Configure Notifications

As an IBM Aspera Faspex on Demand Server Administrator, you can communicate with your users regarding various events using the "Notifications" feature. This topic describes the types of notifications available within Faspex. To get started, go to Server > Notifications within the Faspex Web UI. The following notification options appear on the left-side of the screen:

Important: Notification types 4 through 20, below, utilize the same editing interface and only vary in content. When you select one of these notification types, you can edit its respective content by clicking the Customize Using Template or Edit HTML links. The Customize Using Template option enables you to create an email template using a form (which includes the ability to insert text strings), while the Edit HTML allows you to create an email template with HTML code. Do not use HTML or the < and > symbols when editing content via Customize Using Template! You will find a list of each notification type's available text strings at Appendix: Notification Fields Reference.

Package Instructions

Post instructions for users who are sending new, normal packages (i.e., NOT dropbox packages). Once saved, your instructions will appear on the Faspex normal "New Package" screen (example is shown below).

Important: Dropbox package instructions can be created and/or edited from the Workgroups > (Down Arrow) > Edit Dropbox menu (see the Instructions for submitters field in the topic Create and Manage Dropboxes).

E-mail Configuration

Input your email (SMTP) server settings for sending notifications from Faspex. Settings include the following:

  • SMTP Authentication: Open or login
  • SMTP Mail Server
  • Server Port
  • Use TLS if available: Enable or disable. Please refer to the IMPORTANT NOTE below.
  • Domain
  • User: The email account that you are sending the notification from (be sure to include the domain).
  • Password: The email account's password.
  • Faspex "From" name: The "from" name that appears on Faspex-generated emails.
  • Faspex "From" email: The "from" email address that appears on Faspex-generated emails.
  • Packages received "From": Choose from Sender, Faspex, Sender via Faspex. If Sender is selected, package notifications will show as being received from "Sender's Name." If Faspex is selected, package notifications will show as being received from "Faspex." If Sender via Faspex is selected, package notifications will show as being received as the "Sender's Name via Faspex."
Important: Faspex will confirm whether or not the name in your TLS security certificate matches your mail server's configured address (fully qualified domain name and/or IP address). If it does not, you will receive an error. If your fully qualified domain name does not resolve with your internal DNS, you must add the IP address and name to your /etc/hosts file (or ensure the name resolves using DNS).

Important: If your Faspex Server is configured to identify itself by IP address (rather than by domain name), then the URLs in your notification emails will contain an IP address (e.g. "https://10.0.0.1/aspera/faspex"). Some Web-based email services (e.g. Yahoo or Ymail, Hotmail, etc.) have been known to automatically flag emails containing IP address links as "Spam," and will move them to your Junk/Spam folder. For this reason, Aspera recommends creating a domain name for your Faspex Server. If you do not have a domain name immediately available, then you can initially configure Faspex with an IP address and then change it to use a domain name later. If you know that you will not be setting up a domain name, then make sure that users add your Faspex "From" email address (e.g. faspex_admin@yourcompany.com) to their address book and/or contact list. Doing so typically "white-lists" the address so that emails from your Faspex Server are not automatically flagged and routed to your users' Junk/Spam boxes.

To debug your SMTP server settings, enter your email address in the Save and Send Test Email text field, and click the button to send a test email.

General Notes:

For more information on each type of notification, please refer to Appendix: Notification Fields Reference.