You know that Windows Home Server 2011 monitors your WHS, but did you know 2011 can send you email notifications? Yes, WHS 2011 can email your alerts and warnings through this little application included in Windows Home Server 2011. Read on to find out more about this hidden jewel.
The Alert Viewer Email Notification application was actually in prior releases of 2011/Vail but rarely talked about.
Every thirty minutes, the ‘Alert Email Evaluation’ task runs on the server that evaluates the network for alerts. An email notification is sent out if any alert that is set for email notification occurs. A second email will not be sent if the alert is still active within the next alerts evaluation cycle
To start the Set Up open the Alert Viewer and click on the link in the lower left corner.
Fill in your server information. You can find your SMTP on your ISP’s set up page. Microsoft has a short list of popular SMTP data here. You might need to change the port so make sure you use the right port number for your ISP!
Alerts that result in email notifications
The following alerts in the Alert Viewer result in email notifications when you set up your server to send email notifications for alerts:
- The Internet domain name has expired.
- The Internet domain name cannot be updated.
- Errors exist in a client computer backup.
- The server was restarted.
- One or more services are not running.
The Windows Server Drive Extender service is not running.- Your evaluation period is over.
- Activate now.
- License Error: Forest Trust Check.
- License Error: Domain Controller Check.
- License Error: FSMO Role Check.
- License Error: Enforcement FSMO Policies.
- License Error: Enforcement Load Policies.
- License Error: AD Error.
- One or more hard drives in Server Backup are not connected.
- Server Backup was not successful because there is not enough free space to contain the backed up data. You must replace the existing server backup hard drive or reduce the number of items to back up.
- Server Backup was not successful because of insufficient memory.
- A scheduled backup did not finish successfully.
- A certificate is not available for Remote Web Access.
- The certificate for Remote Web Access has expired.
- The router is not configured correctly.
- The server is not connected to the Internet. To access websites, you must ensure that the server is connected to the Internet.
- Remote Desktop Services is not configured correctly. You must configure Remote Desktop Services to remotely connect to computers in the network.
- The firewall is not configured correctly.
One or more hard drives in a storage pool are not working or are not connected.One or more storage pools are offline.- Free space is low on the system hard drive of the server.
- A problem occurred with the file system for one or more folders.
- The default storage pool is locked in offline mode.
Once you have completed the setup it will send you a test email.
Once you have completed the setup it will send you a test email.
Sweet. Thank you Windows Home Server 2011 Team for keeping this cool function!
I guess it is safe to say that the 5th notification above (“The Windows Server Drive Extender service is not running”) can be removed from the list 🙂
ROTFLMAO
How ironic!
You would be getting notifications forever! 🙁
I couldn’t get gmail to work. I’m assuming I should use port 465 since it says SSL?
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=13287
I have a google apps account.
SMTP Server Name:
smtp.gmail.com
SMTP Port:
465
This server requires SSL = YES(checked)
This server requires authentication = YES (checked)
username:
me@domainname.com
(my google “account” is my email address)
Password:
xxxxxxxx
I click “Apply and send email”
I never get a test email. 🙁
Anyone able to get this to work on gmail?
I have it working fine under gmail.
see the screenshot
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/whstogmail.jpg/
I cannot get this to work properly. I have entered all the info into the smtp fields, but it errors out. I am using a yahoo business account, and the same settings I use on my e-mail programs, per yahoo’s instructions with SSL for port 465 and authentication.
If I turn off the ssl and switch to port 25 the server will then send the mail.
I have tried 2 different yahoo accounts with the same results. I really don’t want to use port 25 without SSL.
Anyone found a solution?
For those who have not been able to get this to work, make your your antivirus (such as mcafee Virusscan) is not set up to block mass mailing senders. If so you might need to either turn that feature off or create a rule to allow whs2011 to allow. I spent a week trying to get this to work and mcafee on the server was the culprit.
I think this a best way to control the system when admin is not near to server. This is also helpful to reduce the manual stress on system checking.