Introduction

The email service maintenance in Una is a crucial part of the configuration of your Social Networking platform as the deliverability of email messages to your users depends on it. Una sends various email notifications, and the outbound delivery solely relies on your email configuration.

Similarly to most applications, by default, Una is configured to utilize the PHP mail function to send outgoing emails. That is not always the right method because often (especially on shared servers), the Outbound Mail IP address of the server gets blacklisted. Consequently, this leads to any outgoing emails being rejected. This is one of the main reasons to consider sending your emails over the SMTP protocol.

Configuring Una to send emails using SMTP is a relatively simple task, which can be completed within a few steps.

Getting Started

In Una, the SMTP functionality is empowered by the SMTP Mailer module. This module is not available by default in a fresh Una installation. Fortunately, the process of installing additional modules is extremely simple and straightforward. You can find step-by-step instructions in our guide on How to install Apps in Una Social Network.

As soon as the module is installed, you can see it listed on the Home Page of your Una Studio. Naturally, the first step is to access it.

SMTP Mailer does not only enabled the possibility of configuring your SMTP details, but it also allows you to test the email functionality.

Before we step into the SMTP configuration of your Una network, there is certain information you have to gather. You need the following details:

• SMTP Hostname
• SMTP Username
• SMTP Password

You can obtain the details mentioned above from your email service provider. In case you are a HostArmada customer, you are able to find the required details in the welcome email containing all the essential information of your hosting account with us. You can review the email directly from your Client Area by clicking on the email icon located at the top menu bar. In case you have any difficulties finding the details, please make sure to submit a ticket request to our Support team, and they will gladly provide you with them.

Configuring SMTP Server Connection Details

We expect you to be ready with everything pointed out in the previous section. If that is true, you should now be located under the first "Settings" tab in SMTP Mailer. The following settings require your attention:

• Enable SMTP mailer - For the purpose of our pursuit in this guide, this checkbox must be ticked. Needles to say, it enabled the use of SMTP.
• SMTP authentication (Is your SMTP server requires username and password?) - This setting determines whether the SMTP server requires the email account to authenticate to send emails. In most cases, it does. Therefore, make sure to check it, especially if you are utilizing our email services.
• SMTP username (only if SMTP authentication is enabled) - The username is typically either the full email address or the email address prefix only. If you are a HostArmada customer, please make sure to use the full email address.
• SMTP password (only if SMTP authentication is enabled) - In this field, you need to enter the password associated with the email account you are configuring.
• SMTP server name or IP address - This indicates the hostname of the Outgoing (SMTP) server. Typically, you can use “mail.domain.com” where “domain.com” represents your own domain name. Note that for that setup to work, the DNS records of your domain name should be properly configured. Alternatively, you can always use directly the hostname of the SMTP server (e.g., ger1.armadaservers.com).
• SMTP server port number (25 - default, 465 - for secure ssl connection, 587 - for secure tls connection) - Determines the connection port.
• Is your SMTP server requires secure connection - Determines the encryption method used to connect to the server. Depending on the port you intend to use, you need to select the corresponding encryption type. Port 25 - “None”, port 465 “SSL”, port 587 “TLS”.

• Allow self-signed certificates - Self-signed is a certificate that is not signed by a Certified Authority (CA). Self-signed certificates are required by the server to enable encryption and establish a secure connection. If you would like to allow them, please tick the checkbox.
• 'From' name of the message - In this field, you have to specify the display name which is going to appear in the “From” field in your recipients' mailboxes. We would recommend you make sure to use a name easily recognizable for your users.
• Override default sender email address - You are allowed to override the email address specified within your Una configuration (Studio > System > Site Settings).

When ready, please make sure to click on the "Save" button to record your SMTP connection details and configuration preferences.

With this done, you have finalized the SMTP configuration of your Una website.

Testing Email Delivery Functionality

It is vital to ensure the seamless functionality of your email configuration. Either way, you are going to end up with a bunch of emails failing to be delivered, and nobody wants that.

To revision your email functionality, please switch to the second "Test" tab in the SMTP Mailer module.

When there, just fill in the required details:

• Recipient - You may enter your personal email address or another email account you have access to, and you are sure it functions properly at this moment.
• Subject - Enter a sample email subject. Please make sure to avoid the word "test" and other similar strings as they may trigger spam filters.
• Body - The same applies here, enter a casual message, but make sure to avoid words like "test".

When ready, please hit the "Submit" button to initiate the test. You are going to receive a message indicating whether the test was successful or it had failed.

Well done! You have just configured your Una Social Network to send outbound emails over SMTP. We hope you have found this tutorial helpful and easy to follow. In case you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Technical Support Department by submitting a ticket request from your HostArmada Client Area.