differences or restrictions if I use SMTP Override? Yes there are a couple of differences, they are:
•You can't use SMTP Override on a File API Alert. File API Alerts are special and contain attachments. Since we don't control what those attachments might contain we don't allow them to be sent to the WinScry Web service to be delivered.
•The FROM email address will be different. All alert emails dispatched by the WinScry web service will be from winscrynoreply@hermetechnz.com as opposed to whatever FROM email address you configured when you created the monitor installation in the WinScry Management Console.
•All alert emails will be in HTML format. The Alert Format you chose when you configured the monitor installation in the WinScry Management Console will be ignored and HTML format is used.
If I use SMS Text Messaging in my conditional alerts does that still work if I use SMTP Override? YES, if you've configured your conditional alert(s) to use SMS Text Messaging the WinScry Web Service will dispatch a text message to your cell phone using the SMS Gateway address you entered in the alert.