FAQ: AS400 email setup

What do I need to do to get email working on my AS/400 (IBM i) system?

You need to configure email on your AS/400 (IBM i) before CoolSpools can send emails.

CoolSpools Email now offers two ways of sending emails:

1. Mail Server Framework (MSF) and IBM’s SMTP server The original release of CoolSpools V6 Email, as well as the earlier Communiqué product, used the IBM QtmmSendMail API to create emails. QtmmSendMail sends email via two IBM-provided services for processing, namely: Mail Server Framework (MSF) and IBM’s Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) servers For email sent this way to work, both these services need to be configured and active. While this is the method of sending emails that many customers have used very successfully for years, it has a number of drawbacks:
   • It can be complex to set up and manage
   • Diagnostic and logging information can be hard to obtain and interpret
   • Tracing an email from the point at which it is created through to the point at which it is (hopefully) delivered or (sometimes) rejected, can be tough (or even impossible)
2. CoolSpools SMTP server Because of the deficiencies with MSF and IBM’s SMTP described above, we have now written our own SMTP server. If your current code level for CoolSpools Email is less than 122, you need to install the latest fix pack to get this option. Also, we strongly recommend that you install fix pack 148 or the latest fix pack (if later than 148) before going live with CoolSpools SMTP as fix pack 148 addresses an issue with the delivery of emails by CoolSpools SMTP to certain mail servers. If you choose to use the CoolSpools SMTP server, you will lose no functionality compared to MSF and IBM’s SMTP (other than some little-used or obsolete facilities). At the same time, we believe you will find that it is easier to set up and manage and that the level of diagnostic, tracking and audit trail information available is far superior. If you use the CoolSpools SMTP server, we can track emails from the point they are created right through to delivery to the target email system (or to your mail server if you have one, e.g. Exchange). For this reason, we are recommending that all new customers use this method and that all existing customers move over to this method as soon as it is convenient to do so in a controlled fashion.

See the CoolSpools Email User Guide V7R1 (“Setup” chapter) for further details of the differences between these two methods and how to implement them.

The steps you need to follow to set up the first method (MSF + IBM’s SMTP), as well as some tips for managing and troubleshooting IBM i email sent that way, are explained in our Email Setup and troubleshooting guide.