Troubleshooting email notifications

Use the following information to troubleshoot alerts that appear on the Notifcations panel of the Settings screen.

Cannot configure email notification of alerts

Symptom

You cannot are not allowed to configure the email notification of alerts.

Cause

Improper authorization or authentication.

Action
  1. Log in to the appliance as the Infrastructure administrator.

  2. Add or edit an email recipient and filter entry.

  3. Verify that you were able to add or edit the email recipient and filter entry successfully.

Unable to connect through sending email address host name

Symptom

The appliance is not able to send alert messages using the configured email address.

Invalid configuration parameter

Cause

One or more parameters for configuring email notification is invalid, preventing the appliance from reaching the host used for sending email.

Action
  1. As Infrastructure administrator, follow the procedure in Configure the appliance for email notification of alerts so that you can view the configuration parameters.

    For more information on these parameters, see Edit Notifications screen details.

  2. Correct any invalid configuration parameter.

  3. Save the configuration.

  4. Verify the configuration either by pinging the host or by sending a test message.

Appliance cannot access the network

Cause

The appliance is experiencing network issues, which prevents the appliance from sending email messages.

Action
  1. As Infrastructure administrator, verify that the host name for the sending email address is on the network by pinging the host.

  2. See Appliance cannot access the network to resolve problems connecting with the network.

Host does not respond as an SMTP server

Symptom

The host name, which should send the email messages, is not responding as an SMTP server.

Invalid configuration

Cause

The host name was not configured correctly.

Action
  1. As Infrastructure administrator, verify that the host name for the sending email address is on the network by pinging the host.

  2. Verify the port number used is correct.

  3. Follow the procedure in Configure the appliance for email notification of alerts so that you can view the configuration parameters.

  4. Update the Email parameters as needed.

  5. Save the configuration.

  6. Verify the configuration with the telnet command. For example:

    telnet mail.example.com 25
    
  7. Verify also by monitoring email notifications.

SMTP server with TLS/SSL security protocols

Cause

The SMTP server used for sending email notification has TLS/SSL security protocols.

Action
  1. Verify the connection to the SMTP server using the correct port with the telnet command. For example:

    telnet mail.example.com 587
    
  2. View the configuration parameters. For more information, see Configure the appliance for email notification of alerts.

  3. Ensure that the SMTP server does not have TLS/SSL support.

    Update the Email parameters as needed.

  4. Save the configuration.

  5. Verify the configuration with the telnet command. For example:

    telnet mail.example.com 25
    
  6. Verify also by monitoring email notifications.

Invalid password

Cause

The email notification configuration has an invalid password for the SMTP server. The email cannot be sent because it fails to provide the correct authentication.

Action
  1. Use the telnet command to connect to the SMTP server to verify the password. For example:

    telnet mail.example.com
    
  2. See Configure the appliance for email notification of alerts to learn how to view the configuration parameters.

  3. Ensure that the SMTP server password is correct.

    Update the Email parameters as needed.

  4. Save the configuration.

  5. Verify by monitoring email notifications.

Unable to deliver email messages to some email IDs

Symptom

Some users receive email messages regarding alerts but other users do not receive the same messages.

Recipient is not configured correctly

Cause

The recipient is either not configured or not configured correctly.

Action
  1. As Infrastructure administrator, follow the procedure in Edit an email recipient and filter entry so that you can view the recipient and filter entries.

  2. Verify that the recipient is specified.

    Correct the entry as needed.

  3. Verify that the email address of each recipient is valid.

    Correct the entry as needed.

  4. Verify by monitoring email notifications.

Email message blocked or treated as spam, junk

Cause

The email message is filtered and thus not delivered because it is considered junk mail or spam.

Action
  1. If the host sending the email and the recipient are in the same domain, examine the email application of the recipient.

  2. Ensure that the email application does not block the message and that it does not treat the message as spam or send it to a junk folder.

