Configuring Electronic Mail Notification

Introduction

The electronic mail notification service allows controller-based projects to report alarms or events. The controller monitors the system, and can automatically create an electronic mail message alert with data, alarms, and/or events. Mail recipients can be either local or remote.

Based on predefined events or conditions, messages are created using the DATA_EXCH function block.
The email message is constructed from predefined headers, plus variables and text (a maximum of 238 bytes). This message is sent directly from the automation system to the local email server.
Mail headers contain common predefined items — recipient list, sender name, and subject. These items can be updated by an authorized administrator.

NOTE: Test the email block before using it in an application. If you improperly configure an email DATA_EXCH block to receive an email when a detected problem occurs, the email may not be sent as expected.

Mail Service Client

The BMENOC0321 control network module includes an SMTP client. When the module receives a specific DATA_EXCH request over X Bus from the Control Expert project, it sends an email message to the SMTP mail server:

M580 CPU

BMENOC0321 control network module

control network

SMTP server

Displaying the SMTP Page

To display the SMTP page:

Step	Action
1	Click Services in the navigation tree in the left panel of the Device Editor. Result: The Services page opens.
2	In the Services page, set the SMTP field to Enabled. Then click Apply. Result: SMTP appears in the navigation tree.
3	Select SMTP in the navigation tree.
4	Click Apply to save changes and leave the window open, or click OK to save changes and close the window.

Configuring the Mail Service

A user-defined event or condition triggers the DATA_EXCH block to create a message. Each message uses one of 3 user-defined headers. Each message sent from the controller may contain text and variable information (with a maximum of 238 bytes).

The project selects the appropriate header. Each header contains:

sender’s name
list of recipients
subject

View and edit these properties in the SMTP page:

Property	Description
SMTP Server IP Address	Enter the IP address of the mail server.
SMTP Server Port	The default TCP port number for SMTP is 25. Configure the port as specified by your local mail server.
Password Authentication	If security is needed, enable Password Authentication by selecting the check box. Enter values for: Login Any printable character allowed 64-character maximum Password Any printable character allowed 64-character maximum NOTE: You can use an optional login (system ID) and password to authenticate the connection to the SMTP mail server. The SMTP-supported authentication method is LOGIN.
Email Header	Each header contains: Sender’s ID in the From field 32-character maximum (no spaces) NOTE: The minimum length of the local part of a valid email address (before the @ symbol) is three characters. List of recipients in the To field Separate each email address with a comma. 128-character maximum Fixed part of message in the Subject field1 32-character maximum 1 The Subject field consists of 2 parts: Fixed (32-character maximum) Dynamic (206-character maximum) An authorized administrator can define and update the text and variable information. Define the 3 mail headers to indicate different levels of importance. For example: Header 1 could be Detected problem reported by PLC 10. Header 2 could be Notification from substation 10. Header 3 could be Info message from water system. Listing different recipients in each of the 3 headers allows the right information to flow quickly to the correct recipients. The project adds pertinent information such as the specific device, process, or location. This pertinent information is added to the body of the mail message. Then, the complete message is sent to an electronic mail server for distribution to recipients. These recipients could be engineers, managers, or process owners.

Operating Modes and Sending Requests

Because the controller program sends the email request, a controller cannot send an email message either while in the stopped mode or while downloading a project. As soon as the controller is in run mode, the function block sends a request during the first project scan.

Diagnostic counters are reset to 0 after a power-up, a project download, or a reconfiguration of the mail service.

Error Codes

The codes that correspond to errors that are detected during the execution of this function are included in an appendix.