Email Notification stopped working. Help!

[eagleh]

Hello there,

I am trying to figure out why my Email Notification stopped. These notification should be triggered by alarms on ESX host or VMs.

It was working perfectly. Somehow it just stopped. I need your help to get this fixed asap. Please walk me through.

I have the correct mail settings under "Administration"/"Virutalcenter Management Server Configuration"

Desperately waiting...

Many thanks,

E.

[vmroyale]

Hello.

Just a thought, but if nothing has changed on your side, then maybe something is going on with the mail server?

Good Luck!

[eagleh]

Sorry I should have mentioned that I just got my VirtualCenter Server upgraded to U4. I executed "netstat -na" and no port 25 (smtp) listed. I am sure there's nothing changed on the mail server because my HP SIM server (it's a vm) is still able to send out email notifications via the same mail server.

[atbnet]

Unless it is currently connected/sending an email to the smtp server netstat wont show the port 25 connection.

Check that the vCenter server can ping the smtp server and also try telnet port 25 to start.

Then check that the correct smtp settings are in vCenter. Login to vCenter and got to "Administration menu --> Virtual Center Configuration. Then go to mail/smtp server and check the settings are right.

Also check the alarm email address is right.

Ensure that nobody has changed settings on the email server such as; authentication and where smtp mail is accepted from.

Andy, VMware Certified Professional / VMware vExpert Award 2009

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[eagleh]

"Unless it is currently connected/sending an email to the smtp server netstat wont show the port 25 connection."

I agree on this after some experiments.

"Check that the vCenter server can ping the smtp server and also try telnet port 25 to start."

I can't either ping it or telnet it. I guess this is where I start to troublshoot.

[Texiwill]

Hello,

Moved to vCenter Server forum.

Best regards,
Edward L. Haletky
VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009
====
Author of the book 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise: Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers', Copyright 2008 Pearson Education.
Blue Gears and SearchVMware Pro Blogs -- Top Virtualization Security Links -- Virtualization Security Round Table Podcast

[athlon_crazy · Accepted solution]

Did you telnet / ping using both fqdn & ip address? Could be your vcenter couldn't resolve SMTP fqdn.

But if using IP also seem doesn't work, could be :

• SMTP server refuse ping (ICMP deny) & telnet (relay not allow for vCenter)

• vCenter firewall blocking outgoing port 25

• Something blocking between SMTP server & your vCenter

Try telnet and send email using other workstation if possible.

System Engineer

Zen Systems Sdn Bhd

Malaysia

[eagleh]

Okay, this is the part I don't understand and I am stuck.

As suggested by folks, I logged onto my Vcenter Server to do the troublshooting. Funny thing is:

I used Outlook Express to specify the SMTP server and sent testing messages, it worked!

If I use Teltnet or PIng the same SMTP server right from the SAME Vcenter Server, it failed!

What could be the reason? Where should I look at now?

[athlon_crazy]

That's weird! does your smtp server require authentication for sending mail?

Is Outlook express and telnet using same port? Could be your smtp listening on port 587 instead 25

System Engineer

Zen Systems Sdn Bhd

Malaysia

[eagleh]

It was my bad! The SMTP server I am using is from outside network and it requests sender's full email address for verification (no particular SMTP authentication though). i.e. I need to put in in Sender Account instead of just johnsmith. Makes sense!

Thank you guys for helping on this. Much appreciated!