To send email reminders, such as the Overdue Items Notice, you will need to configure how Alexandria communicates with your library's email server. Alexandria's email system is designed to potentially cope with hundreds of emails being sent (or resent) over many machines at the same time.

Settings

The Server 1 and Server 2 sections are used for out-bound email. Server 1 is the primary server and Server 2 can function as a back up server should server 1 fail. You only need one SMTP server to use the email functionality; for networks with a single SMTP server configure the setting in the Server 1 section.

• SMTP Server 1 and 2. This is the TCP/IP or DNS address of your library's mail server. Typically, this will be “ mail.” followed by your domain name.

• Port. Enter the port number that your email server uses.

• Allow Non-Secure Connections. Alexandria uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) for secure web communications, when this setting is enabled the system will use non-TLS connections if it cannot make an TLS connection.

• Log In. Enter the login for your email server.

• Password. Enter the password for your email server.

• Test Server. Test the SMTP Server settings by sending a test email. This email is sent to the email address listed in the Sites module.

• Last Tested On. This field displays the last date/time that the server test was performed.

• Last Test Results. This field displays whether the test was successful or not.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Set Up Your SMTP Server

Before setting up your SMTP server you will need to enter a valid email address in the sites management settings of Alexandria. 

1. Click on Tools to the left of your Circulation window. 
2. Click on Sites under the Management header. 
3. Enter the name of your site contact (typically this will be the District or Library Administrator of Alexandria), their title, their email and their phone/fax numbers.
4. Click Save in the upper right corner.

Once you have saved this information you are ready to set up the SMTP server.

1. Access Tools > Administration.
2. Click Email on the left.
3. Enter your SMTP server address and port in the available fields. 
4. Check the box if you want to allow non-secure connections. (optional)
5. Enter the login and password for your SMTP server. 
6. Click Save in the upper-right corner of the window.
7. Repeat steps 1-6 if you want to configure a back up server for Server 2.
   
   

Use Gmail as your SMTP Server

A Gmail account can be used as a portable SMTP server if your library's network does not already have one. Before you configure Alexandria to use Gmail, you will need to set your Gmail preferences to Allow Less Secure Apps. 

1. Access Tools > Administration.
2. Click Email on the left.
3. Enter smtp.gmail.com as the SMTP Server Address.
4. Enter 587 as the port. 
5. Check the box if you want to allow non-secure connections. (optional)
6. Enter the login and password for your Gmail account. 
7. Click Save in the upper-right corner of the window.
8. Click Test Server to ensure the Gmail account is acting as a server. 
9. Repeat steps 1-8 if you want to configure a back up server for Server 2.