  3. Verify by monitoring email notifications.

Email notifications not being received by all recipients

Symptom

No configured recipient is receiving email notification of alerts.

Notification is disabled.

Cause

Email notification is currently disabled.

Action
  1. As the Infrastructure administrator, view the configuration parameters. For more information, see Configure the appliance for email notification of alerts.

  2. Ensure that email notification feature is enabled.

  3. Ensure that each email recipient and filter entry is appropriately enabled or disabled.

    See also Enable or disable an email recipient and filter.

  4. Verify by monitoring email notifications.

Recipient is not configured

Cause

Recipients cannot receive email messages because their parameters are not configured properly.

Action
  1. As the Infrastructure administrator, follow the procedure in Configure the appliance for email notification of alerts so that you can view the configuration parameters.

  2. Verify that the recipient is specified and that their email address is valid.

  3. If the recipient is not specified, do one of the following, as appropriate:

  4. Verify by monitoring email notifications.

Invalid filter criteria

Cause

The configuration for the email recipient contains a filter specification that does not capture any alerts for notification.

Action
  1. As Infrastructure administrator, follow the procedure in Edit an email recipient and filter entry to view the filter entries.

  2. Examine the alerts reported in the Activity screen and note the alerts you believe should have been captured by the filter.

    For more information, see View an activity.

  3. Review the filter entries.

    Ensure that the filter is defined precisely and accurately.

  4. Save the email recipient and filter entry.

  5. Verify the configuration by monitoring email notifications.

Frequent, irrelevant email messages

Symptom

Email messages that do not pertain to certain recipients are sent to them.

Cause

The configuration for the email recipient contains a filter specification that allows unwanted, irrelevant alerts.

Action

Minimum required privileges:

  1. As Infrastructure administrator, follow the procedure in Edit an email recipient and filter entry to view the filter entries.

  2. Review the filter entries:

    • Ensure that there are no empty filter entries. When the filter entry is empty, an email message is generated for any alert.

    • Ensure that filter entries are unique. Otherwise, at least twice as many messages are sent.

    • Be precise when specifying the filter criteria. Edit the filter entry so that it acts on only the alerts for which you want to be notified.

  3. Save the email recipient and filter entry.

  4. Verify the configuration by monitoring email notifications.

Test message could not be sent

Symptom

A test message was sent, but none of the recipients received it.

Invalid configuration

Cause

One or more parameters for configuring email notification is invalid, preventing the appliance from reaching the host used for sending email.

Action
  1. As Infrastructure administrator, follow the procedure in Configure the appliance for email notification of alerts so that you can view the configuration parameters.

    For more information on these parameters, see Edit Notifications screen details.

  2. Correct any invalid configuration parameter.

  3. Save the configuration.

  4. Verify the configuration either by pinging the host or by sending a test message again.

Appliance cannot access the network

Cause

The appliance is experiencing network issues, which prevents the appliance from sending email messages.

Action
  1. As Infrastructure administrator, verify that the host name for the sending email address is on the network by pinging the host.

  2. See Appliance cannot access the network to resolve problems connecting with the network.

Some test messages could not be sent

Symptom

Some recipients receive the test message but other recipients do not receive the same message.

Recipient is not configured correctly

Cause

The recipient is either not configured or not configured correctly.

Action
  1. As Infrastructure administrator, follow the procedure in Edit an email recipient and filter entry so that you can view the recipient and filter entries.

  2. Verify that the recipient is specified.

    Correct the entry as needed.

  3. Verify that the email address of each recipient is valid.

    Correct the entry as needed.

  4. Verify by sending another test message.

Email message blocked or treated as spam, junk

Cause

The test message was filtered and thus not delivered because it is considered junk mail or spam.

Action
  1. If the host sending the email and the recipient are in the same domain, examine the email application of the recipient.

  2. Ensure that the email application does not block the message and that it does not treat the message as spam or send it to a junk folder.

  3. Verify by sending another test message.